My front brake hats have been trouble-free for four years and thru multiple disc changes, but ... they're four years old and have seen severe service. I'm beginning to worry that one day these things are going to crack. If they do, and I don't have spares, I'm screwed.

Vortrag sold me the Alcon brake kit but then proceeded to go out of business about three weeks later. Vortrag's Todd Candey told me that the specs for all of their brake kits were sold to Stassis, but Stassis has no knowledge of an S8 kit.

So far, Hoerr Racing is the only one I've found that makes custom hats. Anyone know of any others?

Brembo wants $500 for one hat.

Or am I just being paranoid with 5-year old hats that can be expected to last forever?

Are you talking solid mount two piece hat to disc or floated mount? If floated, T bobbin floated hat or floated disc pin?

The only failures I've seen were the result in not using the proper torque or locking fastners.

Jet Nuts or Jet Nuts and Red Loctite if you're paranoid, properly torqued. I've not seen any fail that way.

Two-piece rotors with aluminum hat, each with 12 1/4x28 UNJF fasteners. I replace the fasteners each time I replace the discs and have had no fastener or hat failures to date.

The Alcon discs themselves have failed twice (I'm now on my 3rd set) but since I'm getting 1300-1400 track and ~22k street miles from each set, I really can't complain. The pic of my '05 cracked rotor was taken today, and this is the first time I really compared the '03 and '05 failures. Both have an almost identical history, both even failed at Mid-Ohio. The heat checkering is more severe on the '03 rotor, but overall wear is much worse on the '05 rotor (note that the slot is almost worn away). On track, the '03 rotor probably saw the most use with the Ferodo DS3000, the '05 rotor with the Pagid RS14 Black. ... interesting.

BTW: On track when these rotors cracked, the '03 rotor felt like it very badly warped. I didn't feel anything wrong with the '05 rotor at all and only caught the failure when inspecting the rotors after a track session.

Anyway, back to the original subject ... From the obvious severe service these brakes see, I'm thinking that I should have a spare set of hats on hand.

2003 Rotor Failure
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/17157/alcon_cracked.jpg">

2005 Rotor Failure
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/17157/alcon_05.jpg">

if you are so inclined, e-machineshop.com could make them for you as long as you or someone you know could design them.

are you sourcing your rotors directly from alcon?

...it must suck to not live out west.
I'm sure that's not helping you at all either. The 05 disc looks in great shape, just worn out.

I would probably opt for a spare/new set of hats just based on the corrosion you are seeing. I'm sure the hats are getting their fair share of crap on them.

At any rate, a spare set is probably not a bad idea given the length of service and the use and conditions.

Just use a good locking system and I don't see any potential issue.

The State starts covering the roads with salt; and sometimes we get more salt than snow. The hats have seen better days, but they actually look better than the rotors, surprising considering Fe-Al galvanic corrosion.

I had forgotten about e-machineshop.com. Stasis provided the last two sets of Alcon rotors, but they're also available from <a href="http://www.hrpworld.com/index.cfm?form_cat_id=49&action=category">Hoerr Racing</a>.

(see Fig 7)

I don't have the cracks at the drive pins, but I have the cracks that look like the top of the hat is chipped above the pins.

At $200 a side, I think I'll wait until after this winter. I already have a new set of rotors waiting to go on. I may just run the old (current) set during the winter only.<ul><li><a href="http://stoptech.com/tech_info/faq_corrosion.shtml">http://stoptech.com/tech_info/faq_corrosion.shtml</a</li></ul>

I order my rotors direct from them just giving them measurements, and I think they asked me if I wanted them to make new hats the first time I ordered rotors.