Does anyone use Hat (Bell) Rotors on their cars?

[skullandbones]

I've been researching the two peice rotors that are available from a variety of companies (thinking of upgrading brakes some). Have any of you guys used them? My question is what is the advantage? I think there can be situations where clearance could make a custom application like this necessary but was just curious if there are benefits that I am not aware of. Not being in the racing community, I know there is a lot of equipment that many never even see on a regular basis. Thanks, WEK

[2FAST4U]

The advantage is less weight and the ability to replace the rotor portion if/when it wears out

[Bob Cowan]

The stock parts have a hub (bearing carrier), hat, and rotor all as one big piece. It's a bit heavy, and not very precise. But, easy to mass produce and relatively inexpensive.

Companies like Wilwood separate that into three separate components: hub, hat, and rotor. The whole assembly is lighter. You can replace each one as it wears out, without replacing the others. You can also mix and match as you need to, to meet you individual needs.

[Mike N]

I upgraded my front rotors a while back from the stock 13" Ford ones to a 2 piece Baer rotor and saved 1.25 lbs per corner even though the critical area was actually beefier on the 2 piece rotor. This is not a cheap upgrade and it would be hard to justify doing it to save money on replacing just the brake rotor and not the hub portion.

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[skullandbones]

You got that right! That is, saving money is not in the equation for this application. I was looking at a very good deal on some rotors but if you factor in the other components you would need, there is no way it is practical. Just as an example: I can put slotted and drilled replacements on my setup for about $48 ea. That is actually the first step I wanted to try. Then four piston calipers for a second step if I see the need when some track experiences come around. I believe the best plan might be to get a complete kit and probably save a few bucks to get the matched components. That way you would have the three pc setup for future upgrades. Right now, the change doesn't make sense for me even to save weight. Weight saving has never been a consideration for me since this is the lightest thing I've been in except a "go kart" and maybe my Fiat Spyder. BTW, while checking these rotors out I saw a Super Alloy version for $855 ea (titanium of course). Thank you, WEK.

[Mike N]

Here's how you can take weight out. This is on an all out Auto X car where you can afford to give up some thermal mass in the brakes.

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