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Lets see those brake ducts!


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  • 2 weeks later...

I don't have any pics of my old setup, but I can tell you that if you route the duct underneath the frame rail it is likely to drag on the ground and get ripped off, and if you put it on the side of the frame rail it will get hit by the tire at full lock. I routed mine up above the airdam and just left the opening of the tube in the airstream to the radiator (not very good) and then had it come back along the side of the frame rail to the area where the tire would hit it at full lock. At that point it curved up and over the area where the tire would hit in an upside down U shape, then I used a hose clamp on the strut housing and another one through it to hold the vent tube and pointed that at the front end of the caliper. I just used sheet metal screws to attach hose clamps to the fenderwells and then clamped the ducting in place.

 

If I were to do it again, I'd do it differently:I'd attach the tubes to a radiator box or the airdam near the center of the car to get a better positive pressure spot for the tube. Then I'd route the tube through the engine compartment, and back out of the engine compartment after the area where the tire would hit just forward of the strut tower. By doing it this way you would have less bends than going up and over the interference point as I did before, and a much shorter tube as well. I think this would make for better cooling.

 

Also if you've got vented rotors, I'd suggest making a backing plate that bolts to the strut where the stock backing plate did and fits inside the hat so that air from the ducts gets sent directly into the middle of the rotor veins instead of blowing on one side of the rotor or the other, which is known to cause problems. I know bjhines made such a backing plate for his brakes. Here is a similar idea for a Bimmer, should help if you haven't already got the idea: http://www.hardmotorsport.com/Hard-Motorsport-BBK-Brake-Cooling-Duct-Kit-Bmw-E36-M3-HMSE36BBKDUCTKIT.htm If you've got stock brakes you can try to find some pictures of ITS ducts and copy that, but they usually require 2 or 3 vent tubes and I don't think they'd last very long on a street car.

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  • 7 months later...

Here are mine-fabbed from stock backing plates, welded exhaust pipe onto it and purchased silicone hose from summit or somewhere like that-had them zinc plated after the mods were completed.

http://forums.hybridz.org/uploads/500/DSC01054.JPG

This pic shows the inlet ducts that were made to attach to my Kamanari air dam

http://forums.hybridz.org/gallery/image/23068-dsc02518/

Shows ducts mounted in the air dam

http://forums.hybridz.org/uploads/1320333963/gallery_176_970_121730.jpg

This is the best belly shot I could find-sort of shows the ducting

http://forums.hybridz.org/uploads/1338661990/gallery_176_1016_930685.jpg

Edited by 1 tuff z
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Unless you are doing a 60, 90-minute or longer enduro I have often wondered if ducting was necessary. Your thoughts John C?

 

Then again, maybe I'm not driving hard/fast enough to use the brakes that much. When we had only 185 rwhp we changed pads every two years. A real momentum car. Now with over 240rwhp  this year, we'll see if that changes.

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John J, before the v8 and before the supercharged L6 I too rarely changed my pads and was more of a momentum driver. With significantly more power and much higher speeds there is obviously a greater need for increaed brake capacity-I added the ducting to be sure that brake fade would not be an issue.

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  • 3 months later...

I've wanted to do some as well on my car - just for fun.

I've been looking a 70's race cars, they use brake duct over disk that surrounds the entire disk to enhance cooling efficiency. A little like what 1 Fast Z has done + proper disk covering.

 

Which part also of the brake should be cooled the most? I see ducts going strait to the disks whereas it seems to me what we're trying to avoid is fading caused by too hot pads & fluid (in calipers). So I would try to orient air flow towards calipers.

 

Regarding ducts on air dam, I come up with fiber glass units.

photo026.jpg

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I bought dinky 3" alum flange things from Aircraft Spruce and 3" Toaster Oven duct from Lowes. It doest rub at full lock static.

Who knows what will happen after I launch off a burm sideways this weekend.

I squirted directly at the vented rotor center.

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A 200hp ITS 240Z needs at least one 3" (two 3" preferred) ducts to each front wheel for a 30 minute spring race.  That's for the stock rotor and caliper.   A vented front rotor is happy with one 2.5" duct.

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Ducting is a HUGE difference.

Tracked at INDE all day today and the difference in temp (my hand on wheel) is gigantic

 

Rears are warmer for sure.

I pulled a little rear bias out. LOVE cockpit adjuster.

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  • 3 years later...

 Taking some cues from modern production cars I decided on directing air to the brake area versus full on ducts to the caliper/rotor.  This setup suffers zero wear do to the lack of any articulation. My tests showed 70-100 degree reductions with mild to aggressive street driving.  I have yet to see what benefits I will see on a road course. I used aluminum L bars cut down to needed lengths and steel duct straps. All mounted using factory mounting holes.  

post-26166-0-04987000-1486188511_thumb.jpg

post-26166-0-63368500-1486188880_thumb.jpg

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