Mazda RX-7: Part 7
It won't be long before we attack the race track with a 400-bhp RX-7. In preparation of that day, we desperately needed to find the right braking system to meet our needs. The stock offering, with 11.6-inch rotors and aluminum four-piston calipers, are among the best--as far as OEM goes. But in order to get them to withstand the heavy demands of racing, we would need to completely sacrifice streetability and rotor longevity by using hard and noisy dedicated race pads. The next system we tested, offered by Cooltech LLC., used massive Brembo calipers and an exotic, 14-inch Metal Matrix composite rotor. In the long run, the unique material but didn't possess the heat capacity to hold up to heavy track abuse. The latest AP Racing upgrade, offered by M2 Performance, is about as track-derived as one can get. Consisting of 13-inch genuine Champ Car rotors and remarkably rigid four-piston calipers, this newest big brake upgrade seems to be the most promising. But, of course, only time will tell.
View Related Article
|
|