[Who Dat!!]

I have a set of Juicy 7's on my enduro and was thinking of upgrading to 8" rotors on the front and/or both ends. I've warped 2 sets of wavy front rotors slightly. Can anyone tell me what performance benefits they've encountered going from 6" to 8" rotors? Is it worth it?

Thanks!

 

[jeffj]

Yeah, it was worth it for me. Since you are in the Clyde forum, I'll assume you belong here. For the less substantial among us (non-clydes), my advice may be different.

Wavy rotors... I have no experience with them.

Performance wise, more stopping power from less input, no more smoking rotors or calipers (Yes, I've had both). No more "Hey, I smell fire" comments from fellow riders. Nothing but excellent braking the way it was intended to be.

I went from 6" hydros to 8" Avid mech. Night and day difference. That said, I think the perfect combo would be 7" rear and 8" front. Little more balanced IMHO.

 

[AL29er]

Depending on your riding and your weight you have a couple of options. I really like the 185mm avids f&r for clyde all mountain and light dh riding. At around 230lb I found the 205mm rotor a bit too grabby when the trail is more xc oriented. It just causes excess brake dive and un-weighting of the rear tire. For full on DH with speeds at 20-35mph 8" rotors are great, but I only ride a few trails that allow you to get cooking that fast for any duration.

Going to 185mm rotors the improvement over 160mm rotors was great. No more super hot rotors or fade on descent. Perfect amount of brake for a clyde.

 

[Dan who rides a blur]

Do you have to do anything with the caliper mount to change the size of the rotor??? I'd like to go up to the 185's up front at least.

 

[AL29er]

Do you have to do anything with the caliper mount to change the size of the rotor??? I'd like to go up to the 185's up front at least.

You will need a new adapter as well to space the caliper correctly to the larger rotor diameter. They are cheap though.

 

[Charlie America]

For these discs, the one advantage is heat dissipation

Since the calipers won't be different, then the additional exposure for the rotors means it will take longer for the disc to heat up and it will bled-off that heat more quickly. The (minor) disadvantage is an increase in weight for the disc and the mount. For clydes, this isn't a big deal.

Go for the 8.

CA -

 

[WATTO]

what about just running a 8 in the front and 6 in the rear would there be a notice in spoting power there since you are still running the smaller rotor in the back

 

[jeffj]

what about just running a 8 in the front and 6 in the rear would there be a notice in spoting power there since you are still running the smaller rotor in the back

Yeah, there would be a noticeable increase in stopping power since most of it comes from the front wheel. The possible downside is that it may not be as "balanced" as it could be. Meaning that it may take quite a bit more pressure from your right hand on the rear brakes than it would from your left controlling the front brakes. It would be just one more thing you would have to be very conscious of while riding. If they are somewhat balanced in their need for lever pressure it will be an easier and more natural effort on your part. Thus some popular combos are 7" front and 6" rear and 8" front and 7" rear. YMMV.

 

[watermoccasin]

Go dual 8"

I started on 6/6", went 8/6, then 8/8 (about 4 years ago), and will never ride anything less than 8 ever again. Neither will my 130 lbs girlfriend. More control (once you get used to using less force), better heat dissipation, less arm fatigue. Also just about every shop has spare 8" rotors and adapters, but very few shops carry 7" stuff -- this is a big issue if you think you might ever damage your brakes on a road trip. I don't buy the "unbalanced braking" argument -- your braking on a bicycle is always going to be unbalanced, easily solved by pulling on the brake lever with the appropriate amount of force. If you have problems with "fork dive", shift your weight back right before you jam on the brakes and you'll get less dive and more power/control.

 

[ken50397]

Yeah, there would be a noticeable increase in stopping power since most of it comes from the front wheel. The possible downside is that it may not be as "balanced" as it could be. Meaning that it may take quite a bit more pressure from your right hand on the rear brakes than it would from your left controlling the front brakes. It would be just one more thing you would have to be very conscious of while riding. If they are somewhat balanced in their need for lever pressure it will be an easier and more natural effort on your part. Thus some popular combos are 7" front and 6" rear and 8" front and 7" rear. YMMV.

I have an 8/6 combo and find that it actually balances better than the 6/6 combo. Because of the extra braking done by the front I would always have to squeeze much harder up front than in the rear, but with the 8/6 combo it is very similar.

Conditions do change though and sometimes I do notice the fronts being a little touchy at slower speeds. Could be my levers though. I have avid mechanicals and typically use just one finger for all my breaking.

Ken.

 

[Hayduke1972]

check your fork warranty

I love 8" rotors for the record, but I noticed that you ride an enduro. What fork are you using? I ask because some manufacturers do not recommend 8" rotors, especially on a quick release front (for the record, I ride 8" on a Marzocchi with a QR and have never had any problems). The reason I bring this up is because specialized actually recalled 8" rotors on all their enduro's with Fox forks because Fox did not recommend 8" rotors on their forks last year. Just something to take into consideration.