[DeTomaso] Carbon Fiber Brake discs!!!

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/5/09 13 19 44, JDeRyke at aol.com writes:


> I've always been curious as to how the racers using these things insulate 
> the
> brake fliud from boiling. After all, a monstrous heat source is only
> milimeters away from the caliper pistons. The bike racers using them don't 
> have to
> worry about radiated heat to the wheels and tires since the discs are much
> smaller than the wheels, and are actually shrouded rather than air-cooled, 
> but I
> imagine car racers do....
> 

Another interesting fact is that on certain tracks, F1 cars use shrouds to 
keep brake heat IN rather than cool the brakes these days.   If the track is 
especially fast and flowing, and the brakes aren't use especially hard, they need 
to use artificial means to keep the heat from shedding, or they fall below 
their operable threshold.

Actually, this isn't entirely new--originally Ford GT40s ducted outside air 
to the front brakes, but they found that they were over-cooling them, so for 
the 1967 season and on, the front brakes were 'cooled' with air exiting from the 
radiator.   Warm, but not (brake-temperature) hot air....

Mike


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