Titanium Wheel Bearing Heat Shield Set for Mazda Miata NA/mk1, 1990-2005; Front

****Titanium Wheel Bearing Heat Shield Set.**** **6AL-4V Alloy; Aircraft Grade Titanium; .032 Inch Thick (.8125 mm Thick).** **For Front of:** **- 1990-2005 Mazda Miata MX5 MX-5** **Set Of Two, Front Axle, Left and Right Side.** > When the brake system of a vehicle is pushed hard, the brake rotors build up a great deal of heat.   Vehicles used for road racing, time attack, track day, autocross, gymkhana, canyon carving, and any driving activity that involves repeated deceleration from a high speed, will easily generate 300-600° F rotor temperatures.   And depending on the driving style, and how hard the driver is on the brakes, that temperature can easily go up into the 700-900° F range.   The brake rotors are sandwiched between the wheel and the wheel hub, and the heat from the rotor is conducted into both of these.   Two piece rotors make the situation even worse, because the aluminum hat conducts heat three times better than the cast iron brake rotor ring, pulling that heat out of the rotor and conducting it directly to the wheel hub. > > The problem is that the wheel hub turns on the wheel bearing, and wheel bearings do not like heat.   And don't forget that the bearing itself is a source of heat due to the friction of the wheel turning.   Normal operating temperatures for the bearing alone are in the 175-200° F range simply driving in a straight line, at highway speed, without using the brakes at all. > > **Regular wheel bearing grease is rated up to 250-375° F.**  (Sealed bearings typically use grease rated to 300° F.)   There is high temperature grease available that is rated to over 475° F, but most modern cars use pre-assembled, sealed, unitized bearings and often unitized bearing hubs, which can not be disassembled and regreased.   In these cases, we are stuck with typically average grease that can not be replaced.   Exceed about 300° F, and the grease in the bearing will cook and the bearing will start to degrade and fail. > > The solution is to place an insulative barrier between the brake rotor and the wheel hub. > > Titanium, along with being extremely strong, 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 transfer. > > A .032 inch thick piece of titanium will reduce the heat transfer by 150+° F. **Item Specifics** > Set includes: - One pair of .032 inch thick titanium shims to fit between the brake rotor and wheel hub. - Two sets of .032 inch thick titanium shims to fit between the brake caliper or brake caliper mounting bracket and the spindle, to correct the offset and adjust for the thickness of the shim between the brake rotor and the wheel hub. **Benefits:** > **Performance Benefits:** - Reduces transfer of heat from the brakes rotor to the wheel hub and bearing assembly. - Reduces the chances of wheel bearing failure due to brake rotor heat. - Allows the braking system to be pushed harder before the bearings are exposed to excessive temperatures. > **Economic Benefits:** - Increases usable life of the wheel bearings. > **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 to the axle wheel hub, can ONLY be prevented through the use of a thermal barrier, such as titanium heat shield shim. **The Story Behind This Item** > Over the years of participating in autocrossing, I noticed a drastic increase in the frequency of needed wheel bearing replacement that directly corresponded with my improvement in vehicle speed and braking.   I also noted that when I switched to larger brakes and began left-foot-braking, I was generating enough brake heat to boil the brake fluid.   This second issue instigated my development of Titanium Brake Pad Shims to solve the brake caliper temperature problem, and fed back to the solution of the first issue, the idea of placing a heat shield between the wheel and the hub to prevent that brake heat from boiling the grease in my wheel bearings. #### Installation: > Remove the brake caliper assembly per manufacturer's instructions.   Remove the brake rotor per manufacturer's instructions.   Clean the hub face and rotor mounting face, remove any excess dirt and/or rust that may prevent the pieces from fitting together smoothly and flat. > > Applying a thin coat of anti-seize compound to the face of the hub, the inner face of the rotor, and both sides of the shim, will make it easier to disassemble the pieces in the future.   Place the hub shim over the face of the hub.   Place the rotor back on the hub over the spacer. > > Place the washer shaped spacers between the spindle mounting points and the brake caliper or brake caliper bracket.   These spacers are meant to correct the offset of the caliper to match the position of the rotor. > > Retorque and reassemble everything per manufacturer's instructions. #### 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 spindles 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. > > Iperformance is a Registered Trademark of Bill's, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri. #### Sales Tax: > Missouri buyers pay sales tax on the item cost. There is no sales tax on any item delivered outside the state of Missouri. #### Shipping Costs > Please see the listing heading for domestic and international shipping options. This also limits the choices of shipping options to those which are insurable. #### Packaging > Item is placed between two pieces of corrugated cardboard to protect the item during transit, and then placed into a rigid cardboard envelope. Immediate payment required. **Thank you for looking.**  Powered by SixBit's eCommerce Solution

• Brand: Iperformance
• Material: Titanium
• Part Number: IP-TWBHS-MazdaMiata-90-05-Front
• Country of Origin: USA