Brakes

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The RX-7 Brake System - Defined.

The Guide - Brakes

Brake Rotor
Brake Caliper
Brake Pads
Brake Line

The Guide - Brake Hydaulics

Brake Fluid/Reservoir
Brake Pedal
Master Cylinder
Power Brake Unit
Proportioning Valve
Hydraulic Unit

How to choose the right brake pads

Coefficient of friction:

A dimensionless indicator of the friction qualities of one material vs. another. A coefficient of 1.0 would be equal to 1g. The higher the coefficient, the greater the friction. Typical passenger car pad coefficients are in the neighborhood of 0.3 to 0.4. Racing pads are in the 0.5 to 0.6 range. With most pads the coefficient is temperature sensitive so claims that do not specify a temperature range should be viewed with suspicion. The optimum is to select a pad with a virtually constant but decreasing coefficient over the expected operating range of temperatures. As a result, the driver does not have to wait for the pad to heat up before it bites, and the pad fade will not be a factor so that modulation will be easy

Now that we have a foundation we can see that finding the pad of the right material and heat range affects your braking efficiency. You don't want a race pad for the street, because you have to heat it up to its appropriate heat range before it bites. Not too far off from racing tires where the operating range is higher, so getting them to stick requires more heat.

The difference is here you pick a pad for your car based on driving habits, much like you would with tires.

If you are on the brakes non-stop and generating excessive amounts of heat then you want a pad and rotor combo designed to bite or grip at higher temps.

On the street we want bite right now thus a pad with a lower operating temp, and the trade off is fade at higher temps, (excessive braking or high speed braking) or reduced bite.

Hawk HPS Brake Pads:

The Hawk HPS Brake Pad is designed to provide you with advanced braking characteristics for the street. Some of the features of this pad are; extremely low brake dust and a high friction (torque) either hot or cold. They are virtually noise free and are very gentle on your rotors giving you a long brake life. This pad is designed for high performance street use and will provide the best combination of performance and reliability.

Hawk HP Plus Brake Pads:

The Hawk HP Plus Brake Pad can take the heat of the track, and still provide a good street able pad. This brake pad is designed for the serous street and autocross enthusiast. It features an extremely high friction output making it worthy of club racing and auto crossing. However, due to the dramatic friction levels produced by this brake pad in order to achieve "race level" braking: rotor wear, pad wear, noise and dust may be increased.

Hawk Blue (9012) Brake Pads:

Medium/High torque racing brake compound. They provide low pad and rotor wear with good modulation. Designed for road racing and rally applications where heat is between 250 and 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

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