Brembo rotor failure on Cobra R

[kevin]

glad to see the guy walked away.

since they've already said it was brake failure (either that or the guy didn't see the turn). my guess is it wouldn't be a broken rotor issue that joe has unfortuantly experienced. this looks like a failure in the system. if one or two rotors had failed, my guess would be some slow down as the other rotors grabbed (an unusual attitude would exist at the point) and the car would probably would not have gone as far out as it did. a total system failure would explain the speed it appears he carried off the track.

it almost looks like he came off the prior turn and went straight past the next turn. again, (if this is the case) that would most likely indicate a system failure, rather than a one or two rotor failure. i know this corner, you come off the back straight into a left hand, slight uphill into a right rander that starts downhill. the car in the first pic is going down that hill and the mustang just came up the small hill as he missed the right hander.

i'm assuming he had a full cage to walk away from that.

drive safe y'all.

kevin.#22,#41,#80

 

[kevin]

i went back and looked at the first photo again. it looks like he was already sideways as he left the pavement.

also, the verbage said it was on the first lap of the race. interesting? if ya look at the qualifying lap times in qualifier 1 there is no posted times, indicating he dnf'd. the 2nd qualifier, i didn't see his car even listed. i wonder if the spin out was actually during the first qualifier.

as a side note: the lap speed given for the fast qualifer was like 93 or 96mph with a 2.25 lap time. i did this track a few weeks back at 2.08 lap time in a race.

this guy was doing some pretty good moving around the turn.

this should point out to everyone that when you do open track events, as you get better and faster, improve the safety equipment of your car to match the additional risks you take.

kevin.#22,#41,#80

 

[kevin]

i goofed. the results i pulled up were for ra not virginia. this guy was qualifing at 2.14 lap times which is 87mph lap speed acording to their times.

a friend of mine that races as well wonders (after looking at the pics) thinks maybe the guy was being pushed from behind and that was his focus. he's too high up in the turn for anything but a total brake system failure or driver error.

kevin.#22,#41,#80

 

[ragansrcobra99]

there was a topic on this a corner-carvers.com on this very series of pics. here's the link. a very interesting read. it has got me thinking about holding off on any more motor mods and putting away some money for a serious brake system. if we can only find better front hubs. check it out.....

http://www.corner-carvers.com/forum/ubb/Forum2/HTML/000943.html

 

[ragansrcobra99]

sorry for the double post but i went back through the first page of this and found a question about two piece rotors. after reading the above link i started jumping around looking for high performance braking.

baer eradispeed rotors are i believe two piece and around 1000-1100

wilwood has them

and a company that has me thinking although i haven't called them on this. check this out and let me know your thoughts on these guys.

http://www.advancedcooling.com/rotors02.html

this looks like a nice setup.

alcon also has two piece rotors and since baer uses their calipers, i wonder if the eradispeed rotors are also alcon.

 

[kevin]

i read the thread on corner carvers and then talked with skod about it. he agreed in this case (virgina) it looks like a system failure of some sort. he to sees the car too high in the corner as if he went off road going straight.

however, his converstion regarding hallet, i think, is right on. it's a very demanding track, given it's rough surface and hard loading corners. if your off the brakes and on the throttle just as you begin your turn you greatly reduce the load put on the front brake components. this is true regardless of the track your on. but if you trailbrake into some of the hallet corners your putting a great deal more weight and force on the front end.

kevin.#22,#41,#80

 

[ragansrcobra99]

so the hub flex (as i understood it) is not as serious an issue? would it be worth upgrading to a two piece rotor for an occasional track car. brakes are the most important peice of equipment on the car, to me. i don't want overkill, but i want confidence in the system, if that's understandalble......LOL
i'm really new at open track, and i'm trying to get the car set up from literally the ground up, brakes and suspension first. i'll be seeing you guys at RA also *can't wait*

 

[kevin]

i think your smart to look at brakes first for the track. since the brake failure incidents are fairly new (i've not experienced it yet) more people are "talking" of a two piece rotor. i've not heard of anyone actually going to them as yet. a two piece may be stronger because it avoids the "v" in the one piece and a lot of real race cars use them.

for now, at least, i'm sticking with the ones i have till i see others go to two piece set ups and see what they're experience is. i'd rather wait and change my rotors and pads more often than go to something entirely new and different until there's a history.

as you do more track events you'll find yourself pushing farther out in the envekope. just keep in mind to recognize how far your going versus the changes you've made in the car for the track. i know a lot of people who've made suspension upgrades and stickier tires so they can go faster and harder. i often wonder where they're mind is when they've done all these go fast in the corner goodies and STILL DON'T EVEN HAVE A SIMPLE ROOL BAR installed. what good is fast (and therefore more risk of off road excursions) if you don't protect yourself in the process. a full roll cage is best and can be done on a street car without looking ugly. they're not cheap, and there lies the problem. these folks i mentioned above have no problem spending thousands of dollars on handling and speed (i exclude brakes cause that's usually the first upgrade) and won't spend 2-3k for a soild life saver. the recent accidents posted here (and elsewhere) at hallet and virgina (evidently caused by brake failure) is testament to what i'm saying. those guys walked away BECAUSE THEY HAD FULL ROLL CAGES installed. if they hadn't, would they have been so lucky? we all pay insurance for the just in case, a roll cage is insurance.

as for me, i've done the safety modes first. b4 i ever took my 00r on the track i had one installed. the differnece between me and others on this site tho are rather clear. some are new at the open track game and therefore are not pushing the limits of their car. i on the other hand do. those who are just starting out with this brand of fun will get to the ppoint where they will realize their own driving limits have increased and therefore the rollcage becomes a requirement not a luxury. some may want to push this far, others will not. just be aware of your own desires and how fast YOU want to go, and then make the call.

please don't take the above as preaching. i know a lot of folks who just do this for pure fun and not test the limits of themselves or their cars. just be aware of when YOU cross that line.

drive safe and watch out for UVO's

kevin.#22,#41,#80