bling said:
Another question, which option would I get more for my money (I prob will track my car maybe once a year, at max)?
1. Stick with my 95 caliper, get some decent slot rotors and pads and be done with it.
2. Get the 97+ caliper, slotted rotors and pads.
The main difference will be the caliper upgrade, is that improvement worth the extra $300-400??? Anyone care to comment?
My recommendation would be to stick with your current stock
calipers. Are you having problems with your brakes on the track, that you expect the larger calipers/rotors to solve? It sounds like the answer is no. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Same answer regarding the
rotors. Are you having problems with them? Slotted rotors really aren't going to make a whole lot of difference. Two-piece rotors will - they won't reduce your stopping distances, but they will be more resistant to heat effects (e.g. cracking) - but if your stock rotors are working fine, there's no need to worry about getting anything else. The biggest improvement you can make to your brakes is making sure you bed them properly whenever you change rotors or the type of pads you're using. See the
Stoptech website for details.
As for
brake pads, assuming you're not using a separate set of pads for the track, I STRONGLY recommend the GT Sport brake pads from
Cobalt Friction. They stop the car nicely, with a nice bite, they stand up to racetrack use, and yet they almost never squeal - they're the best of both worlds, an excellent pad for the street as well as the track. You can get them direct from
Cobalt. Incidentally, Cobalt sells most of the other major brands of brake pads, and is knowledgeable about the brands they don't sell, too. Their service and advice is outstanding. Andie, the owner of Cobalt, owns an NSX, too, so they are very familiar with the car and its needs. It's a great place to do business with.
(If you DO decide to use separate pads for the track, Cobalt's Spec VR pads are excellent, but their noise level and heat requirements make them unsuitable for street use.)
A couple more points here. One is that it's often helpful to take an incremental approach. See how it goes, and if you encounter a problem, take the next step up to deal with it. This will avoid spending money that really isn't necessary. Unless, of course, you're doing it for the bling bling, or for the bench racing circuit (i.e. bragging rights).
The other is, the nice thing about rotors and pads is that if you do a lot of track events, eventually they will need replacement. Each time you replace rotors or pads, it's an opportunity to try something different (if you don't like what you have) or to get the same thing again (if you do). So whatever you've decided on, doesn't mean that you're going to be "stuck" using it forever.
