I was curious if anyone on this list has ever overheated their Brembo's to the point of boiling the brake fluid (i.e. pedal goes to the floor.)

 

people have brake fade on the track with the OEM brembos all the time. They are not that great on the track

 

i would think brake fade would be caused by the pad choice and fluid more so than the calipers

 

I would be interested in knowing if it is pad vaporization or fluid boiling? With pad vaporization the pedal gets hard and the brakes quit slowing the car. With fluid vaporization (boiling) the pedal gets "squishy" or just goes to the floor.

 

it would be...

 

Brake fade IS more about pad choice and rotor size, and when I was asking about the Brembos what I was really referring to was the high performance brake system overall - not the calipers in particular.

However, when you start pushing the limits of the brake system the thermal capacity of the caliper will start to play a part in preventing the brake fluid from boiling. Cast iron has a greater thermal capacity than aluminum and will therefore hold the heat instead of transferring it to the environment.

I just wanted to know how many people have experienced brake fade with the Brembos. Or for that matter, who has experienced brake fade with the standard brake system and high performance pads and rotors.

Joe

 

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At the track I saw a driver with a STI and Brembo brakes, he drove very hard to a point the front caliper was discolored by the heat and lost brakes completely. He came to a stop on the runoff area, so no damage to him or the car.

 

I once drove a 04 coupe with brembos on a track day, it took a few laps, but eventually the pedal started getting squishy, and finally the brakes mushed out... I'd say it was a combination of pad fade and boiled fluid... When we finished our session the front and rear brakes were all smoking and the calipers were getting discolored.

 

Hmmm, if this is common then maybe the Brembos do need fade stop brake coolers.

 

Nah, mainly better track oriented high temp pads and high temp brake fluid...

 

The high temperature pads are usually what leads to the vaporizing fluid since the fluid has a boiling point that is typically half that of the pad. A $50 dollar accessory that gets heat out of the caliper would significantly decrease that problem. Read through the flash movie I have at http://www.fourproducts.com/FSBC_Flash.htm