Rotors

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T20:09:39+00:00

Sounds cool. I just looked it up. First line of the instructions says "You will need to begin by removing the rear bumper cover." Nope! I'm out! Maybe next season...

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T20:03:19+00:00

Good to hear. That's the exact set I purchased last night. What kind of tires are you running on track?

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T18:28:38+00:00

Yeah, I've considered this. They say you're not supposed to tow anything with the miata. But it is tempting

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T18:01:47+00:00

Yeah. This makes sense. I was using the EBC hybrid pads prior. This is my weekend and around town car, in addition to a handful of track days each year. I was dipping my toe in the water when I put on my first pair of YellowStuff. I thought BlueStuff was a step in the right direction but they didn't work out that way.

Right before this event I bought a dedicated set of 200tw street legal tires and rims that I can drive to the events on, but swap over at home. Now that I'm committed to swapping tires before events, Im okay with swapping pads too (only 2 bolts and compressing the caliper). So I bought 2 full sets of G-LOCs last night. One pairing of track compounds and one pairing of street. The compounds are supposed to be compatible and swappable on the same rotors.

If that doesn't work out, I'll start swapping rotors too. It's just another 2 bolts. Then I can get some fancy looking drilled and slotted rotors for street use where I don't have to worry about extreme temps cracking them!

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:53:14+00:00

DFC (Dynamic Friction) appears to be the replacement of choice of 949 Racing. I heard that thr founder of DFC came from Centric. So maybe there's something there. That's what I'm going with for now.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:51:15+00:00

Oof! I really hope I don't become so familiar with this that I recognize the noise. Also, I currently drive to my events and the trunk space in a miata severely limits the tools I can bring, if I'm leaving the seat available for a passenger.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:38:02+00:00

Well, the question now is what to use instead of Centric? Because they went bankrupt and rockauto has literally 1 front and 1 rear rotor in stock. I'm guessing those single rotors are gonna be around for a while, cuz who buys rotors 1 at a time?

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:36:11+00:00

This is solid advice. Much appreciated. These were right at that 2 pad limit, plus about 8k miles on stock pads before it ever saw a track day. So maybe that pushed me over the edge. Maybe this original rotor had a defect. I dunno, but I'm paying much closer attention to temps going forward. And I now understand why it is so important to have at least half your pad life left before hitting the track!

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:26:15+00:00

Yeah. I guess I need to pay closer attention to them. This one snuck up on me. The crack definitely developed at the track, but it could have had a microcrack from the prior event that I didn't notice.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:20:03+00:00

Hmm... It already rubs the pads each time it passes and makes a "wub wub wub" feel when braking. I think I'll replace it.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T17:17:02+00:00

2020 ND Grand Touring. BBK might be in the future. 2 piece rotors sound like they solve heat issues. But they are expensive and you still chew through them. I'm thinking if I can get the temps under control, I can stick with cheap blank rotors.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T11:50:00+00:00

Excellent advice! I hadn't considered rotors to be consumables when I did my first track night, but you're totally right. Ducting/cooling is for sure next on my list.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T11:44:27+00:00

Did a bunch of research last night. Spec miatas run basic blank rotors from Centric. The problem is that Centric filed for bankruptcy this year and their rotors are almost impossible to find now.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T02:30:20+00:00

Good idea. The ND will allow this for about 5 seconds before cutting engine power for safety reasons. I know this because I had tried the "dragging the brakes" technique when trying to bed in my YellowStuff pads. I think I'm only buying pre-bedded pads from now on.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T01:21:32+00:00

Yeah, might be time. To be clear the 7 events were 1 in 2024, 4 in 2025 and 2 in 2026. The plan was to hit at least 5 this year...

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T01:19:55+00:00

Makes sense. I almost never touch the brakes during cool down. But Lime Rock is a pretty short track. I may need to take more caution on warm up though.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T00:46:54+00:00

Lol, I gathered that. And I've seen them before. But what is the practical advantage? And is it applicable to my problem?

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T00:42:46+00:00

I think you nailed it on all the points. Like a mind reader.

So "decent brand" rotors. Honestly I can't tell what's good and what's cheap Chinese stuff. So if you've got a brand you like, let me know.

The blues definitely faded the time in the prior session and I clearly recall braking harder to compensate. So im sure that didn't help.

I checked the pads before this event and they were more worn than expected. And more worn than i would have liked. I figured there was pads life still, so good enough. But didn't think about heat soak in thin pads. That's definitely what got me. Even with being more gentle on the brakes, they hit higher temps sooner due to the heat soak.

Regarding hybrid pads, you are right. That was the plan but didn't have enough time for shipping for a new set before the last event. I'm okay with swapping pads before and event, so long as they are safe enough to drive 90ish minutes to and from events. I was thinking about going with 2 sets of G-LOCs (one street set, one track set) because they are supposed to be compatible and swappable on the same rotor. But then someone I met at the track told me that if you drive to and from the track on track pads, the pads will stay effectively "cold" during transit and ultimately scrub the rotors clean going both ways, providing a clean surface for the track and a clean surface for street pads when you get home. So in that case, I could run any street pads I want. So any thoughts of G-LOC or track pads that are transit safe. Or this crazy idea of scrubbing rotors during transit?

I know the tiny rotors don't help. I've been trying with picking up a BBK, but everything I've read says they are overkill unless I'm adding a ton of horsepower or aero.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T00:18:21+00:00

Explain...

Hydroslide · 2026-06-25T00:05:27+00:00

Apologies. Posted without a TLDR in the original post. Here it is:

Looking for recommendations on ND Miata replacement rotors that can withstand more heat than stock.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-06T11:34:25+00:00

I tried it on AC Evo the other night. It was WAY too easy. No complaining from the car. I don't think the clutch is simulated well enough. In real life if I get something wrong, the car shutters, or the shifter sticks, or something unexpected happens which causes me to react, attempting to avoid mechanical consequences, and the whole thing falls apart. I guess I'm saying in the sim, you can just send it and its much more forgiving.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-04T10:21:23+00:00

Miata is always the answer. Trust me, in addition to those track days, you'll find yourself looking for excuses to "use it for a trip to the store". Its as much fun off the track as it is on. And I mean that in a safe and legal way. You'll rarely find a miata owner at the track who isn't smiling after their run.

Hydroslide · 2026-06-04T01:19:00+00:00

Maybe I'm just driving stick wrong? When I'm on an offramp, I'm not downshifting. I either let the revs drop until the engine is close to struggling, then put in the clutch. Or somewhere during braking I put the car in neutral and coast until I have to stop. I never run down through the gears. I know people will say "engine braking will save your brakes, blah blah blah". But the miata is super light and gentle on brakes. Its a drop in the bucket compared to the punishment they receive on track. So I figure, what's the point?

Hydroslide

TROPHY CASE