RB 2 piece rotors...issue

[GaryS]

^^ He means he regrets the purchase now that he knows the rotors are weak.

[Focusedintntions]

So Warren and I have been email back and forth almost every day now for a while and I have to say I'm very impressed with his commitment to try and find a solution. He has gone over what most manufacturers/retailers would do to try and ensure I end up happy and find a product that will work with our cars. He offered me a replacement set of rings for my car and done everything reasonable to help end up with a better product. I though have chosen to go a different route at this time, but will be back to test another set of rings once I finish the project i'm working on.

If you have already bought a set of rings from Warren and RacingBrake, don't be afraid to use them and don't go seeking a refund. Go ahead and use them and report your results. The more people that use them the more data we will have. Right now I think Gary and I were some of the first to really put them through their paces and report back. We need more of you to do so too. With more information I'm sure Warren and his partners will continue to improve and we'll be able to find a solution for our cars. He is reading this thread and keeping an eye out on what we post up, so please give him the information he needs.

Unlike some vendors I've dealt with over the years, Warren is a straight up guy that tells it like it is and tries to work with you to find a fix and make sure his product is top notch.

I updated the first post i made with this for new readers.

[Focusedintntions]

This is the most recent email I received from Warren. I've not posted some of the things he asked me not to post, but fun stuff in the works for us

"Thank you for sharing some of your insight with me.
Our two piece rotors were made as my first prescriptions to solve 135i brake issues- it was made thicker than OE which I doubt any competition would do the same. But as you said they may work on others, however if the car is constantly on track they may end up with the same situation as you have now.
My next dose is to offer an over haul rebuilt kit for factory calipers, all design work are done and parts are being produced which includes SS piston -see picture and dwg for the difference between OE and our design - solid SS steel with vents, and high heat seal and boots. But rebuilding (more than just replacing) can be challenging for DIY, as you can see the photo from the sample I bought, the piston cracked and I still have to figure out a way to extract it. We are offering a caliper rebuilding program for EVO and Z06 by upgrading the factory aluminum pistons to SS, our service including the new cross-over tube replacement and hydrostatic test (3000 psi) to assure the calipers function properly before they ship - This is a feature we offer than just cosmetic powder coating that most other web company offer.
I am pretty certain after OE calipers are rebuilt with our upgraded components they are capable to take up most track task w/o having to go with aftermarket caliper kits. But there is always some exception, e.g. some more real serious racers prefer radial mount caliper (vs. OE axial mount) for the added rigidity that's when dose #3 (upgrading calipers) is called for. I have all three prescriptions lined up.
These are the type of products and service we offer to weekend warriors like you want to enjoy their motorsports with limited budget. We don't advertise, nor have dealers talk for us so if you can convey to your community it will be helpful.
Our current projects are taking up the challenge on GT-R brakes which Nissan & Brembo are struggling to solve the issue for their earlier models (07-11), but even the new 2012 model with larger rotor (390mm) it still would not hold up to track, so RB will debut its first OE replacement rotors for 2012 in two weeks (4/7/12) at Laguna Seca track event sponsored by Nissan. You may also want to know the Nissan factory racing team is using RB two piece rotors for their 370Z."

[chachacha28]

wow, these were on my shopping list.

were.

now i dont know what to do.

[Focusedintntions]

I'd say as long as you're running some sort of ducting to help cool the brakes to go for it.

[chachacha28]

i was just planning on running the F30 backing plates, or cutting the stock one.

what kind of pads were you guys running? doesnt rb make pads for the front? are they any good? could those help prevent this cracking issue?

[RimasRS]

And somebody said nothing can beat RB rotors... Oh my...

[Focusedintntions]

Originally Posted by ezeedee

i was just planning on running the F30 backing plates, or cutting the stock one.

what kind of pads were you guys running? doesnt rb make pads for the front? are they any good? could those help prevent this cracking issue?

We have ours bent and cut. The f30 plates aren't going to cut it you're running dt30 or above. Ducting is the safe bet.

[The HACK]

Interesting. I've been using my RB rotors for the last 6+ years on west coast tracks, and we have some pretty brake intensive tracks (Auto Club Speedway, 125+mph down to ~40 repeatedly, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca). But my car happens to have pretty efficient brake cooling (for a BMW that is):



Just looking at some of the pictures, the damage looks to be heat related, as in extreme swings of temperature causing the rotor to crack. If you can run ducting to direct some air into the center of the rotor, so that they evacuate out as the rotor spins, then the problem would solve itself.

If you read up on RacingBrake's tech section, they do talk about a higher carbon content iron to improve on the hardness of the rotor, therefore extending the life of said rotor. My front rotor has survived COUNTLESS heavy track days on said heavy braking tracks over the span of nearly 7 years, and even when I ditched the rings, they looked fine. I suspect the lack of cooling ability on the 135i for the brakes, in combination with the higher carbon content, means overheated rotors result in cracks, while the more pliable, softer iron of the factory rotor has enough elasticity to survive such extreme swings in temperature/expansion.

The root of the problem, isn't the formulation of the rotor material, it's the lack of cooling for the 135i's braking system. Look at the backing plate on my MZ4 Coupe. Any time the wheels are turned one way or another in a turn, the rotor is getting cool ambient air blasted at its surface and redirected at the center hub. And it's when you're turning in a slow turn that you need the most cooling, since you're most likely coming out of a heavy braking zone.

I would HIGHLY recommend finding a better way, like brake ducting, to redirect SOME cooling air to the rotor on the 135i if you intend to track it heavily.

[Focusedintntions]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Interesting. I've been using my RB rotors for the last 6+ years on west coast tracks, and we have some pretty brake intensive tracks (Auto Club Speedway, 125+mph down to ~40 repeatedly, Buttonwillow, Laguna Seca). But my car happens to have pretty efficient brake cooling (for a BMW that is):



Just looking at some of the pictures, the damage looks to be heat related, as in extreme swings of temperature causing the rotor to crack. If you can run ducting to direct some air into the center of the rotor, so that they evacuate out as the rotor spins, then the problem would solve itself.

If you read up on RacingBrake's tech section, they do talk about a higher carbon content iron to improve on the hardness of the rotor, therefore extending the life of said rotor. My front rotor has survived COUNTLESS heavy track days on said heavy braking tracks over the span of nearly 7 years, and even when I ditched the rings, they looked fine. I suspect the lack of cooling ability on the 135i for the brakes, in combination with the higher carbon content, means overheated rotors result in cracks, while the more pliable, softer iron of the factory rotor has enough elasticity to survive such extreme swings in temperature/expansion.

The root of the problem, isn't the formulation of the rotor material, it's the lack of cooling for the 135i's braking system. Look at the backing plate on my MZ4 Coupe. Any time the wheels are turned one way or another in a turn, the rotor is getting cool ambient air blasted at its surface and redirected at the center hub. And it's when you're turning in a slow turn that you need the most cooling, since you're most likely coming out of a heavy braking zone.

I would HIGHLY recommend finding a better way, like brake ducting, to redirect SOME cooling air to the rotor on the 135i if you intend to track it heavily.

Holy Thread revival batman! haha I haven't had any issues with the larger RB rotors since i've been running them. I removed the slash shields and haven't have had any more issues with the larger rotors. Granted ducting would really help more too. But I won't be trying to fix that issue anymore. My girl is for sale

[MightyMouseTech]

The damage seen on the rotors is purely heat related. All rotors used on track WILL crack. Just a part of life. The question is how long do they last before the cracks get too bad. On my racecar, we would replace the rotors when the cracks started to get near the edges of the rotors. This does seem awfully quick though. Need to get some kind of cooling at them.

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by Focusedintntions

Holy Thread revival batman!

LOL. Yes I missed the "2012" on the dates, thought these were relatively recent. I guess I'm still stuck on the Mayan calendar.