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The date for the launch of the new Endless USA website is partly dependent on when Jin feels like coming in to the office. We’re not sure where he is. Thus, we’re not too sure when the site will launch. Until he decides to pop in, here are a few photos from Japan (that have nowhere else to go) on set-up day. We didn’t attend TAS this year so this is all we have to offer. See our big brake system floating above? As you can see, it’s in currently in limbo..like our website.

Onto other news, our Endless GT-R already equipped with safety equipment..

..behind some GTC-01’s.

And then there’s the new EVO X that’s slated to compete in the Super Taikyu 2008 season. Craftsquare which we conveniently offer is collaborating with Endless to produce mirrors for the new EVO X.

Behind both the GTC-01s and the RC-T4s are the new Endless Monoblock calipers.

For those still in Japan, HKS is hosting Premium Day at FSW, an event to commemorate their 35th anniversary at Fuji Speedway. It will include the Endless Z33 GT300 vs the HKS CT230R, a Nobu Taniguchi Drift Demo Run, Option Super Battle and more. If you’re in Japan, have fun..we’ll probably still be waiting for Jin to come in.

Amongst other things, ZEAL coil overs have top notch damping dials. Damping levels can be adjusted from 1 to 6. 1 is the softest ride. As the number increases, the stiffness level increases. You’re looking at the 6-way adjustable dial for a regular monotube system. Notice the dial is made up of 2 parts. The top portion spins and is shown with the ZEAL logo and the toothed sides. The bottom portion is wrapped with a black strip of numbers. The number “5″ is shown here, hence Level 5. This bottom portion stays intact.

The first image was a side view. Notice also, in the first image above that the threaded allen screw is right above the number “5″. In the image you see here to your left, the number “5″ is visible in the window. Yes, it correlates. Notice that the screw is directly across, on the left, from the number “5″. When adjusting the dial, make sure the number is completely visible in the window. If it’s not entirely seen, the piston valves may become closed causing a very hard ride and can potentially result in damage to the suspension components.

Notice now that the two threaded allen screws (one for the top portion of the dial and one for the bottom) are aligned. There’s a reason for this. For those hard to reach (and see) areas, substitute your vision for your sense of touch. When the 2 threaded allen screws are aligned, you’ll know that you are at the softest setting of “1″. From this position, spin the dial clockwise to increase the stiffness and keep a mental note of the number of clicks. (We also offer an extension cable in 2 different standard lengths or customizable at various lengths which would be a secondary option for hard to reach places)
Our 6-way dial is considered a rotary system. The diameter of the orifice gets smaller as the damping level stiffens (increases) allowing less oil to pass through at a given rate of time. Level 1 = Largest diameter orifice and Level 6 = Smallest diameter orifice. You can spin our 6-way dial either direction infinitely.

Here’s our needle-type 30-way adjustable dial which comes standard on our Function-X. (This particular one is located on the bottom of the unit since it’s a reverse monotube system. Don’t worry as this makes no difference in what I am about to explain) This dial does not spin infinitely. You’ll notice that when you turn the dial clockwise (damping becomes stiffer), it will slightly lower and when you turn it counter-clockwise (damping becomes softer), the dial will slightly raise. Level 30 is full hard (at most clockwise position).
Note: Turn all the way until it can no longer click. Then, let it click ONCE to the left. This is Level 30, the hardest position. Consider this the default when you’re unsure and want to start over and reset the damping level. You may notice that you will have a few more clicks than 30. This is normal. Don’t have a cow.

Here’s one side of our 2-piece rear Racing 4 caliper.

Staggered piston sizes for even pad surface wear. Plus the surface area is correctly-sized for that non-mushy pedal feel.

Inner dust seals keep the dust and debris out and the RF-650 fluid in.

People have been wondering about our disc rotor construction for quite some time now. Hopefully, the following will help. It gets kind of technical. First off, our disc rotors are produced of cast iron steel. For our 2-piece disks, the bell housing (or hat) is produced of duralumin. Google “Duralumin” to get insight on it.
People have mentioned or brought up the idea of “forged” disks, but I’m not sure this exists.
In any case, the most important material in “ferro alloy” is carbon. Ferro alloy refers to various alloys of iron with a high proportion of other elements such as manganese, carbon and silicone. In pure iron, the carbon content is below 0.006%. In steel, the carbon content varies between 0.006% to 2%. And in cast iron, the carbon content varies from 2.0% to 6.67%. The condition of the carbon differs depending on the metal as well.

This cast iron is categorized depending on its specific carbon content and cooling speed. It is categorized into the following types:

(FC) Flake Graphite aka Gray Cast Iron
Most high-quality disc rotors are produced of this. It transfers heat well, cools quickly, and works well with brake pad materials allowing anti-shake. Gray Cast Iron is considered best for high performance disc rotors. Endless disc rotors are produced of this.

(FCD) Spheroidal Graphite Ductile Cast Iron
Ductile cast iron as compared to cast iron is stronger and stretches well. Therefore, it’s used often for suspension knuckle arms. Yet, it doesn’t transfer heat well and doesn’t cool quickly.

(CV) Carbon Cast Iron
This used to be a failed outcome of the FCD, but it’s stronger than gray cast iron. However, it doesn’t transfer heat well, thus isn’t considered ideal for disc rotors.

Normal disc rotor surface after usage.

Carbon content close-up of a normal disc rotor.

Endless disc rotor surface after usage.

Carbon content close-up of an Endless disc rotor.

Endless disc rotors are heat-treated. They are baked in an oven slowly for a number of hours until reaching very high temperatures. It is then baked for an addiitional number of hours consistently at a specific temperature. Then, a couple of more hours to slowly cool down. This step-by-step time process is crucial as it enables heating equally to the core. This helps result in the golden-brownish hue on the surface of certain Endless discs. This “coating” will disappear after initial use and is intended to match the compound for correct bedding procedures and initial set-up. On another note, not only are Japan’s manufacturing skills superior, but the materials they use are much finer. For instance, forged calipers made in Taiwan from manufacturers such as VTTR have decent machining and production quality. Their alumite calipers are, in fact, clean. (I bring up VTTR because there was rumor that Endless produces their calipers there. Not true.). What makes the product inferior currently is the materials used. The quality/grade of FC steel in Japan is much higher in Japan than in Taiwan. And importing this finer material from Japan costs way too much. Also, the machinery in Taiwan is not yet properly “tuned” for the finer material. So, it’s a catch 22. They don’t have the greatest of goods, and if they did, they wouldn’t quite know what to do with it. Last, but not least, their calipers are forged from an aluminum block. This causes unbalanced structural rigidity with “thinner” portions of the caliper being hard and “thicker” portions of the caliper being softer. Endless calipers are produced in a different manner which keeps the entire body balanced and solid. A few things learned from Mr. Inamoto of Endless Japan that I thought I’d share.

For those that don’t know, ZEAL is Endless’ labelmate. Endless is brakes, ZEAL is coilovers, simply put. Same company. ZEAL is known to be in the upper echelon of coilover suspension systems. All monotube from street to circuit versions. We perform overhauling in-house for the North American market and take it quite seriously. ZEAL coilovers have come a long way. It’s the little things that count. For instance, here we have an older Function-Xs on the left and a newer version on the right.

First, notice the upgrade from a thinner lock seat (for the lower adjustable cup/bracket) and stainless seat on the left, to a wider lock seat on the right. Also notice the difference in color of the shell case. Our older versions (ie., Function-B6, Function-V6, etc.) were completely silver. Now they have a goldish color. This gold colored coating helps protect the exterior against rusting.

Little ever evolving changes like this, go a long way.
Notice we’re pointing at the protrusion. This is actually the bottom of the seat and it aids in securing the lock seat to the bracket.

From left to right, we have a rum cylinder (reverse monotube-type), an older shell case, and a newer shell case.

Here is the inside of an older shell case.

Here’s the inside of an updated shell casing for a reverse monotube type ZEAL coilover. The rum cylinder goes inside here. The ring as well as the protrusion below help secure the cylinder causing less noise and unnecessary friction. ZEAL continues to progress.

Brake pads are typically glued on to the backplate. In the Endless lineup, our gluing process involves high temperature, high pressure bonding. This high standard gluing process is used on Vita Nuova ~ CC-A. For racing applications however, we do something a little different.

Above you see a brake pad cross-section. The pad material is shown with half of it removed revealing the backplate and our special bonding process. You can see the mechanical means to which the backplate is secured here. So in addition to the glue, we also employ this “barring” mechanism which makes sure the pad material stays on the backplate. The “barring” system is patented by Endless. This system is employed on compounds CC-X and above. Endless Racing Technology and Development firsthand.

All ZEAL coilover systems currently use X-Coils. It seems that most Japanese, race-bred companies use linear springs produced from a cold-wound process. The X-Coil uses only a cold-wound process. What sets the X-Coil apart is that the shape of the wire is jelly-bean or egg like. It’s difficult to tell from this photo, but it’s not perfectly round and is a bit wider and fatter than others. The shape of the X-Coil wire helps maintain stability and decreases the chance of unwanted tendencies during coil bind and recovers without creating an abnormal spring shape after experiencing coil bind. You can sort of imagine how a wider, fatter wire maintains better than a perfectly round wire after coil bind. This shape as well its special material blend aids in maintaining a longer life. The X-Coils special blend of materials helps to create a very linear spring that reaches its intended spring rate quickly, accurately and smoothly. It’s vacuum-like feel helps to absorb impact from road imperfections without any unwanted harshness while maintaining a certain softness. Much of the quality of the ZEAL coilover system is due in large to the quality of the X-Coil spring.

ZEAL also produces the X-Coils D (”D” for Down) which are lowering springs for vehicles such as minivans and SUVs. Shown here are some for the Honda Fit.

The pricing for Endless Brake Systems with 2-Piece Disc Rotors have gone up. This is due to the increase in the price of steel. On another note, we’ve also made production changes to our disc rotors from “Disc-Floating” type to “Bell-Floating” type. This might not pertain to everyone, but we’ve been getting requests to explain the differences. Here’s a simple cross-section diagram showing the differences between Rigid, Disc-Float and Bell-Float. The difference between Disc-Float and Bell-Float seems self-explanatory. The “float” point is at the bell instead of the disc. This allows for less heat transfer to the bell which allows for less expansion which in turns allows for less warpage and juddering/shaking.

This is our 370mm 2-Piece Bell-Float type Disc. Alot goes into our rotors. There’s a reason for the brownish-hue. We’ll get into that in another post. The slits help fade recovery. After experiencing fade, the material on the surface of the brake pad changes. The slits help shave this off. (Endless pads are known for great fade recovery as well as not fading at all. More on this later also.) The slits/slots are positioned so they do not cross the veins allowing for structural rigidity and a better balanced rotor. The slits stop before the edge of the rotor for similar reasons.

Here’s a close up of our Bell-Float Disc joint point. Not necessary for normal driving as it’ll rattle. For street driving, stick with the Rigid. The next posts will explain some VERY technical points about what our rotors are made of, how they are made, etc. We’ll be doing the same with our pads also.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (997) will be employed in the Porsche Carrera Cups Asia, Australia, Germany, France, Great Britain and Japan as well as in the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge presented by Michelin in the USA in 2007 for its third year making it the largest single-make championship in North America with roughly 50 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars per race over a seven-race season. Click here for more info on this race-specific machine. All of the 997 GT3 Cup cars come with Endless RF-650 brake fluid.

I was pleasantly surprised when receiving an email from a gentleman by the name of Ernie. He drives, interestingly enough, a Cadillac CTS and ordered Endless pads for his front calipers. This photo he sent is of the rears without Endless Pads showing 4 days of driving. Notice the amount of dust that has accumulated on the wheel. Remember, this is the rear.

Now this is the front with Endless SS-M Pads also showing 4 days of driving. Considering that the rears typically dust less than the fronts, the difference is even bigger than demonstrated. I’d rather not mention what brake pad compound the rears are currently using, but he paid top dollar for his front Endless pads, is extremely happy with them, and recently special ordered the Endless SS-M compound for his rears as well. That’s what the Endless SS-M compound is especially known for..emitting extremely low levels of dust. And, the dust that it does emit is light-colored and very easy to clean off with a dry towel. It’s an organic compound containing no steel fibers, yet it still holds its own in terms of performance-characteristics.

Today’s topic: Brake fade. You know that feeling where the brake pedal comes really long, spongy and mushy? That’s not brake fade, that’s vapor lock.
Vapor lock is when your brake fluid starts to boil and you get air bubbles in your brake lines. Brake fade can be described as when the brake pedal becomes stiffer than usual and you lose braking power.
So depending on the feeling you get, take the appropriate action such as getting a higher temp capable pad or getting better brake fluid. Just remember the difference between the two pedal feelings and that most of the time people experience vapor lock and think it’s brake fade.
Endless pads are actually designed in such a way that should you actually reach a temperature in which they fade, fade recovery is superb. Once the pads cool down they’ll work just as they did before they started to fade. Other pads will reach fade temperatures and never be the same afterwards.
This is a promo video for the Advan Neova when it first came out. I’m posting it up not only because the video is cool, but because in my conversations with several people a few of them were unaware of the tire completely. It’s my favorite street tire, period.