RacingBrake Carbon Ceramic Rotor Install

[Tomwa]

Isn't the hat aluminum?

 

[Blackthought_]

A quick update. The team at RB confirmed the issue due (hole was made to fit Porsche 5x112 vs Emira 5x114.3). They suggested for me to enlarge the hole with a Dremel but not to replace the hats. I'm not happy with that suggestion so I'm curious to hear from others who purchased the setup.

I'll just ignore this and use the alignment pins to get the wheel on/off. Install scheduled to continue this weekend.

Aren’t these ceramic rotors thousands of dollars?? I wouldn’t be happy with that response either

 

[Eagle7]

How's the install going? Any issues other than the alignment pin?

 

[MrSkute]

The install went without issue after using the alignment pins. Details to follow.

 

[MrSkute]

Alignment pins arrived and worked as expected. Starting where we left off...

The front rotors come with spacers to push the caliper out 5mm to accommodate the 10mm larger rotors. One side has paper that needs to be removed so the spacers will stick in place. What I did was to peel the paper off then it on the caliper bolt, screw the bolt in a bit, and stick them to the hub.

Then you can slide the rotor on the pins, install the caliper, pads, spring and pins. Caliper bolt torque spec is 86 Nm. The pins need to be hammered in firmly and you'll hear a distinct change in sound when they are fully seated.

I like to use this lube for the back of the pad that contacts the pistons:

Then you can just re-install the wheel. Lug bolts torque spec is 105 Nm.

 

[Periokid]

Looking forward to hear how they feel and perform vs stock!

 

[MrSkute]

Onto the rear! Much the same as the front other than the parking brake and the brake pad anti-rattle spring points down.

The parking brake has an electrical connection at the top and two bolts in the rear. To remove the electrical connector you pull the gray tab in the connector down then wiggle the connector apart. You can see the gray tab by my fingers in this picture:

The two bolts in the back of the parking brake unscrew easily enough but the lower bolt will hit the sway bar so you can't remove it. Here you can see the bolts loosened from the brake:

Once both bolts are loose I had to pull the sleeves they go through towards the inside of the car. These are the sleeves I'm referring to (you can see them above as well):

This was by far the most annoying part of the install. It took a few minutes to wiggle the sleeves and then the parking brake comes right out. Otherwise it's the same as the front with the exception of the spring pointing down as you can see here:

The re-install is the same in reverse (don't forget the electrical connector like I did). The parking brake bolts do not need to be replaced and are torqued to 50 Nm. After that, you're done!

The break-in process is intense but I've had no noise or issues after following the process.

 

[MrSkute]

I haven't driven much other than to bed the pads in but my initial feedback is they don't have the odd bite the stock pads did at a certain point. The stock pads would always surprise me because they would go from easy to aggressive without much difference in pedal pressure. These feel much more linear which I like. I'll need to spend more time with them to provide any real feedback. That said, the car only had ~100 miles on it when I did the swap so perhaps folks like @Eagle7 can better speak to the differences.

 

[Matt]

VERY NICE POST !!! I also really hate the excessive brake dust generated by the factory pads. I have to clean the wheels every week.

 

[F1 SML8R]

I wasn't familiar with this company, but this upgrade looks very appealing (if further refined). With that said, they need to further develop this if they are expecting to sell more at $12k a set.

First thing is they need to either use an emira specific hat or enlarge the set screw whole just a bit so it still serves the Porsche and Lotus applications. Also, all other companies in this space (think GiroDisk, EssexParts, etc.) provide you clear instructions for the spacer placement and new LONGER mounting bolts for any rotor size increase. Right now, it seems they are really trying to sell a "beta" version to gauge interest. For me, this is not worth the experiment.

BTW, the line about the OE mounting bolts being "long enough" is BS. Brakes and anything else that connects the car to the ground (think wheels, tires, brakes, suspension) are some of the most critical and highly-stressed parts on a car. Too have any less thread surface area (than OE) on something so critical just seems crazy to me. Maybe I'm just more paranoid because I drive my cars hard and track them, but even in a generic daily driver scenario, I'd be thinking about this every time I had to unexpectedly slam the brakes.

 

[Eagle7]

I wasn't familiar with this company, but this upgrade looks very appealing (if further refined). With that said, they need to further develop this if they are expecting to sell more at $12k a set.

First thing is they need to either use an emira specific hat or enlarge the set screw whole just a bit so it still serves the Porsche and Lotus applications. Also, all other companies in this space (think GiroDisk, EssexParts, etc.) provide you clear instructions for the spacer placement and new LONGER mounting bolts for any rotor size increase. Right now, it seems they are really trying to sell a "beta" version to gauge interest. For me, this is not worth the experiment.

BTW, the line about the OE mounting bolts being "long enough" is BS. Brakes and anything else that connects the car to the ground (think wheels, tires, brakes, suspension) are some of the most critical and highly-stressed parts on a car. Too have any less thread surface area (than OE) on something so critical just seems crazy to me. Maybe I'm just more paranoid because I drive my cars hard and track them, but even in a generic daily driver scenario, I'd be thinking about this every time I had to unexpectedly slam the brakes.

They do give you a longer 75mm set of mounting bolts for the fronts. I've been doing business with them for 15 years. They've been very good to deal with, and are quick to fix issues if any arise. The issue with the set screw is something they'll probably address for future orders. I believe these also fit a McLaren if I'm not mistaken, which is what they were originally for. They just so happen to fit the Emira too. This is probably why there aren't any Emira specific instructions, but that too can be added. We're the first few that have ordered these, and we got the pre-order discount, so I'm okay with the set screw issue. I ordered the wheel hanger alignment bolts too, so it'll be easy to install the wheels. I won't be tracking my car, so I won't be removing the wheels other than to change tires.

If you track your car, contact @Warren-RB and discuss the set screw issue if that's something that concerns you. Although from what I read, people who track their cars a lot generally don't use CCB brakes because they're so expensive to replace. They usually use solid iron rotors.

 

[F1 SML8R]

Thanks for clarifying that. I thought I read they provided new bolts after the fact, but were still the OE length which I believe are a bad idea from a safety perspective. If they are longer, that addresses my largest concern.

I still think they should "refine" this kit a bit to ensure the "hair splitters" like me have nothing to "split." Again, at this price point I would expect "OE like" quality, fit and finish. Definitely curious to hear feedback on performance vs. OE iron/steel after a few hundred miles of driving. BTW, they look great!

 

[MrSkute]

They do give you a longer 75mm set of mounting bolts for the fronts. I've been doing business with them for 15 years. They've been very good to deal with, and are quick to fix issues if any arise. The issue with the set screw is something they'll probably address for future orders. I believe these also fit a McLaren if I'm not mistaken, which is what they were originally for. They just so happen to fit the Emira too. This is probably why there aren't any Emira specific instructions, but that too can be added. We're the first few that have ordered these, and we got the pre-order discount, so I'm okay with the set screw issue. I ordered the wheel hanger alignment bolts too, so it'll be easy to install the wheels. I won't be tracking my car, so I won't be removing the wheels other than to change tires.

If you track your car, contact @Warren-RB and discuss the set screw issue if that's something that concerns you. Although from what I read, people who track their cars a lot generally don't use CCB brakes because they're so expensive to replace. They usually use solid iron rotors.

Just to clarify here. They did send out new 75mm bolts but that is the stock length. They should be 80mm to accommodate the new rotor size. In the picture where I talk about the spacers you can see I purchased 80mm bolts myself. RB also sells 80mm caliper bolts on their website so I don't know why they didn't include a set of 80mm for the front and 75mm for the rear.

Regarding the set screw. Based on the email exchange I've had with them and the mechanical drawings included it seems this has indeed been resolved for future orders.

 

[Eagle7]

Just to clarify here. They did send out new 75mm bolts but that is the stock length. They should be 80mm to accommodate the new rotor size. In the picture where I talk about the spacers you can see I purchased 80mm bolts myself. RB also sells 80mm caliper bolts on their website so I don't know why they didn't include a set of 80mm for the front and 75mm for the rear.

Regarding the set screw. Based on the email exchange I've had with them and the mechanical drawings included it seems this has indeed been resolved for future orders.

Thank you for this clarification! I haven't done anything with installation yet, so I didn't realize the bolts they sent weren't longer. I'll contact them over that.

 

[Kaz]

Just adding that when I got my Model X Plaid and quickly realized the stock brakes don't actually slow the SUV down fast enough, RB built me a big brake kit and were awesome to deal with - great service and product

 

[F1 SML8R]

Sounds like the refinement is already happening. Great to hear.