Shims and more shims

[mustang5o]

Finally getting ready to do some track days this year and I remembered I wore out at least one rear shim last year. Does does someone have a link to where to get shims for the rear pads?

Also, I thought KNS had the titanium shims (for fronts?) but I can't seem to find them. If anyone has a link to that I would like that as well.

Someone at a racing brake shop told me shims weren't needed for the track as they are there mostly for noise and that you don't worry about noise with track brakes. Any thoughts? I have run without them and things in general seemed fine but I know I've heard people talk about added heat without them.

 

[VoodooBoss]

The shins help protect the piston seals on S street driven car. KNS should have them just give them a call.

 

[TMSBOSS]

The shim helps protect the seals and fluid from excessive heat. Titanium resists heat transfer.

Get a set of titanium shims and find another shop.

 

[OPMustang Tim]

Shims that come on street brakes are typically for noise and are typically rubber coated. For the S197 you can even purchase coated sliders to suppress noise. Brembo Performance Brake systems typically include SS shims with OEM pads. From what I've seen it merely prevents the pistons (front) from digging into the backing plate. I just run the OEM ones up front. Ti shims are typically a last resort for fluid boiling after brake cooling, proper pad selection and fluid have been addressed. Ti shims prevent heat transfer from the pad to the piston as well as they prevent moving air from extracting heat from the pad backing plate. "Insulating" the backing plate from free air can contribute to excessive pad temperature and can lead to shortened pad/rotor/caliper life. This is a two way street, and should be used as a last resort. The more surfaces exposed to air the better unless you have no choice.

 

[mustang5o]

Thanks for that informative reply. I'm using Motul 600 fluid. Has the stock LS cooling ducts. I'll stick with the standard shims for now then. This year I'll be using ST45/ST43 pads to start the season but switching to Carbotech XP24/XP10 later because I got a deal on them. Either I'm not hard enough on pads or the ST's are built to last because I used them all last year (10 track days) and they still have life left.

 

[dmichaels]

I have the same experience with ST43 and ST47 pads. They last forever even through tracks that are hard on brakes.

Agree with other info above on shims as well. I've been running Ti shims up front for a couple seasons with good success