Unequal pad wear

[TroyV]

Thanks Nate. Sometimes it is tough to verbalize these things. Your assessment seems to fit how it went down, though the experience was just a bit more.....visceral.

[nateh]

Rib-eral?

Hope you stop hurting soon.

[nateh]

Some ABS systems also have an "ice mode" which can come on after hitting some bumps under braking. In this case, the pedal goes hard and there is no braking action at all. It may be that you can recover by pumping, but this is counter-intuitive if you aren't prepared for it.

I experienced this with my 2002 WRX when I lived in the bumpy boston roads / Everett Ma. When I replaced the all-season stock tires with a Falken Azenis tire it seemed to go away.

Better tires, like 4 wheel drive, just means you get stuck farther out in the woods.

[naschmitz]

When I swapped my pads over on Monday I noticed that the right front had considerably more wear than the left front, rears were fairly equal. Is this expected at NHMS from trail braking into the left hand corners? The car was stopping in a perfectly straight line, no pull and the pad wear was fairly evenly dispersed front to back.

Sorry threadjackers , back to boring topics. I haven't had any difference in front pad thickness after many events at NHMS. I do punish the RF tire significantly.

[nateh]

Touche'!

[TroyV]

Bert Schmitz? Who is that?

[WillM]

My car does not have ABS, electronic brake force distribution, stability control, traction control, or any other 'hand of god' type system. My mistakes are all mine.

That said, my brake pad wear at NHMS has always been symmetrical from side-to-side. I have experienced pad taper, and different amounts of wear on the inside vs. outside pads on the same axle, but have never experienced a situation where one corner of the car was eating through pads quicker than its counterpart on the other side (left vs. right). If I had, I would suspect a problem.

My understanding is that the z-cars have all of those electronic features, and more. Doesn't the ECU even blip the throttle for you when down-shifting? You may want to consult your owners manual. Perhaps the car has the ability to swap its own pads? Have you checked the trunk for a monkey?

[Chrispy]

I didn't invest in the trunk monkey option, although sometimes I wish I did. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee3L9BQQ4Gs

Yes, the car obviously has ABS with electronic brake force distribution. Stability control and traction control are nice for cruising down the highway but they are completely off with the touch of a button and are most definitely off by the time I pull out of the pits. They don't work particularly well for any kind of enthusiastic driving as it is a bit like having your high school driving instructor in the right seat yelling at you.

The wear differential wasn't dramatic but was definitely noticeable. However I would have expected side effects such as braking shudder or a pull, which I didn't seem to have. Given how hot the calipers were getting I guess there is a chance I developed a small air pocket, there was significant pedal fade on the in lap. I'll bleed the brakes and pull the caliper to check for a sticky piston.

Yes, the ECU can blip the throttle for you and make you look like a heal and toe god, just ask Troy about that one. I've been doing heal and toe my whole driving life and used to think I was pretty good, but the computer is perfect and it is perfect every time. I turn it off for a few sessions just so I can keep the practice up.

[TroyV]

The blip option is really slick. It had me totally fooled into thinking I was the shite....until I found out that I clearly wasn't the shite at all.....and that the car was doing it the whole time.

My favorite option in the Z is the trip computer track hot lap option. Enter the track and configuration, number of laps, and then press go......then take a nap. The car will sound a buzzer when it gets back to the hot pit when your session is over.

[savage217]

The 370 is really a GTR with less power. And Manual transmission. And RWD. Honestly I don't understand why they didn't just make it a paddle shift car. What is the point of a manual gearbox if it blips downshifts for you? Do the newer models offer a dual clutch paddle shift option?

As for uneven pad wear. I only get minor discrepancies between the inner and outer pads. I have never had experience with one side of the car's pads being more worn then the others.

[nateh]

I have had uneven pad wear - but it was due to rust. You young fellas wouldn't have heard of rust yet, I presume.

[Chrispy]

Nick there is a 7 speed AT available but no dual-clutch auto/manual like in the GT-R. Aside from the fancy throttle blipping it is just a normal RWD car with a 6-speed, it doesn't have any of the GT-R's techno magic.

No rust to speak of yet Nate, I've done my time working on rusty cars and it honestly is wonderful to be able to unbolt something and actually have it come off!

[savage217]

I was only half serious about the GTR part. I still think they should make it a paddle shift. To me it makes more sense.

Nate, My car is a 95 and has no rust. Southern cars ftw!

[Chrispy]

The AT has the paddle shift and it works pretty well. The twin clutch gearbox would be interesting depending on weight, myself I still like the manual for its mechanical simplicity.

[6PAK72]

@ will, the black miata exhibited pad taper to a measurable degree on both front calipers. Smurf miata did not.

New hubs on both spindles, no lose bolts that I saw, though I have not done my post event work yet.

Any other ideas, ramifications?