Brake Fade

[Duane <drcollie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Date: Wed, 21 Oct 1998 09:44:51 -0400
>From: "Legerlotz, Alan" <alegerlotz@domain.elided>
>Subject: <E36> Brake Fluid Boiling and fade
>
>My car is a 1996 328is.  I currently run ATE PowerDiscs, Pagid street pads,
>and ATE Superblue brake fluid.  Its a sport package car with the 16 inch
>double spoke wheels.
>
>Whenever I do a driver's school, my brake pedal seems to drop after only a
>few laps...  Once this occurs, my braking seems to stabilize and I can run
>for the rest of the day with the low pedal.

>I assume that my brake fluid is boiling, and then that I'm getting some
>subsequent brake fade.  I do between 20K and 25K of street driving per year
>on the car, so I can't go to a big brake setup with no backing plates, or
>full race pads, etc...

Alan,

I'm guessing its not your brake fluid - but your pads that are at fault.
I'm running Super Blue as are several hundred others on this list and I've
never boiled the fluid and "I don't brake until I see God" (dat's a
'Stommelism').  More likely you are exceeding the capability of the street
pads.

You don't need fancy brakes - all you need is a set of track pads.  Learn
to swap 'em out (will take you an hour with conventional hand tools and a
floor jack), and that should do the trick.  Your street pads are in-effect
'giving it up' from the heat. While Super Blue is designed to run in the
500 + degree heat range, your street pads are probably good for about 300
+/- degrees (guessing here - don't you engineering-type weenies start
pulling out data files on me). When they get hot, they WILL fade and start
to go away.

A lot of things have to work in harmony to keep the brake temp within
operating limits. That includes: venting, rotor thickness, heat
dissapation, pad material AND the brake fluid. It's only as good as the
weakest link.

Try a set of Performance Frictions - 80 compound if you can find them.  You
can easily drive to the track on them and they will stand up to whatever
you dish out.  Not for everyday street driving as they squeal like a Metro
Bus, dust like a Kansas tornado, and rattle like the Tin Man on the Wizard
of Oz. 

Duane Collie

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