Good competition pads and high temperature brake fluid will make the stock brakes work great and will not kill the rotors. Pretty much has been summarized so far.

 

Yea, same here. But as you probably seen I was constantly under the hood fixing minor problems. Then went out with a nice size group (3 RX-8's, 240sx, and the Supra), so they kept me busy as well.

Fixed.

 

Well it really depends. There are a lot of pads out there that will keep performing even at the most extreme temperatures and do not necessarily need ducting (sometimes even better to shut the ducts) to perform well, last long, or keep the disks well conditioned. Depends on the brand of pad, and that is the reason why some track pads cost a lot more than others.

Depends on the car's setup, the tires on the car, car's weight, and the track.

 

I agree with you over all (I used to run my FC with hawk blues and no ducts with no problems), however I was referring to a modified FD on a long course track (what this thread was based on, I am sure Autocross would be fine with no ducts). A lot of people have told me that the stock brakes even with good pads will over heat after a few laps because the disks are to small and that a big brake kit is MANDITORY if one plans to do any kind of time trials on a road course.

I just wanted to prove whether or not the stock brakes with proper pads, fluid and ducting will survive on a road course. So far I have found that with proper ducts the stock brakes work on a mild speed road course (120mph ->40mph braking zones). I will be sure to update this thread if and when I find the limits of the stock brake system.

 

Unfortunately, there is a lot of mis-information about the OEM and 99 Spec FD brakes. Steel brake, and pad technology has improved A LOT over the last 2 years. If you are willing to shell out, you can get bulletproof brakes with the OEM calipers even for the most grueling racing. It's ideal as it does not mess with the ABS or Bias in anyway and instead time/money can be focused in other places.

In Australia, Mazda won the 12 hours of Bathurst using modified stock brakes and Endless brake pads. The Rx7 also stays competitive in the Super Taikyu endurance series in Japan as well. The regulations mandate the use of the OEM brakes. Says a lot if you ask me.

 

I completely agree, which is why I went the stock brakes system with proper pads, fluids and ducts.

Yet, I always get lectured that I need to upgrade my brakes because the stock ones are ****. Yet I have not had any problems.

I am sure they won't survive in a 400+rwhp, but for most track car applications I feel it is not necessary to go with a BBK at the tracks I am running and my testing has confirmed that.