Upgrade Rotors or get Garmin Catalyst

[Mikegotamach]

Hi all,

I have been getting more and more into tracking and have been upgrading the mach 1 as I go. Currently running hankook RS4 tires and it time to change brakes and want to upgrade. I am planning to go woth G-Loc pads r10 infront and r8 in rear. My question is the upgrade to Girodisc rotors worth the price tag? Or am I better off with the stock rotors and getting a Garmin catalyst.

Also who does every order from? I am in NJ and the steeds wait time on G-loc bads is 2 to 3 weeks.

Thanks!

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[SBR70.3]

G-Loc pads are awesome. I use the R10/R8 combo and am ready to go 12/10 as soon as these wear out.

Regarding your post, I think it really depends on your driving skill. If you are anything less than an advanced driver who is at the tip of the spear and chasing that 0.1 sec improvement in lap time, I would go with the Catalyst. I have one and have used it twice. I love it. The setup is simple (Garmin makes things extremely user friendly), the feedback is on point, and the data review is helpful.

Brake rotors will look cool, shed extra heat, and reduce weight, but if you are novice/intermediate driver, I think you will get more bang for your buck from the Catalyst.

I would suggest ordering the G-Loc pads from Optimum Performance. They are a sponsor of this site.

 

[S550HPP]

I'd go for the brakes because they are a consumable, and look cool the 99% of the time not at the track, assuming it's a high use car.

Alternatively buy some blank rotors and whatever pads are on sale and expert instruction that's specific to a heavy RWD.

 

[2morrow]

I would probably go with the catalyst myself. Driver mod is the best mod.

Down the line when you do upgrade your rotors keep the old ones when your disks wear down on the 2 piece units.

When I needed to replace my rotor disks, there was a considerable wait to get my replacements in.

Good luck OP!

 

[GTP]

I have experience with both your options.

I think you will get a better return from the Catalyst. Not the same as a human coach, but with earbuds you still have it occasionally coach you for your good or bad behavior. When you review sessions, it will piece together your fastest sector times and give you a hypothetical Best lap that you could attain if you put it all together in a single lap. It is very easy to use, and the next step up in a system is considerably more expensive. I think I've seen the Garmin on sale for as low as $900. Not sure if they are commonly found used.

Let us know your choice!

 

[991GT]

I agree with the others that the Garmin is the better spend here. I'd also recommend that you go R12/R10 on the pads. I've had fast shipping from OPMustang, I think he stocks them. When I ordered direct from G-loc they were made to order and took 10-14 days.

 

[luc]

Hi all,

I have been getting more and more into tracking and have been upgrading the mach 1 as I go. Currently running hankook RS4 tires and it time to change brakes and want to upgrade. I am planning to go woth G-Loc pads r10 infront and r8 in rear. My question is the upgrade to Girodisc rotors worth the price tag? Or am I better off with the stock rotors and getting a Garmin catalyst.

Also who does every order from? I am in NJ and the steeds wait time on G-loc bads is 2 to 3 weeks.

Thanks!

The only worthwhile improvement in rotors is going to a 2 pieces rotors and the improvement is not better braking but rather to save weight
And that is only worthwhile for people that race competitively
Obviously with your tires and brake pads choices, you are basically a beginner at tracking, so total waste of money for you

 

[Mikegotamach]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! Iam going with the Garmin since I was leaning that way and you guys solidified it.

My only hesitation on the r12/r10 combo is that I drive to and from the track so don't want something completely unusable on the street.

 

[GTP]

Any good street pad is completely unusable on the track.
And vice versa.

 

[luc]

Any good street pad is completely unusable on the track.
And vice versa.

Full out race pads ( i use Cobalt xr1 and 3) are ok to drive to and from the track but i wouldn’t want them on a daily driver

 

[GTP]

Agreed. That's what I do.

 

[NightmareMoon]

Good choice on the catalyst. The rotors are jewelry. Investing in the driver OTOH will last a lot longer than another pair of rotors.

R12/R10 combo is fine on the street going to and from tracks. Buy the pad you need for the track, not the pad you find convenient for life on the street.

If you're concerned about street driving at all, then pony up for a pair of GS1 street pads and swap before and after events. Pads are consumables, so buying extra now just means it will be longer before you need pads later, and not using GS1 on the street instead of the R12/10s (or 10/8s) will save you a little bit of money.

 

[Ewheels]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! Iam going with the Garmin since I was leaning that way and you guys solidified it.

My only hesitation on the r12/r10 combo is that I drive to and from the track so don't want something completely unusable on the street.

Track pads will be fine on the street. I've done R12/10 and Hawk DTC 70's and there is no concern.
Emergency braking is certainly diminished when they are cold so do be careful and vigilant but under normal circumstances coming to a red light, they work just fine.


Look up DBA T3 4000 rotors. I think they're about $160 a rotor. Handle track abuse very well. This is what I use and I see no reason to jump to Girodiscs. I'm sure they weigh less and probably cool a little better but are they worth the large increase in price? I don't think so.

 

[WItoTX]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! Iam going with the Garmin since I was leaning that way and you guys solidified it.

My only hesitation on the r12/r10 combo is that I drive to and from the track so don't want something completely unusable on the street.

Go to the R12/R10 combo, they are just fine on the street. Might get a little squeaky, but if you are only driving to/from an event, it's manageable.

Good call on the Catalyst.

 

[haalandl]

I wanted to put my 2cents on the R12/R10. I will never ever ever drive my car in stop and go traffic with them. The jerkiness of go then slightly press and it's a jerking stop, go and jerky stop...they grip well. If I didn't sit in any traffic they are perfectly fine otherwise. Just a lot of dust.

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