Datsun Brakes??

[JMortensen]

Good point Drax! BUT--if you're running slicks or gummy DOT's I think you can very quickly put too much heat into the stock brakes...

 

I should say that when I started running on the big tracks I had NO brake problems. Went from street tires to DOTs, little brake problems. Slicks, big brake problems. Really started aligning the car correctly, cornerweighted, lowered a little more, more caster, HUGE brake problems.

[Guest Willow Warrior]

ASSUMING NO BRAKE OVERHEATING ISSUES...If the other cars are outperforming you under braking, you have several shortcomings:

 

1) PHYSICS - Your rotor size may be smaller than the competition, (think about leverage arm here...)

 

2) BALANCE - Your car might be too obese, and also resulting in MASSIVE weight transfer to the front if the suspension is not balanced properly. Solution might be different spring/shock settings. And less weight.

 

Try to address the above issues first. You might as well abandon the stock Datsun setup.

 

Now comes the heat issue...

Heat Management!! - If your rotors are blue, you have RETAINED too much heat, your pads are now glazed. They won't stop good anymore. It happened to me a few times.

 

Try to feed MASSIVE amounts of cool air to the brakes. Someone said "you don't need 3in. ducts, because they rip off when you are on the street". If so, just zip-tie them in when you get to the track,

OR... Get some heat exchanger tube aluminum hose for an old VW Bug. They are 2 inches big and come in 3ft lengths for around 3 bucks. There is enough room in the fender to run lots of ducting that small without clearance problems.

 

Here's another MacGyver brake duct... Try Home Depot and head straight for the Rigid Shop-Vac aisle. Get the flat floor attachment. Turn it upside-down and zip-tie it to your lower control arm. BINGO! it feeds cool air to the brakes! (front or rear).

 

High Temp Pads and Fluid are also per JohnC suggestions. ie Hawk/Motul.

 

And lightweight wheels help too.

 

That all I could remember from the Duct-Tape School of Racing.

 

Sticky tires will also compound your problem even worse.

 

[arizonazcar]

I agree the stock brakes suck, that's why I have sold over 1300 racing brake kits for the Z in 26 countries worldwide.

 

Please take a look at http://www.arizonazcar.com/brakes.html

 

Dave

[Guest ON3GO]

i think the stock brakes are pretty good for what they are... i mean my blue 77 Z i have here in texas is i bet around 3000lbs and all i did was replace the pads with cheap autoZone pads and shoes, and some nice new fuild, and cut the rotors and drums. IT BRAKES GREAT. makes me wonder on my full fledge racing 12.5inch wilwood package i have on my green Z.. but then again i love my brakes on the Hulk and you can never really have to much of a good thing..

 

thanks also to alot of you guys cuz some of these posts really help me understand alot of more things better..

 

Mike