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Now Shipping: Custom Tesla Roadster 2-Piece Slotted Rotors

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A note on the brake pads. All the pads are 'pre-bedded' in this order. G-Loc did this for us as a thank you for the large order. Pre-bedding means the pad has gone through a complete heat cycle and the pad is no longer green. They can be used once they are bedded with the rotors and do not need to sit overnight to become stable.(green pads can become brittle...) I would still suggest a bedding process for the rotors, factory suggests: Go from 80mph down to 20mph about 10-12 times. Stand on the pedal hard, but not hard enough to engage the ABS or get lockup. Then back off the throttle and drive home slowly and park it for at least an hour, no parking brake. This is more important on the R6 pads because of the higher temperature compound.

Please remember to use Brake Quiet when installing the pads so they stay quiet over the life of the pads.
 
The rotors and pads are shipping out, thank you to all who have paid shipping invoices. Please check your spam filters, sounds like a few of the invoices were recovered from 'junk' files, if you have not received a final shipping invoice.

At this time I have 3 set of rotors in line for the next batch so let me know if you are interested, we only need to hit 20 for the prices to work out. This last batch was for 30 sets as a point of reference.

Thanks everyone and happy holidays!
Dave

Apparently, my email on my phone wasn't coming through...just found 45 unread messages from the past 10 days or so. Oops. Just found (and paid) the PayPal invoice for the shipping of mine. Sorry for the delay
 
These beauties arrived last week! They're gorgeous. Thanks so much, Dave! Great work, impressive craftsmanship.

I'm really looking forward to getting them installed once post holiday life slows down a bit.

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FYI - When I got my new rotors installed yesterday, I weighed the original vs. new - they're about 4 pounds lighter each. Nice! BTW, I used Joseph Gregory of The Brake Squad (Fairfax, VA). Super professional, excellent job.
 
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Reducing "unsrpung" weight is significant in the all around performance of your vehicle. Its one of the highest reaps of benefits for a modified part on the car. Reducing unsprung weight at the wheels has to do with less weight to carry around and handle. Area that are benefited by reduced unsprung weight, such as a 4lb reduction at the wheel.

Benefits:
1) Improved braking performance. The brakes can slow down something that weighs less, its simple, and this is rotational weight too, so reducing that is a huge plus in stopping fast. With less weight at the brakes to stop means less heat, so your brakes will work at their peak performance for a longer duration.

2) Acceleration and range - As with braking, moving or starting this weight in a motion takes energy and power. So range and acceleration are improved.

3) Suspension - As with braking and acceleration, your shocks and suspension components have to work with this weight. It has to slow or dampen the energy so it is not transmitted to the vehicles chassis / suspension components which degrades performance as the suspension needs to work harder. With that rebounding of the shocks is improved which means your wheel stays in contact with the pavement longer, which then translates to more traction and better handling of the vehicle.

4) Comfort (this is actually part of 3 above, however since the Roadster has such a rough unforgiving ride over bumps it really should have its on bullet point) - Since the suspension is working as it almost should (You actually need to install Monoball / spiracle a-arm bushings to have it [suspension] work 100% right due to drag and binding of the stock bushings and resistance), the car has a softer ride and can handle the bumps better for comfort. But as I mentioned, you need to upgrade the bushings on the A-Arms to reap all the benefits fully here.

The upgrade of the two piece rotors is a function as well as a well needed safety upgrade for the Roadster. The stock pads are horrible with the stock rotors, the CarboTech / Gloc brake pads offer a significant improvement to the Roadster's braking, however the rotors are a very weak link in achieving optimal and what is actually required braking performance of the car. One of the many issues and safety concerns of the stock rotors is that right after you take the Roadster for a drive from the rotors being wet, this is right after the rotors have coated themselves with a layer of rust from the rain. (Washing the car or a nights worth of rain hitting the car while letting it sit is all it needs to rust, even a drop of water will make it rust. ) You then find out that the car can not and will not stop as you come up to your first stop. The upgraded rotors help prevent that from happening since there is a two part metal treatment process they're subject to. Also the slotted design acts as a scoop once the brake pad has wiped the facing surface. Then next pass of the following slot has a cleaner area to bite since dust, grit, as well as gases (when heated) have a pocket to go into and cleanly blow out. The stock drilled holes in the stock rotors collect brake dust and dirt. They don't clear out and when you do clean them, they fill up instantly. So they're not efficient at all but rather contribute to poor braking performance. Drilled rotors are known to crack more often than a regular or slotted rotor when put to extreme stress.
 
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Reducing "unsrpung" weight is significant in the all around performance of your vehicle. Its one of the highest reaps of benefits for a modified part on the car. Reducing unsprung weight at the wheels has to do with less weight to carry around and handle. Area that are benefited by reduced unsprung weight, such as a 4lb reduction at the wheel.

Benefits:
1) Improved braking performance. The brakes can slow down something that weighs less, its simple, and this is rotational weight too, so reducing that is a huge plus in stopping fast. With less weight at the brakes to stop means less heat, so your brakes will work at their peak performance for a longer duration.

2) Acceleration and range - As with braking, moving or starting this weight in a motion takes energy and power. So range and acceleration are improved.

3) Suspension - As with braking and acceleration, your shocks and suspension components have to work with this weight. It has to slow or dampen the energy so it is not transmitted to the vehicles chassis / suspension components which degrades performance as the suspension needs to work harder. With that rebounding of the shocks is improved which means your wheel stays in contact with the pavement longer, which then translates to more traction and better handling of the vehicle.

4) Comfort (this is actually part of 3 above, however since the Roadster has such a rough unforgiving ride over bumps it really should have its on bullet point) - Since the suspension is working as it almost should (You actually need to install Monoball / spiracle a-arm bushings to have it [suspension] work 100% right due to drag and binding of the stock bushings and resistance), the car has a softer ride and can handle the bumps better for comfort. But as I mentioned, you need to upgrade the bushings on the A-Arms to reap all the benefits fully here.

The upgrade of the two piece rotors is a function as well as a well needed safety upgrade for the Roadster. The stock pads are horrible with the stock rotors, the CarboTech / Gloc brake pads offer a significant improvement to the Roadster's braking, however the rotors are a very weak link in achieving optimal and what is actually required braking performance of the car. One of the many issues and safety concerns of the stock rotors is that right after you take the Roadster for a drive from the rotors being wet, this is right after the rotors have coated themselves with a layer of rust from the rain. (Washing the car or a nights worth of rain hitting the car while letting it sit is all it needs to rust, even a drop of water will make it rust. ) You then find out that the car can not and will not stop as you come up to your first stop. The upgraded rotors help prevent that from happening since there is a two part metal treatment process they're subject to. Also the slotted design acts as a scoop once the brake pad has wiped the facing surface. Then next pass of the following slot has a cleaner area to bite since dust, grit, as well as gases (when heated) have a pocket to go into and cleanly blow out. The stock drilled holes in the stock rotors collect brake dust and dirt. They don't clear out and when you do clean them, they fill up instantly. So they're not efficient at all but rather contribute to poor braking performance. Drilled rotors are known to crack more often than a regular or slotted rotor when put to extreme stress.
Ok, you're starting to convince me that this is worth doing. I have noticed the initial lack of braking performance after the car is washed (the rust issue), and that's been one of those things that I've had to remember, along with the lack of regen after a range charge. Add in the rest, and it all adds up to something significant.

For a car that is not raced / tracked (just a daily driver), what is the "noob's guide" for getting a responsible upgrade? What to order, where to take it, what to do afterward ("bedding", I think it was referred to)? Total cost? I'm not interested in personally taking a wrench (figuratively or otherwise) to anything safety related.

Also, I presume that Tesla is ok with the upgrade, i.e. they won't balk at servicing the car in those areas or areas related to them such as the suspension or tires, right? My car (non-Sport 2.0 model) is currently stock, as far as I know.
 
I have noticed the initial lack of braking performance after the car is washed

Me too. Just yesterday, after days of salt on the road and no "clean" rain to wash off the salt from all over the body I noticed the brakes making a squeaking noise and also perhaps not being as responsive. So its not just after washing, but for those of us in wet climates, daily driving in winter that this may be an issue. Thank you @wiztecy for the detailed clear response. I will think about it. The cost is probably somewhere up in this thread.
 
Just yesterday, after days of salt on the road and no "clean" rain to wash off the salt from all over the body I noticed the brakes making a squeaking noise and also perhaps not being as responsive.
The bigger issue, perhaps, is for us who aren't in climates that are normally quite so wet. We become used to the brakes actually working the first time you start driving (odd, no?). After washing, and with a nice coat of rust developed overnight, the first application of the brakes is practically non-existent for a second or so (a few heart beats, assuming it continues to do so), until the rust scrapes off. If you knew it was going to happen, you'd adjust. But the surprise factor once every few months can be quite unnerving, if not outright dangerous.
 
The stock brakes are horrible. People get fooled who don't understand braking and believe the Roadster has up to par braking capabilities, when it totally doesn't. The regen of the electric motor gives false confidence in thinking the car can brake better than it actually can. For a quick test go 65mph, on a flat surface. Next hammer the brakes. Feel and record how long / far it took to stop. Now repeat that test, only this time put the Roadster in neutral. Compare your results.

My first observation of the poor braking was actually looking at the Roadster and types of fender benders / accidents it was involved in. Front end collisions was the majority. I then coupled that data with my own experience of riding fast sport bike motorcycles / dirt bikes / cars and my braking knowledge and found that the braking felt good in the beginning, and then once the pads heated up a bit, the car's braking performance fell off a cliff. And I too came across some close calls in traffic as my first observation I mentioned but I didn't connect with another car. I then asked members in this forum what brake compound they used in track racing, and a person who was a serious autocross driver of the car came back saying he uses and recommend CarboTech brake pads, the AX-6 compound. We found the Bobcat 1512 compound is excellent too, but not as aggressive. Note that the Gloc brakes above are the same compounds as the AX6/1521. I also had my stock rotors turned so they would be clean for the bedding process. My rotors, especially in the rear had grooves in the surface already and I only had 6k miles on the car. Another sign that the braking was not working properly with the car and the rear was heating up way too much, note that we're 900lbs heavier than the car we were designed off of. Same braking hardware, only thing changed was the rotor was designed to be a little bit taller to give more braking leverage. Same surface area with the brakes since its the same brake pad part #. Anyways, huge improvement!!! But I found that if I was pushing the car hard where the rotors would heat up or after a rain / wash, the car would not stop and again I had false confidence in braking. I knew the rotors were trash and not of the best design. So I was looking for a solution and went to the Lotus forum. I came across these awesome 2 piece slotted rotors made by a guy named Dave, people who raced the Elise/Exiges loved them and they had great reviews from the owners. So I contacted Dave and asked if he could make a custom run for us. He said yes and quoted the min. order we needed. I then worked with Henry Sharp passing back and forth ideas, we discussed the rust issue and also safety issue / differences where we needed to add more strength. With that we came up with a 2 part metal treatment process that we added to the rotors to prevent corrosion. The first one is the same process Chevy has been using on the Chevy Bolt, its called FNC. This bonds carbon at high temps to the rotor surface. It also makes it a bit rough. Chevy found as an added benefit that the cars had stopped in a shorter distance in the rain with this coating. This is a very durable long lasting coating. The top coating is Black Oxide, this is another coating manufactures use. Like EBC brakes. It comes off rather fast on the wear areas (unlike FNC), however on areas that don't wear, it adds a nice black protective coating. So it adds to the ascetics and protection of the rotor disc. And we added two more allen screws compared to the Elise / Exige 2 piece rotors which mate the inner aluminum hat to the outer metal rotor disc. This was added for safety due to the extra torque and weight of the Roadster compared to the Lotus variants.

After I installed the rotors I then found out my braking was now really up to par. I no-longer had brake fading when the pads / rotors were placed under high stress. I also could stop the car faster and hammer as hard as I could down on the pedal and know that my force was actually being transferred all the way to the rotor to give everything I and the car had to stop. After doing the brake pad / rotor upgrade I then found no more need to improve the braking, it was perfect and right where I wanted and needed it.

As for the pricing, here's what I have. Dave can chime in if anything is different:
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Prices will be the same as last year....
Set of 4 rotors, $1595.
Carbotech AX6 / Bobcat pads cost is $320 so Rotors and pads $1915
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>"For a car that is not raced / tracked (just a daily driver), what is the "noob's guide" for getting a responsible upgrade? "
1) Upgrade the brake pads and rotors to the 2 piece if you have the budget. If you don't have the budget do the brake pads at a minimum.
2) HID lights. The stock halogen if you have them are horrible and a major safety issue due to limited visibility.
3) Replace the rear upper a-arm bushings with poly bushings. If you have the budget, change out all the a-arm bushings throughout the car with Sperical Bushings / Monoballs. The Elise/Exige cars and ours since we inherited the suspension from these cars, will show signs of a-arm to rear subframe metal to metal connection. This is due to torque exerted by the brake parts to the a-arm, the bushing then begins to wear and flex. When this a-arm moves from the bushing flexing, the a-arm then connects to the subframe of the car and begins wearing and damaging it. It can get so bad that you start to hear banging noises under heavy braking.
4) Have you alignment checked and set often. These cars are very sensitive to having their alignment done correctly, and that translates to safety.

>"What to order, where to take it, what to do afterward ("bedding", I think it was referred to)? Total cost?"
You can mail or even call Dave/TitaniamDave. He's very helpful and knowledgeable. Also much of these questions are answered in this thread. Dave can also connect you up possibly with someone he knows though his racing connections who are fantastic and competent mechanics who will do an excellent job on the brake / rotor change. You can have them bed your brake / rotors if you like.

>"Also, I presume that Tesla is ok with the upgrade, i.e. they won't balk at servicing the car in those areas or areas related to them such as the suspension or tires, right?"
Tesla has no problem working on cars with upgrades. The only thing they won't do is put on aftermarket parts for you, they only want to support OEM.
 
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wiztecy,
Thanks for chiming in, especially about your personal experience and the background on the coating we are using. The only change in your description is we used larger fasteners(5/16" rather than 1/4") rather than a larger number to deal with the extra load on the brakes because of the weight of the Roadster. This change gave us over 38% more shear strength at the fasteners. The weight reduction alone is enough to have a measurable decrease in braking distance since there is less mass needed to decelerate, the coating makes for more constant coefficient of friction since the rotors do not oxidize quickly like the stock cast iron discs.

Install should be easy for any competent mechanic, I charge 1-2 hours labor to do a set. It all depends on how easy the old parts come off. Since Roadsters are so easy on their brake system, often these parts have not been touched since the cars were manufactured, fasteners can get sticky/rusty/stuck etc.

I am putting together the next rotor build list at this time, prices will remain the same provided we can get at least 20 cars of rotors! I have 4 set committed at this time so please spread the word and lets get another order going. Lead time is about 3 months from when I receive the last payment. All of the vendors require payment up front since our order is small in the OEM world these guys normally work in(100,000 units+).
 
My car has only traveled 21.4 miles since the installation of the new brakes, of which 2.5 miles were the installer's bed-in procedure and 3.2 miles were my own bed-in (11 times 60 to 10) after driving the car home. Yesterday I took off the wheels so I could clean off at least some of the massive brake dust resulting from the bed-in procedures. I observed that the pads are lightly rubbing on the rotors when I turned the rotors manually. Is that expected until more break-in miles have been driven? Or does it mean the calipers were not adjusted correctly?
 
My car has only traveled 21.4 miles since the installation of the new brakes, of which 2.5 miles were the installer's bed-in procedure and 3.2 miles were my own bed-in (11 times 60 to 10) after driving the car home. Yesterday I took off the wheels so I could clean off at least some of the massive brake dust resulting from the bed-in procedures. I observed that the pads are lightly rubbing on the rotors when I turned the rotors manually. Is that expected until more break-in miles have been driven? Or does it mean the calipers were not adjusted correctly?
Great question. Brake pads always have a tiny bit of contact with the rotor because the only return spring for the pistons is the deformation of the O-rings that seal the pistons in the caliper. As brake pedal is depressed, the pistons extends, the O-rings are stretched by the movement of the pistons as they squeeze the rotor. When the pedal is released, the fluid pressure is removed and the pistons are returned to their original position by the O-rings relaxing. As long as the pads were installed with 'Brake Quiet' or a similar material, the pistons pull the pads back as they relax and everything should be good.