The general IQ level at SEMA seems to have dropped recently

[AtomicLabMonkey]

With shit like this being exhibited...





And my personal favorite...



All I can say is... Wow. Brakes are safety systems... I hope for their sake these people have liability insurance.

[ArthurS]

Thats funny. I wouldn't trust those at all.

[sperry]

O M G.

I *really* hope those Willwood's are just the caliper on a homemade rotor.... I'm no engineer, but I'm pretty sure that rotor's a little big.

The other 2.... we'll, a pair might work well on the front fork of 400lb motorcycle, but I sure as hell wouldn't drive a car with those on it.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by sperry

O M G.

I *really* hope those Willwood's are just the caliper on a homemade rotor.... I'm no engineer, but I'm pretty sure that rotor's a little big.

That's what it looks like... somebody took a Wilwood caliper and stuck it on their own dookie-ass rotor. It's got plenty of bling... never mind the fact that the caliper is using less than half of the available rotor surface.

Originally Posted by sperry

The other 2.... we'll, a pair might work well on the front fork of 400lb motorcycle, but I sure as hell wouldn't drive a car with those on it.

Yeaaaaaaaah.... I love the ZMI website (http://www.zmibrakes.com/whyzmi.html):

1. ZMI rotors are born from aerospace grade titanium for unprecedented weight savings and uncompromising strength.

*Sniff* *Sniff* What's that smell?

Even if they used a high-grade titanium with a really high yield strength, the Young's modulus of titanium is roughly the same as cast iron - so with about half as much material there from using an unventilated rotor instead of a typical ventilated design, the rotor will flex about twice as much for the same amount of load.

A patented design is cut into the rotor to allow for the "active cooling system" to take effect. This cut allows the rotor to expand under heat in such a way that air can enter and cool the rotor more effectively than veins or cross-drilling. This design guarantees that your ZMI rotor will never warp due to heat.

*Sniff* Hmmmm, yep... I smell bullshit. No question.

I can't even believe I'm reading this. Allowing the rotor to expand for more effective cooling? Even with an 800F temperature rise under severe braking conditions, a 2" long slot like the ones they cut in their titanium rotors will only elongate 0.00784 inches. Wow. I'm speechless, guys. Your space age materials, cutting-edge engineering and innovative design might get a whole 0.0000000493 CFM more airflow through that dookie little slot.

And I don't think I really even have to go into why cutting all those channels and slots in a solid piece of rotor metal is a bad idea purely based on structural strength and safety reasons...

You know, instead of spending $4000 on their brakes, you could simply stack all that money in a pile on the floor and light it on fire. It would be a hell of a lot more entertaining and safe than actually trying to use those things on your car.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

*Sniff* Hmmmm, yep... I smell bullshit. No question.

BWAAHAHAHHAH!!

I believe that needs to be copied into an email and sent to their company. Post replies here.

[MikeSTI]

Well if I saw them on a REAL car and not just some show car i would be scared :shock: to be near them..... but if you ask me they just going for BLING and not effectiveness :wink: not that impressed with non functional things

[sperry]

Originally Posted by MikeSTI

Well if I saw them on a REAL car and not just some show car i would be scared :shock: to be near them..... but if you ask me they just going for BLING and not effectiveness :wink: not that impressed with non functional things

I can understand the bling idea, for show cars and the like... but I wouldn't trust those rotors to be safe just driving the car from the trailer to the booth at the show.

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by MikeSTI

Well if I saw them on a REAL car and not just some show car i would be scared :shock: to be near them..... but if you ask me they just going for BLING and not effectiveness :wink: not that impressed with non functional things

If I was only judging by the SEMA picture, I would probably think that too; however their website clearly advertises them as high-performance braking systems and they have an application guide for anything from Mustangs to Subarus.

[sperry]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

If I was only judging by the SEMA picture, I would probably think that too; however their website clearly advertises them as high-performance braking systems and they have an application guide for anything from Mustangs to Subarus.

Jesus... Make sure you CC the NHTSB on that email to ZMI.