2-piece rotors might not give you a massive difference on their own, but everything adds up. Dropping several pounds of unsprung weight per corner is pretty impressive, IMO. Plus you can add that weight difference to anything else you've done. RSC says their exhaust weighs 27 lbs less than stock. Plus the 9 lbs per rear rotor stated above (18 lbs), and the assumed 8 lbs per front rotors (16 lbs)... That's a 61 lb weight reduction from the car. A lightweight flywheel drops 7 lbs (RSC). The luggage cover in the hatch weighs several pounds and can be removed if desired, too. So there's a reasonably easy 70-75 lbs of weight reduction possible without any real adverse effect on the drivability of the car.

But if you're looking to do one thing to get an all-encompassing change, buy another car.

 

Of course, you need to balance the benefits of that weight redux with the associated costs. At some point, it makes more sense to get the other car instead of extensively modding. Although I may do minor mods, I don't think I'll ever do much more than intake/exhaust mods on my road cars.

 

true, but some of these things can be done when needed. when your brake rotors need to be replaced, get better/lighter ones. when you have to replace your clutch, upgrade it and get a lighter flywheel. i wouldn't swap out either of those unless they actually needed to be replaced. but when the time comes, might as well upgrade them!

 

agreed

 

Guys c'mon really...I understand sprung and unsprung weight, I get the dynamics of mass reduction as it effects braking, cornering, acceleration etc...etc... and yes 2 piece rotors count as unsprung weight which has more benefit to reduce than say sprung weight (like an exhasust or lighter seats)...the flywheel mass redcution effects rotational drag which is related to engine and driveline performance not on chassis dynamics. My background is engineering and racing.

Here is my point. these are road cars not race cars. the performance changes which can be measured as the delta drop in lap times you will see are going to be nominal. Do two test lap groups, on the first run the car stock and then replace factory rotors with 2 peice rotors, you will be lucky to see a tenth of a second decrease if any, even if you review the telemetry you will find there are way to many other factors (with same driver and same track condtions) to create a repeatable result or a markedly improved result with a few bolt on mods on a road car.

If you want a performance vehicle, park the Aston and pick up an arial atom...or a open wheel formula continental or atlantic.

 

I agree with you too sunir, but if you already need to replace an OE part and can replace it with a lighter/better part without spending a lot more (clutch is a good example of this), then I see no reason not to do the switch.

 

I hear ya...they are better and they do shed a few lbs, for replacement sake if they cost the same why not...my point was they do cost more, in this case looks like twice as much...but they do look very cool that's for sure!

 

I have driven RSC lighweight flywheel & clutch combo and I have also driven car with new rotors. The rotors made MORE of a difference... The Flywheel upgrade is good in many ways (I will do a full review soon). However, as far as acceleration, it did not nearly make as big of a difference as I was expecting, maybe 30-40% of my expectations.

The biggest reason to do rotors (other than braking IMO) is ride quality. It makes the stock suspension ride so much smoother and act so much more responsive. In fact I would argue that you don't need to upgrade the suspension, you just need to replace all the brake rotors front & rear.

Again, if you just got new brakes, no it doesn't make sense.... but by now, most early vantage owners are coming up time to replace their rotors soon (06 & 07 vantage owners especially). Why waste all that $ and time on labor to replace with the stock components, you might as well upgrade upgrade. Think of it as "maintenance-modding"

With that said, taking that much unsprung mass off the car is roughly 5-10x more effective than taking weight off anywhere else. ~35 lbs of unsprung mass in the rotors is equivalent to 150-200lbs in overall sprung mass in the body, so you cannot really compare the two. Not to mention the torque response of the engine is greatly improved. Doing all 4 compared to just the rear two would only make the difference that much more substantial.

Bottom line ... if its time to start replacing your brakes soon, upgrade to the brembo 2-piece kit with superior brake pads and better brake fluid. You do NOT need to upgrade to BBK kit, its completely overkill and unnecessary. In that sense, the 2-piece rotors are worth ever penny.

my 2 cents

 

Here's what some of the Ford GT guys are doing to get improved performance:

http://www.cooltechllc.com/ford/gt_brake_upgrade_kit.shtml

And this site list some brake pads for the caliper, not sure if this is the same as on the Vantage but I'll throw this out there. There is a picture of the pad on the link to compare: http://www.saleenclubofamerica.com/S...2005-later.htm

2005 Brembo 14"

The optional 14" brake package used on the 2005 Saleen is made by Brembo, and uses the same parts as the Ford GT super car (not Mustang GT). This brake system was also optional on certain models of the Subaru WRX, EVO, and Volvo "R" model.

Replacement brake pads numbers are:
Hawk HB453
Pagid E2487
Porterfield AP1001
Raybestos R1001

 

The V8V does not need bigger discs. It is not underbraked. It just needs better cooling. Bigger discs will provide more mass for heat dissipation but usually they will increase unsprung mass, which has been discussed in detail above. The trouble with BBK's is that they are too often a cosmetic upgrade that does not address the root of the problem.

 

007-I am enjoying this topic and am considering this upgrade for looks alone

I agree that unsprung weight is much more beneficial to remove than sprung mass, but had always heard it was 2 to 2.5 times the effect of removing sprung mass. 5-10x is a huge delta, where have you heard this?

Also, are you back in a Vantage? Interested in hearing how you are reviewing the 2 piece rotors and lightweight clutch/flywheel.

 

Not back in one yet, Drove a buddies 4.3L V8V both immediately before & after RSC flywheel & Clutch kit.

Long story short: Motor does not rev up that much quicker. its better after cam-phase change but its not nearly as effective as it is in other cars.

HOWEVER, the clutch engagement point is so precise and crisp its amazing. You feel EVERYTHING. Downside is the car will bog more and is slightly easier to stall, you need to give it more gas to get the car going from a stop.

#1 improvement of the RSC lightweight flywheel & clutch kit: SHIFTING!!! My god, I have never driven an aston that shifted so good. Buttery smooth shifts every time without exception. So much so, I am beginning to rethink my theory the reason why the astons shift so bad. I always thought it was the shifter cables and bad fluid (although both are prone to causing issues). I realized the main reason is probably b/c the stock clutch is still dragging even at full pedal thereby causing difficulty getting in and out of gear.

I am beginning to think, perhaps a better clutch cable & upgraded high performance brake fluid in the clutch lines could alleviate much of the problems. Tough to say exactly why its doing it, but with the new RSC, the shifts were super buttery smooth, like it would literately just slide into gear effortlessly.

will do full writeup soon

 

Astons shift bad? Which cars? My V8V would give me trouble going from 1st to 2nd in cold weather until the tranny warmed up, but other than that I thought it was great. The V12V always shifts great.

 

There is a lot of conjecture being thrown about here masquerading as fact.

The Ford GT and Aston Martin discs are NOT the same. They are both 355x32mm, but the other dimensions are not the same.

The Aston Martin disc offset is 46mm, whereas the Ford GT disc is 42.7mm. Simply put, good luck putting Ford GT discs on an Aston Martin.

There is no conspiracy by Brembo to try to force someone to buy a full system instead of a 2-piece disc upgrade. If you look at the application list you will see many applications where both are offered.

The reason that this has not been available is simple: No one (or perhaps very few) have asked. If this is something that is of interest to many, Brembo is more than happy to make it. The way to go about it is to contact a Brembo dealer or the distributor and ask for it. Brembo doesn't just throw out anything and everything into the market and pray that it sells. It is demand driven.

 

Ford gt owners have taken pictures of the brake rotors and they have Aston Martin stamps on them, they are the db9 rotors which are identical to the v8v rotors. Explain ...