Disc Designs: Die Hard™

Benefits – at a glance: 

• Maximum resistance to distortion (warping), cracking and surface crazing.

• Increased wear resistance in high-use applications.

• Maximum disc material in order to keep temperature variations to a minimum and stabilize disc temperatures leading to increased disc life.

• Substantial reduction of brake fade caused by ‘outgassing’.

• Reduced pad-glazing and improved ‘bite’.

• Reduced disc scoring and uniform pad wear.

• Improved brake consistency and modulation.

• Reduced stopping distances. (Particularly when braking from very high speeds or following a number of consecutive high-speed applications).

• Improved wet weather braking.

• Will outlast Pro Street™ series discs.

Powerbrake™ Die Hard™ disc series is designed for drivers that are pushing their standard brake system to the absolute limits of capability. In reality many of these drivers should be investing in ‘big brake’ upgrade kits featuring larger diameter discs and billet multiple-piston calipers in order to cope with the level of heat being produced by their driving style and application. The problem is that big brake kits are expensive - typically costing between R15 000 and R30 000. In addition to the purchase price of the kit, increased diameter wheels/tires are normally required, adding up to a very pricey upgrade. The result is that many performance enthusiasts try to get by on using standard diameter brake discs. There are also cases in which competition regulations limit teams from using increased diameter brake discs.

Our Die Hard™ discs are subjected to our proprietary WC2 (Weathered Casting 2) process. This process is expensive and time consuming but results in class-leading wear life and consistency in high-heat applications. While our Die Hard™ discs are by no means indestructible, extensive testing has shown substantial reductions in distortion, cracking and surface crazing over competitive products. In addition to this improved resistance to thermal shock, our Die Hard™ discs have shown increases in wear life of up to 300% over standard OE and aftermarket discs!

The unique ‘dual-slot’ design on the friction surface of our Die Hard™ discs offers the perfect balance between positive (but moderate) initial 'bite' and excellent modulation under heavy braking. When matched to the correct pad compound the design results in a progressive torque curve that limits the chances of premature wheel lockup as the brakes are applied. This allows a driver to leave his braking late and then engage the brakes aggressively, without locking wheels. Brake torque then builds gradually during the brake event to make use of the additional traction available from the front tyres as weight transfer takes place to the front axle. The result is extremely short stopping distances, while maintaining traction and keeping the car well balanced.

The above brake characteristics have been race-proven by numerous race teams that have reported improved lap times after switching to our Die Hard™ series discs. A number of regional and national championships have been won on our Die Hard™ discs, which are fast becoming the benchmark for production-car racing.

If you drive hard on the road or take part in club-level events such as track-days, gymkhanas or hill climbs - you will not find a better choice than our Die Hard™ series rotors!

As the name suggests, Powerbrake™ Die Hard™ discs are designed from the ground up to be the toughest standard-diameter performance discs on the market. If our Die Hard™ discs don’t offer acceptable product life on your vehicle then you are left with two choices:

1. Invest in a big brake upgrade kit costing 10-20 times more than a set of our Die Hard™ discs, or

2. Change your driving style!

Die Hard™ Discs in Production Car Racing

Previous disc brand		Powerbrake™ Die Hard™

"We tried the Powerbrake™ Die Hard™ disc during the last race weekend of 2004. It stopped significantly better than the previous brand of disc that we were running and we experienced none of the brake fade that we had been battling with.

What surprised us was the durability of the discs. The attached pictures show our previous disc versus the Powerbrake™ Die Hard™ disc.

Both discs have done the same amount of laps. Wear on the Powerbrake™ Die Hard™ series discs is practically non-existent!"

-- Craig Nicholson, MINI Cooper S, Production Car Race Driver, Dec. 2004.