Rotors:

Tarox currently makes four different types of rotors. the G88, Monza, Sport Japan and Metallic Ceramic. They also feature up to ten different codes for facing and ventilation combinations and they can build you rotors with aluminum center hats for racing applications. The rotors used for this kit are Sport Japans which feature correctly radiused cross drilling and slotting. There continues to be much debate among motorheads regarding the effectiveness of these particular features. At best, they are today, rather redundant thanks to modern brake pad compounds. Originally intended for the purpose of evacuating the lubricant gasses formed between the pad and rotor in the old days, cross drilling can in fact do more harm than good. Tarox ensures carefully radiused holes which is important because cross drilling without proper finishing creates stress risers from the increased temperature under braking. That's right, the surface temperature on drilled rotors actually goes up because you've removed surface material. These stress risers cause cracks and will grate your expensive new pads like cheese. Regrettably, too many people still labour under the illusion that the drilling promotes better ventilation and cooling. This belief has no doubt been perpetuated by the amount of bad advertising out there that claims this ability. Please don't buy into this. It does nothing of the sort.

I find it rather freightening that even some Fiat parts vendors are advertising converted stock rotors. Converted stock rotors... Yikes! You may think a proper brake conversion to be expensive but if you buy into such advertising, you're just throwing your money away completely. Spend it on some carefully layed out brake ducting instead. The results will be better. Slotting on the other hand is a better option as it helps clean the pad surface and reduces glazing. Significantly, Tarox slots are shallow and correctly finished. The same DYIer who drills the rotors himself would, I should hope, know about correct slotting depth. I've seen DYI slotted stock rotors actually crack and brake from bad machining! Remember what part of your car you're "modifying" here guys...

One advantage you have in using the rotors in this particular Tarox kit is that whether you run your Fiat on the street or track you will likely never be able to generate enough heat through their use to do that or any other kind of damage.

The rotors for this kit are actually intended for the Lancia Delta Integrale and the new Fiat Coupé. They measure 284mm X 22mm X 43mm versus the stock 227mm X 11mm X 46 mm. So you get a bigger diameter and a thicker (you've now doubled the rotor surface) rotor, with ventilation while the overall height is comparable to stock. A note on size: The idea behind bigger rotors is not to simply impress your buddies. Increasing diameter actually helps achieve a lower overall operating temperature, but only to the extent that overheating from your brake rotors is generally a problem. And in such a case, you should seek to increase diameter only to the size minimally necessary to address the heating issue.

You'll notice on the Tarox rotor in the image above on the right, the added necessity of an aluminum spacer. This feature is not part of the original package, it is a specific requirement for my own car and adds an additional 15mm to the rotor height and mounting offset, making the effective height now 58mm. Depending on the wheels you are using this is generally not going to be necessary at all, and with my existing wheel offset of 20mm it should not have been necessary. Here's the problem, my wheels...

Nice wheels, don't you think? These are my hub centered 15 X 7" RG18s. I am both blessed and cursed with these wheels. I am blessed with their exclusivity as they are the ONLY ONES you shall ever find on a Fiat of any kind anywhere. Clemente European Motors used to import RG Design alloy wheels from Italy but unfortunately, RG Design no longer operates. These were imported back in 1987 and are one of only two sets of RG 18s ever imported across the Atlantic. One set went on a BMW and the other set on my 124 so they are pretty unique. But I am cursed because if I ever damage them beyond repair, I'll never be able to replace them.

The other problem, as it pertains to the brake kit, is the way the spokes attach to the rim; they convex backward from the center a few degrees. This is what creates the need for the spacer because the added diameter of the rotor brings the cailper in contact with the end of the spoke where it finally joins the rim. I had anticipated this before ordering the kit but I just wasn't sure exactly how much of a problem it would be. If the rotor was a non-ventilated type or if the wheel had a straight spoke design I would likely need little or no spacer at all.

On the plus side, this has helped me finalze the dimensions necessary to order another set of rotors in the future with aluminum center hats which would look similar to this one. (with only four holes of course)

One thing you should keep in mind. Whether you employ an aluminum center hat or not, the tradeoff with bigger brake systems, invariably, will be more unsprung weight. Significantly, the rotor is the component that will add the most, not the calipers. The calipers in this kit are very light but the double thickness and of course the additional diameter of the rotor will be factors to consider. Lightening the rotor with drilling and with center hats always comes at the expense of higher temps and shorter wear. Those with high horsepower engines or whose cars see lots of track time and do run into the reoccuring issues with heat always want to weigh this tradeoff.

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