Project EVO vs Project STi

09. After the fire, the DS3000 pads showed a little white around the edges, but seemed largely unaffected.

09. After the fire, the DS3000 pads showed a little white around the edges, but seemed lar

We followed recommended bedding procedures with both the STaSIS and Prodrive rotors, which, in both cases, just meant heating and then thoroughly cooling them a few times. During the first heat cycle on the Prodrive rotor, the left front started making some spooky clunky noises that made us think we'd forgotten to torque the lug nuts, but it went away and never returned. On the mountain the brakes felt the same, with no uncomfortable noises and just the occasional flash of sparks as the slots in the rotor helped discard glowing chunks of brake pad. Apparently this, along with the occasional fire, is just another charming side effect of the DS3000 pads.

The pads did start feeling better as the rotors got extremely hot, and felt better than ever as we screeched to a full ABS stop at the bottom of the hill. The outer diameter of the rotors was again over 1,000 degrees, but down near the aluminum mounting hat things were much cooler. There was a black zone around each mounting bolt where the aluminum hat sucked the heat out of the rotor, but the hot zones in between were running about 650 degrees. There was only a little bit of fire this time.

So what do you do?
The stock brakes only really ask for pads. Even with rotors well over 1,000 degrees, the STi came to the final stop at the bottom of the hill with a perfectly firm brake pedal and ABS working normally. The pedal got soft after 45 seconds of sitting still while we documented the fire, but after a brief cool-down run, they recovered fully. These are amazing brakes. We wouldn't recommend upgrading the rotors until you've demonstrated the ability to overheat them to the point of brake fade, warping, or cracking.

10. We feared that fire would have some effect on the rubber dust seals around the caliper's pistons. They, too, seemed completely unaffected by fire.

10. We feared that fire would have some effect on the rubber dust seals around the caliper

At that point, the price difference to step up to rotors that are significantly lighter and at least theoretically cool better is relatively small. One thousand dollars for a pair of brake rotors is absolutely ludicrous, but thanks to the gouging on the stock parts, it looks downright reasonable. And if you still manage to use up these rotors, at least replacements will be significantly cheaper.