Help! big brakes without splash shield = no brakes in the rain!!!

I talked to Martin today and he is sending me their SS, (street-strip) pads, a semi metallic pad reputed to work fine in the soggy northwest, on cars without backing plates.

I remain optimistic, these guys know brakes.

I will post results after the refit and a soggy test drive.

BTW, when asked about bedding these pads, he said they didn't need much, 6-8 brake applications 55-60 to 20, then a 10-15 minute cool drive to cool them off and we are good to go.

Not cheap, at $381. but if they do the trick, I will be a very happy guy.

chris

 

Hi guys,

Thanks for all for the thought and input.

Girodisc's pads arrived and I installed them last Saturday. After discussing my plight with Martin, he talked to a couple of guys running big brakes, without backing plates, up there in Washington, (lots of rain).

His recommendation was some of their SS, (Street Strip semi metallic pads).

I put them on and decided to check disc run out, (being the trusting soul that I am, I didn't check it after the big brake installation) and came up with .002 and .0025 left and right respectively. I did not have a pedal height or pulsation issue, but thought it was easy to check and it would make me feel better knowing how things sat.

The pedal remained firm and grip improved a bit after the minimal bedding process.

Yesterday, the rains came down and I took the 308 out for a test run.

Much, much improved. There is a bit of initial lack of bite, but only very briefly, with first application, cold and very wet.

The old pads were Pagid RS-4s in front and I couldn't read the backing plates of the old pads that came with the used 360 rear calipers, my bad.

Since I had different compounds front and rear, I will likely need to check and reset the tilton adjustable proportioning valve for optimal, hot, dry, driving conditions.

I have a tentative theory that it is better to have more braking torque to the rear with rear engine cars, because that is where the "grip" is due to the weight on the rear wheels and the rear wheels usually have bigger rubber, so the rears get to do their fair share of work with moderate braking, which means that they get to come up to temp sooner than if there was no prop valve and the whole system was balanced for proper,(non locking at max decal) useage, like the 911, which ironically has a 40/60 weight distribution and 48/38 mm pistons, just like the 308m but the 308 has better balance and a prop valve.

So, if we lower the car, (less weight transfer) and increase the size of the rear tires, (more grip, hence able to use more brake torque), it is easier to get the most out of the brakes if we have a bit of rearward increased capacity, so we have the ability to reduce it bit by bit to maximize our deceleration with a prop valve.

Most big brake fronts lock way before the smaller stock rears, so loose that rear brake decelerative potential.

Any thoughts welcome.

Heck, I am probably going to spin to the inside anyway....( If there is a hereafter, I will be pleasantly surprised
chris