For that to use hats? Benefits?

[evilC]

If you use separate bells (hats) and rotors then the advantages are:
1) the bells can be custom made to suit whatever offset you want to locate the brake rotor.
2) it allows you to select different thickness rotors to suit your calipers/application
3) it reduces the heat transfer to the hubs from the rotor
4) You can have fixed, semi-floating or fully floating rotors. Each has different advantages.
5) it is easier to select a custom brake set up as the bells have to be manufactured individually.

Disadvantages:
6) Initial expense
7) You will be confined to using only one manufacturer of rotor for the bell as the number of bolts/bobbins varies between each of them.
8) New rotors and maybe pads are from race suppliers only.

[Wally]

Originally Posted by evilC

If you use separate bells (hats) and rotors then the advantages are:
1) the bells can be custom made to suit whatever offset you want to locate the brake rotor.
2) it allows you to select different thickness rotors to suit your calipers/application
3) it reduces the heat transfer to the hubs from the rotor
4) You can have fixed, semi-floating or fully floating rotors. Each has different advantages.
5) it is easier to select a custom brake set up as the bells have to be manufactured individually.

Its funny you didn't mention 'weight' as an advantage, as it was the first one that came into my mind and the only reason I would want a alu hat...

Any suppliers that use the porsche bolt pattern for their 10 bolts hat-disk?

[evilC]

Originally Posted by Wally

Its funny you didn't mention 'weight' as an advantage, as it was the first one that came into my mind and the only reason I would want a alu hat...

Any suppliers that use the porsche bolt pattern for their 10 bolts hat-disk?

The issue of weight saving is not clear cut as I have seen some beefy alloy bells with steel bobbins that look almost as heavy as a thin cast disc. There will be a weight saving but I doubt whether it would be significant. On the other hand there are some that have been lightened to within an inch of their life................to the point where you have to wonder whether the heat build up would case distortion?

The beauty of using bells is that in reality they are custom made to suit individual applicatrions although there are obviously standard arrangements. The one BIG variable is the number of fixings on the discs. Just look through the AP Racing catalogue to see the number of available discs in fixed, semi-floating and full floating styles each with their own number of mounting points and then there is Brembo, Wilwood et al all of whom have a different number of mounting points for essentially the same disc. Then you factor in the varying offset depths and wheel bolt or bell fixing patterns etc, so standard bells only exist is a few very popular applications.

Clive