To confirm the effectiveness of our Honed Air Guide product, we used adhesive temperature indicators on the brake calipers of our friend Rhys’ EK4 when he was lapping at a local track day
The left side of his car was fitted with the left hand side air guide and the right side had no cooling aid then after each session the temperature of the calipers was compared.
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- Honed Air Guide Kit including hardware and installation instructions
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- Air Guide fitted to EK lower control arm
Rhys is a Melbourne local and was the first customer to have Honed Air Guides fitted to his car. Between track events he daily drives his EK4 with the air guides fitted.
To test the air guides we met Rhys at Winton Raceway and before his first session we removed his right side air guide and attached the temperature indicators
The purpose of the indicators is to record the maximum temperature reached by each caliper during the session
Here’s the essential information:
Car: 1997 Civic VTiR
Brake system: Standard single piston calipers with 262mm vented discs, fitted with Project Mu HC+ pads. Honed brake air guides fitted, with prototype brackets.
Track: Winton Raceway. Weather was dry with a maximum temperature of 27°C.
We also measured hub temperatures after each session using an infra-red type thermometer. The data collected is shown below, recorded after Rhys had completed two full speed sessions of 6-7 laps each.
| With air guide(°C) | Without air guide (°C) | |
| Peak caliper temperature | Less than 132 | 138 |
| Hub temperature | 123 | 131 |
Interestingly the left side caliper, the one with the air guide directing air toward it, didn’t reach the minimum temperature of the indicator strip! This means we don’t know the maximum temperature reached by that caliper
What we can say is that the air guide produced a temperature reduction of at least 6°, but it’s likely even more than that. To put that in perspective, that’s 6% lower temperature above ambient, a noticeable reduction particularly if it translates into a similar reduction in disc temperature.
We’ll be testing again in the future with more temperature measurement tools and attempt to confirm the total temperature difference as well as the impact on brake rotor temperature.
Here’s a photo of the car in motion with the Honed Air Guide product fitted, showing how the guides extend into the free stream air beneath the vehicle the guides to direct air toward the brakes.
The driver’s perspective:
After re-fitting both guides at the Winton event he stated that the brakes were consistent for the whole day, even as the temperature rose, when in the past he has occasionally suffered from a slightly soft pedal from fluid fade.
Rhys reported a noticeable reduction in fade at a subsequent event at Phillip Island GP circuit, a track with much longer braking zones than Winton, which is a positive result for a part that is very straightforward to fit.