Phantom Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Anyone read that article in the new Sport Z magazine on the new braking technology? Essentially it's a radiator for your calipers. I found it quite interesting. I'm very dubious of any new product but this one looks like it could make the difference for someone whose brakes are marginal in competition but don't want to do an expesive upgrade. Anyone else who has read the article with opinions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Didn't read the article but I've heard about a similar setup that would cycle the caliper fluid through and back to the master. I know Joe Demers wrote the article and designed the brake thingy so I wouldn't expect it to be anything other than a great idea. I almost considered subscribing to the magazine just to see what it was. Main problem I can see is that the rotors and pads will still suffer. A friend of mine who races a 510 started a race weekend with slotted rotors and some Hawk pads that were made for very high temps. By the end of the weekend his slots were gone. If you had a bigger caliper and pad and a rotor that could dissipate the heat you could run a milder pad compound and not have that problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 4, 2005 Author Share Posted October 4, 2005 Think of something similar to a heat sink in a computer with a thin metal tab that fits full-length between the pad and the caliper. It reduces the maximum temperatures seen during a series of 'aggressive braking' by as much as 90 degrees F. It reduces the possibility of the brake fluid boiling and improves pad life. The article was pretty convincing but it's not on the market yet and no projected pricing was given. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olie05 Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 so if it fits between the pad and the caliper, how thick is it? it can't be very thick at all right? -Oliver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Think of something similar to a heat sink in a computer with a thin metal tab that fits full-length between the pad and the caliper. It reduces the maximum temperatures seen during a series of 'aggressive braking' by as much as 90 degrees F. It reduces the possibility of the brake fluid boiling and improves pad life. The article was pretty convincing but it's not on the market yet and no projected pricing was given. Oh, I thought you literally meant a radiator for the brake fluid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube80z Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Think of something similar to a heat sink in a computer with a thin metal tab that fits full-length between the pad and the caliper. It reduces the maximum temperatures seen during a series of 'aggressive braking' by as much as 90 degrees F. It reduces the possibility of the brake fluid boiling and improves pad life. The article was pretty convincing but it's not on the market yet and no projected pricing was given. Is 90 degrees a misquote? Because if that's it I wouldn't bother. A fluid recirculator would be a much better option. Cary "had glowing red rotors on my autox car this past weekend :-)" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1 Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 It depends on the weak link in the braking system. The "radiator-insulator" will prevent as much heat from being transfered into the fluid and caliper, so if the weak link is boiling the fluid, it probably will help. But, it's not going to help cool the rotor, and if the rotor disapating heat is the weak link, it won't help. So far as the pads, I guess it depends on whether the "radiator" part can dissipate more heat than the caliper and fluid was absorbing. If so, it may keep the pads a little cooler. If not, that's more heat going to the rotor. Interesting idea, though- I would like to hear some real world feedback. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Basically its an "L" shaped copper and stainless steel shim that fits between the pad and the caliper piston. The base of the "L" sits above the caliper between the caliper and the wheel. The base of the "L" has cooling fins. The thing works via the heat transfer capabilities of copper. According to the article Joe's testing showed about a 15 to 30% reduction in temperatures measured at the caliper piston. In an application where pads and rotors are expected to handle very high heat (like the stock front disk brakes on a 240Z) I think these things are of some benefit in preventing fluid fade. In applications where there's enough airflow to the rotors and the rotors are vented, I don't think these cooling devices would be of much benefit. But, that's just my opinion. I would definately try them on a 240Z with stock brakes if I had enough clearance between the calipers and the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gollum Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 I just totally had a visual of a CPU heatsink strapped onto a caliper. It sounds like a good idea, but like johnc mentioned, if you don't have airflow what's the point? Personlly I'd put a fan on the heatsink. They're light and can really help flow air, and they're not THAT big of a drain on the system. And you could even set up a fan controller for certain temp perameters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudypoochris Posted October 4, 2005 Share Posted October 4, 2005 Why not just put this cooler on the actual brake line right after the SS lines meat the hardlines? Or does that not work because there is not enough circulation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted October 5, 2005 Author Share Posted October 5, 2005 You need to read the article and look at the design. In the meantime - consider one thing - at what point in the system does the brake fluid start to boil? First hint is that it's not a foot away from the calipers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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