Titanium Brake Pad Shim / Heat Shield Set.

6AL-4V Alloy; Aircraft Grade Titanium; .032 Inch Thick (.8125 mm Thick).  More than 1 1/2 times thicker than .020 Inch / .5 mm, providing more than 1 1/2 times the heat shielding of .020 Inch / .5 mm.

For Front Brakes of:

• 2002-2006 Alfa Romeo 147 3.2 GTA V6 24V With Brembo Brakes

PLEASE NOTE: These shims are “Plain” and intended for use with racing pads which do not have metal wear feelers. Our Plain shims provide full coverage of the entire back of the brake pad for maximum shielding. We also offer this shim in a Notched version, please look at our other listings or ask and we will provide assistance. Please select the correct shims to match your brake pads.

Set Of Four, One Axle, Left and Right Side, Inner and Outer.

Titanium, along with being extremely rigid, hard, light weight, and corrosion resistant, has another property that is highly beneficial and desirable to the braking system of an automobile.  Titanium is a very poor conductor of heat, and makes an excellent heat shield.  The engineering literature and various sources state that titanium has 1/20th the thermally conductivity of aluminum and 1/8th the thermal conductivity of steel.  It makes an excellent material for preventing heat from transferring to the brake fluid in an automobile's brake calipers, and preventing the brake fluid from boiling.  This is why it is commonly used in extremely expensive brake pads, as backing plates, and extremely expensive brake calipers, as caliper pistons.

But those of us using normal steel backed brake pads and steel or aluminum pistoned calipers can still benefit from titanium's heat shielding properties, by using titanium shims between the brake pad and the caliper.  These shims form a barrier, preventing heat transfer from the rotor and pad to the caliper and brake fluid.  One high end brake manufacturer cites a 25% reduction in heat transference, at one spot in the middle of the heat range showing a reduction in heat transfer from 525 ° F, to 375 ° F, using a thinner .020 inch thick shim/heat shield.

Benefits:

Performance Benefits:

Prevents brake fade caused by boiling the brake fluid, by reducing the amount of heat transfered from the rotor and pads to the caliper and fluid.
Allows the braking system to be pushed farther/harder while preventing brake fluid boiling.

Economic Benefits:

Increases usable life of brake pads.  As the pad wears down, the piston and fluid become closer to the rotor and friction surface (heat source).  Some drivers complain that heat transfer through the pad and into the caliper occurs more quickly as they wear through their brake pads and the increase in brake fade is noticeable enough that they replace the pads more frequently and throwing away pads that still have half of the friction material left.  Using titanium brake pad shims reduces heat transfer and allows for more complete use of the pads before they must be discarded.
Increases the life of the calipers, pistons, and seals, by reducing the heat level that these parts are exposed to and reducing the frequency of the need to rebuild the calipers.
Reduces the frequency of the need to bleed the brakes by preventing and/or reducing the chances of boiling  the brake fluid, and reducing heat degradation of the brake fluid.
May eliminate the need for higher temperature racing brake fluid, and reduce the operating cost for the vehicle over the long term.  Given the cost of racing brake fluid, this savings may be significant. 
Lasts the life of the vehicle and will not require replacement.

Racing Application

This item is particularly useful for SCCA and other club racing or road racing use, in classes which require the use of the original equipment caliper, but place no restriction on the choice of brake pad (and brake pad hardware).  Particularly for Improved Touring (IT), Super Touring Lite (STL), Production (P), Showroom Stock (SS), Spec Miata (SM), B Spec (B-SPEC), Touring (T), and the Spec MX-5 (SM5) regional class.

This item is also particularly useful for autocross and gymkhana use for drivers using left-foot-brake technique, and any racing venue which involves heavy use of the brakes for a short duration, followed by the car sitting still in the grid or paddock while waiting for the next run.  In these cases, the car is sitting still and brake ducts are of no benefit all.  Heat transfer from the brake rotor and pad, into the brake caliper and fluid, can ONLY be prevented through the use of a thermal barrier, such as titanium brake pad shims.

Please Note:

When comparison shopping, please note the material thickness of this item: .032 inch.

The heat shielding property of titanium shims is directly related to the thickness.  You may find manufacturers offering .020 inch thick shims as their entry level product, and .040 inch thick shims as a premium level item.  .020 inch thick titanium provides 1/3 less heat shielding as .032 inch thick titanium, though their .020 inch thick shims are priced higher than our thicker shims for the same applications.

Also note if the item being compared does not have the shim thickness stated.  If so, ask the seller.  If they decline to respond, then their shims are most likely the thinner .020 inch thick material. 

The Story Behind This Item

In 2009, I started converting my race and personal vehicles over to use multi piston calipers.  With solid brakes, lap times went down and confidence went up.  In 2012, I decided to teach myself to left-foot-brake.  On one particular test-and-tune day at the track, driving technique seemed to be progressing remarkably, but as I stood next to my car, I was getting burned by the heat radiating off the brakes.  I pointed the infra-red pyrometer at the brake rotor, and was shocked by the high temperature reading.  The following Monday started a vane search for high temp racing brake fluid, and the realization that none was available locally on the shelves of the autoparts stores.  Then I remembered reading about the benefits of titanium shims to keep heat from transferring from the disk and pad, into the caliper, in order to reduce the brake fluid temperature and keep it from boiling.  Finding none of these shims available for the brake calipers I was using, I decided to make them myself, and offer some for sale. Over time, we added more patterns as requested by customers, and within a few years, we became the largest manufacturer of titanium brake pad shims.

Installation:

Place one shim between the back of each brake pad and the caliper.  Replace any clips or pins securing the brake pads to the caliper.

Are You Looking For Shims For A Different Vehicle Or Application?

Please contact us.  We are always looking to expand our list of applications, and offer discounts for buyers who can provide sample brake pads (preferably OEM) to pattern from.

Made by Iperformance in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.

What is Iperformance?

Iperformance has been manufacturing and selling top quality, tuner grade parts for niche market cars and racing applications since the mid 1990's.

Sales Tax:

We are a registered business in the state of Missouri, and collect sales tax on all transactions delivered within the state of Missouri.  Ebay may collect sales tax for shipping into and out of other states.  We are not involved in that action.

Shipping Costs

Please see the listing heading for domestic and international shipping options.

Everything gets insured.  Declared values match insured values and transaction totals.

Packaging

Item is placed between two pieces of corrugated cardboard to protect the item during transit, and then placed into a cardboard envelope.