Brake fade

[ghostbiker]

Had a slight problem on a track day this week. (well had a couple actualy but will stick to this one )
on the 2nd session of the day i had brake fade heading in to hawthorns and the next 2-3 corners.
lever back to bar and 0 front brake. by the 4th corner brakes were back to full strength and apart from another smaller amount of fade in the 3rd session of the day (just for 1 corner i lost bite but still had some brakes) the brakes were fine the rest of the day.

New pads 2 months ago (1500ish miles i think) and new fluids last year
i cant remember what pads i put in though as it was done with the MOT and i told them to put some pads in. did not tell them what type. i want to say they were carbon lorraine as that was is on the display rack behind counter but im not 100% sure

never had it on road and to be honest i think i only had it on track because i was not hitting the brakes hard enough. this ment i was on the brakes for longer (but softer) so they got hotter. in the 1st session i hardly used the brakes and the last 2 sessions i was harder on the brakes and had no fade.

dont know if this makes sense though.
So whats the best way to counter it? or am i correct and it was my poor use of the brakes that were the problem?

[The Male Whale]

The fade you desribe (extra lever travel) is caused by the force you are exerting from the master cylinder being disappated before it reaches the calipers.
 
This can be either the fluid "boiling" (which I think it is here) or the hoses flexing - especially if they are not braided ones.
 
The "boiling" is the water that the brake fluid absorbs (it does that naturally, hence the need to change it regularly) boiling through the heat being absorbed through the calipers from the hot discs and pads rather than the fluid itself boiling. The vapour generated is "compressable" where the fluid is not - hence the spongy feeling and the return to normal after a few seconds of cooling from the air passing. Change the fluid to avoid this, using a sealed container of new fluid.
 
If it is the latter, then bolt on a set of braided hoses and that cures it. The original hoses are supposed to be changed every two years anyway - no one ever does.....
 
I would do both actually!
 
The pads are not the issue - if they were "going away" you would get a "wooden" (firm lever but no real effect on retardation) feeling at the lever rather than the extra travel you describe.
 
Whale
 

[ghostbiker]

it has hell braided lines anyway. i would deff go with a fluid change for the next track day i do, but i doubt its going to be a problem untill then.
just supprised me the fluid would go off this quickly, after all it was only just over a year old and was from a new bottle. (allways use new fluid as i lack storage space )

[Phil TK]

The original hoses are supposed to be changed every two years anyway - no one ever does.....
 

 It's actually every four years according to most manuals, but the lines usually give good service a year or two longer than that.
 I'm one of probably a very small number of people who prefer the feel of standard hoses over the fangled 'braided' lines. I think the claims of the braided line manufacturers when comparing to standard lines are a little exaggerated, especially claims of a 'better feel' plus it's patently untrue that they improve braking (how?).
 Am pleased with the Hel lines on mine, but would go back to the standard ones if they were available (they ain't).