my rotor was a nice shade of cherry red. what should i look for to determine any residual damage? what are the signs of a warped rotor? i've tracked the car a couple times and have 6.5k on it so i'm thinking the rear left pads are shot.

any suggestions?

 

don't use the e-brake anymore. put it in 6th when you park it.

a[e

 

DON'T DO IT AGAIN!
You may have gotten away scot free. Jack the back end of the car up so you can spin each wheel freely (after you have blocked another tire, released the hand brake and put the car in neutral). If the rotor is warped, you should be able to hear it rubbing in a rhythmic fashion as you turn the wheel. While it is up there, you might consider removing the wheel and measuring the brake pads to see how close to replacement thickness they are. Also keep track of and differences in thickness from inner and outer pads and from left and right brakes. Repeat for the other side.
Also, when you leave it in gear, you should use 1st or reverse as these have a higher mechancal advantage than 6th and will hold the car better, especially if you park on a grade. I wouldn't let this deter you from using your park brake. It is still a good habit to get into. You just have to also get into the habit of releasing it before you take off.

 

Glance down at your guages when you begin to drive away from park and you'll never have this problem again. Regardless of your brake pad thickness, the back pads have been glazed an you either need to sand 'em down or replace 'em (I recommend the latter). If you've done two track days they probably need replacement anyways.

 

thanks for the advice. i think i'll use this as an excuse to replace the set for some more aggresive pads. thinking about it, i'm not sure that the stress on the rotor was much more than a day at the track, i've had them glowing there also.

 

If you didn't warp the rotors, at a minimum you've probably glazed the surfaces of the rear pads...

I'd strongly recommend you replace the pads if the rotors aren't warped...

-- Aaron

 

only the rear left rotor was glowing. i assumed that this was the only on engaged by the parking brake. am i incorrect?

anyone have any suggestions for raplacement pads and fluid? i track 2-3 times per year and want pads that would work on the street as well as track. i have been happy with the oems but would always consider an upgrade.

 

before you go replacing parts, just drive the car around. Don't push the car 10/10 but drive at 5/10. As most braking is done up front, you don't have to be too worried of losing brakes going into a turn. IMO, it's not that big of deal. A big deal is when you let a cousin drive your friends car coming back from a wedding reception and the dude forgot to lower the parking brake and drove on the freeway at speeds of 80 for 10 miles then another few miles of street driving and when he got back to your house, the rear brakes were smoking and almost caught on fire.

 

just to add, if your parking brake were properly and securely set, you would not have been able to drive away in the first place.

you had it applied lightly, just dragging enough to have the friction overheat the brakes.

use it and put it on firmly. parking only in gear, you can roll, if on a grade, as engine compression leaks down. if you chose to also park in gear with the parking brake, use first gear parking facing uphill and reverse parking downhill. most people coming from an a/t are used to only using park and not the parking brake.

parking brake is also handy for doing rear end skids, just keep your finger on that button!

you can also check for warped rear rotors by letting the car roll down a hill, engine on so you retain power brakes, in neutral to be quiet, and apply your parking brake lightly and gradually,again with your release button held in. you will feel pulsing and also hear the pads hitting a high spot on the rotor if they are warped.

 

I am always nervous about applying the parking brake when the rotors are hot. I am concerned that applying the parking brake, and leaving it locked onto the hot rotor will cause rotor warpage.

I have read many stories of warped rotors on the s2k from track use, due to heat damage. Advice to prevent this is to not apply the brakes when coming into the pits before shutting down, and also to roll the car forward every few minutes until the rotors cool. This is info I have read in the posts here on this website.

If I apply the parking brake, and leave it on when the rotors are really hot, isn't there a greater risk of warpage? I generally only leave it in first gear when parked. I also have the parking brake adjusted so that it barely holds the car when fully engaged. That way it doesn't squeeze the rotor too tightly.

My Alfa Romeo GTV used shoes for the parking brakes. Once I tried a 180 degree e-braker at 40mph, and it tore the whole parking brake system off of the rear axle. Fortunately, it was my race car, so I didn't need it anyway.