The Art of Setup Building, Part 4: Slow is Fast

The brakes, power, cooling and reliability.

There are 3 methods to slow down a car. Method number 1 involves simply lifting off of the throttle. Aerodynamic drag, the tire's rolling resistance and (at times) the engine's braking will slow the car down. This is coasting, and it is slow. Method number 2 involves using a solid object to slow the momentum of the car. The basic theory is simple, you find an unmovable object, you drive into it, car will slow down, sometimes significantly and very quickly. This is usually called "crashing" and tends to incur damage to our car. I'm also told human bodies don't like acceleration rates as high as those.

The final method is the most practical, using the car's braking system. Our car's are equipped with (hopefully) 4 brakes, one per wheel. They will resist the rotation of each tire, adding extra resistance that will slow down the car. The power of an F1 braking system should never be underestimated, and should be adjusted to give maximum benefit. To do that, we'll use the remaining 10 minutes of FP2 to tweak the braking system. Let's visit the Brakes menu.

We will be tackling all of the setup options on this menu, as all of them are relevant to our performance. Before that, however, we need some extra data to make the correct decisions: Brake Disc Temperature. We must do some PLR file editing.

Hidden data

If you are using a more modern sim, there might be no need to do what we need to do. The information might already be on the On Screen Display by default. If not, maybe your telemetry tool has a channel that shows the brake temps. Sadly, F1C doesn't output the brake temp to a channel, nor will it display it by default. We must flip a switch before it shows them.

Go to your Save folder, open your user's folder and open your user's PLR file with any text editor. Notepad is more than sufficient. Here you can edit many of the game's variables. There are some very notable variables in this file, they are outside the scope of this post in particular. I might tackle some of the important ones, like formation laps and self adjusting AI, in a future post. For now, scroll down to the [ Graphic Options ] section.

Our focus is the highlighted line: LCD Display Modes. This refers to the LCD embedded in your steering wheel or, in the case of mods, somewhere on the car. (Unfortunately, some mods decided to remove this LCD for ... some ... bizarre and, frankly, stupid reason. We can get it back on those mods, details on another post). The LCD, the Multi Functional Display as rFactor and Codemasters' F1 series calls it, shows a lot of relevant information. In order, it can show:

• Timing screen, changes based on the session. Will always be available.
• Pit stop menu. Will always be available.
• Car status screen, showing tire temps, wing damage, floor contact and fuel information. Can be turned off.
• Driving aids screen. Can be turned off.
• Engine and brake temperature screen. Turned off by default.

You can elect to have only a few screens, or all of them.  In my case, I want all of them. The procedure to turn them on or off is shown as a comment right by the line.

So, we turn on the engine/brake temperature screen, save the PLR, and we fire up F1 Challenge again.

Back in the game, you can check the engine/brake temps by flipping through the MFD's screens. The engine/brake temps screen is the final one.

That's the screen. We can see Water Temperature, Oil Temperature (Both engine related and to be discussed on the engine care post) and Brake Temperatures for all 4 corners of the car. We can use this information to fine tune brake cooling, which we will do in a bit. Now, let's talk settings.

Disc Diameter

This is mod dependent, but about 90% of the time, we will have access to two sizes of brake discs. We have standard 2.8 cm discs, and small 2.1 cm discs. Generally speaking, you won't ever use the 2.1 cm discs. Let's talk advantages.

The smaller the discs, the less they weight. This helps car handling, since the car is lighter than with fully sized brakes. They heat up quicker and cool down faster, which means they need less cooling to work and start working quicker. Less cooling, as I'll explain later, means a more aerodynamically efficient car. Finally, despite being smaller, peak brake power remains constant. Seems good, right? That's where the advantages end. 

The obvious disadvantage is that, since they are smaller, they will last less than fully sized brakes. Brakes wear as they are used, and smaller discs have less material to burn. That's not the only reason why they wear faster, they also heat up much, much more than standard sized discs. While I mentioned before that this gets them working faster, it also makes them overheat a lot. Overheated brakes are bad for 2 reasons. First, they wear out even quicker than before, and second, they lose power. That takes me to the final disadvantage, while the raw, peak brake power is the same, the average brake power might be lower since the brakes will easily overheat.

Small brake discs are only useful in qualifying. They will be inconsistent or outright die during a race. Even during quali, standard sized brakes might end up being better anyway.

Summary

• Usually a set and forget option, Disc Diameter or Disc Size shouldn't be adjusted at all during the setup process.
• Smaller sized discs are more suited for qualifying sessions. Less durable and a bit prone to overheating, but lighter and require less cooling.
• Standard sized discs are the preferred size about 95% of the time. Durable and good performing during most situations. Appropriate cooling must be provided depending on track characteristics however.
• If in doubt, use the biggest disc size, and don't touch them again.

Brake Bias

Let's go back to the Brake setup menu.

Now that we selected the disc size to use, now we need to pick our starting Brake Bias. This is the Bias the car will have when it rolls out on track, depending on the car you will be able to adjust it when you are out on the track.

Similar to Weight Distribution in a way, Brake Bias determines how much braking power goes to the front brakes and how much goes to the rear brakes. In this case, 55.5% of the braking power will go to the front, 44.5% will go to the rear. Keep in mind that this is what you ask of the brakes. Depending on the design of the brakes, and most notably brake wear, this might not be the true brake power distribution. However, it does give a good idea of how much power goes where.

Brake Bias works similarly to Weight Distribution. Moving Brake Bias forward will make the car understeer under braking. This is because the front tires have to use some of their grip to handle the braking force and have less grip available to deal with cornering force. The rear tires, on the other hand, have extra grip at their disposal, since braking fore is lower back there. This makes the car more stable/understeery. This is the preferred setting when the track has many heavy braking points.

Moving the Brake Bias rearwards will induce oversteer under braking. The rear tires are now focused on the extra braking force and can't handle as much cornering force. The fronts have extra grip in all directions, which means they can generate more cornering force. The rear end will be considerably more lively, which makes turn in easier ... maybe too easy, the car will be oversteery. This is the preferred setting when a high speed corner needs to be negotiated. A slight touch of the brakes will add extra rotation without sending the car into a spin.

This is another driver preference setting. A driver can use a brake bias of 60:40 and be perfectly fine. Another one could use a bias of 52:48 and be perfectly fine. This also happens in real life. Heck, I recently read a story that explains that, during 2007, Kimi Raikkonen would use up to 8% more rear bias than teammate Felipe Massa. Both of their settings were right for them.

Do be aware that this only affects the car under braking. In simpler terms, only during corner entry. There are many methods to affect corner entry balance. Some we known, such as Weight Distribution and Toe Angles. Some we'll see, such as Differential and Dampers. However, Brake Bias is by far the easiest to adjust, and the only one we can adjust on track. My suggestion is to set a fixed brake bias and work the rest of the car around said setting. Then, when an imbalance is felt while on track, you can adjust bias to get the car back in shape.

A little aside note: Brake Bias has an effect on overall deceleration rate. However, unless you want to spend tons of time looking at telemetry charts to determine the best Brake Bias for deceleration, don't bother using Bias to increase deceleration, that's what Brake Pressure is for. You should only worry about Brake Bias reducing your deceleration rate if one of the wheels wants to lock up.

Finally, Brake Bias can be used to combat tire wear. Biasing the brakes to the front will work the front tires more while allowing some rest to the rears, bias to the rear will work the rear tires a bit more while allowing the fronts to relax. This, however, is a desperate move. I don't recommend doing this, but it is an option.

Summary

• Brake Bias is one of the many settings that affects corner entry balance. Out of all of them, it is the easiest to adjust.
• Brake Bias, and this should always be remembered, only has an effect when the brakes are applied.
• Moving bias to the front will apply more power on the front wheels. This will stabilize under braking, which we can also call understeer.
• Moving bias to the rear will apply more power on the rear wheels. This will allow the rear to rotate more freely, which we also call oversteer.
• Excessive front brake bias will generate underrotation and lock ups of one of the front tires, which will increase understeer, increased the locked tire's temperature and wear it faster.
• Excessive rear brake bias will generate underrotation and lock ups (In very extreme cases) of one of the rear tires, which will generate terminal oversteer. This will increase the locked tire's temperature and wear, but since the car will more than likely start sliding, all of the tires will heat up and wear slightly.
• General consensus says that it is better to have excessive front bias than excessive rear bias.
• Do remember that you can adjust this while you are out on the track, remember to map these buttons.
• An usable range of bias goes from 65:35 to 50:50.  I do consider 65:35 to be excessive front bias, but some might use it in the name of stability. You never, ever, use a bias of less than 50:50. Too risky even if you love oversteer.
• If in doubt, 59:41 to 57:43 is an alright working range.

Brake Pressure

Back to the screen, we'll talk about a simpler ("simpler") setting.

I set a Bias that I feel comfortable with to start, though I am sure I'll be adjusting it every now and then while out on track, this is a fluid setting.

Now that we got the brakes balance correct, next step is to dial in the right amount of brake power. That's what Brake Pressure does. It will adjust the maximum amount of power the whole system can put out. Logic  would dictate using as much Pressure as possible is the best option, and I agree with that logic. However, Brake Pressure can be adjusted in response to three factors. 

The first is brake lock ups. Even if your Brake Bias is balanced correctly, one or more wheels might still lock up anyway, such is the power of the braking system. Now, if that is the inside front wheel during turn in, it is fine a long as it locks for a very small amount of time. If it locks longer, you will notice it first by missing your turn in point, then the apex, probably have to fight the car into the corner, then you'll notice the skid mark you left sliding the tire the next time you pass by. This lock up is a sign of either not ideal braking technique, or excessive brake pressure for the track's grip.

The second is weather conditions, and we shall discuss that more in detail during the Rain Adjustments post. The final factor is Brake Wear. You see, higher Brake Pressure leads to more Brake Temperatures, which increases performance up to a point, but also increase Wear significantly. Dropping the Pressure is a way to lower these temperatures, but it can be a double edge sword, as I'll detail in the Brake Reliability segment.

Generally speaking, if you are a wheel/pedal user with no assists, you want as much pressure as you can without constantly locking up, as lockups are worse for slowing down than a depowered braking system. You can, probably should, trim down the pressure on tracks known to wear them quickly. High speed tracks such as Monza or the old configuration of the Hockemheim, and tracks with heavy braking zones such as Montreal, new Hockemheim or Bahrain. If you are using ABS, you can use 100% Brake Pressure and let ABS deal with most lock ups. You'll need to learn how to conserve the brakes, however. Not just lower Brake Pressure, but more brake protecting techniques.

Summary

• Brake Pressure controls the maximum brake power the system can put out.
• Higher Pressure will increase brake power. Handled correctly, it can increase deceleration rate and decrease stopping distances. You can brake later into corners. Handled incorrectly, it will increase wheel lock ups, brake temperatures and brake wear.
• Lower Pressure will decrease brake power. It will nearly always increase stopping distances, which means you'll have to brake earlier. For the trouble, you get reduced wheel lock ups, lower brake temperatures and reduced brake wear.
• While the whole range is perfectly usable, the optimal range in the dry is 80-100%. How much in that range is used will depend on driver skill and preference.
• If in doubt, stick it on 80%. Braking performance will be solid, lock ups should be under control and brake wear won't be excessive.

Brake Cooling and Temperatures

Now that Brake Pressure is tuned up, it's time to move to the final Brake Setting. People that have played this game know that Brake Wear is brutal. At first it is fine, maybe brakes seem a bit less powerful or something ... then the Brake Fade truly kicks in, brake distance increase massively, you have brake super early. And if the end of the race isn't nigh, it is at this moment that you know ... you F'd up. You WILL lose the front brakes if you are not careful. Heck, you can lose the REAR brakes if you are weird and not careful.

Why that happens? Brakes slow down the wheels (and, by extension, the car) by turning their rotation into heat. This heat must go somewhere, and it goes to a heat sink, what we know as a Brake Disc. The discs are quite resistant to heat, to the point where they need heat to work. At a certain temperature, due to multiple chemical reasons that are outside the scope of this article (and my brain), the Brake Disc provides maximum stopping force. This only works at a certain, specific temperature point (though other sims will use a range, be advised). As you move away from that point, braking force drops. Too cold brakes will lead to them having to heat up to provide A-OK stopping power. Too hot brakes will see them start all right, then dropping power as they get farther and farther away from the ideal temperature point. And, as we know, hot brakes wear quicker than cold or properly heated brakes.

So, how do we keep the brakes cool? We can't just leave them out in the air, aero won't like that. We can't water cool them because FIA won't let us (people used this as an excuse before, got caught). What we can do is channel air towards the brakes using Brake Cooling Ducts, or just Brake Ducts. A mod dependent setting, most of the time they go from size 1 to size 7. Higher sized ducts channel more air to the brakes which cools them quicker. There are 2 problems with the bigger ducts, however. The first, as explained before, is that cold brakes are slow to react. It is possible to have excessive brake cooling. The second, a bit more subtle, is that bigger ducts disrupt the car's aerodynamic profile. Bigger ducts will lead to a reduction in chassis generated downforce and an increase in drag. So cold brakes and less downforce/more drag v overheated brakes ... how do we know the ideal brake duct size?

Remember when I asked you to turn on the Engine/Brake Temperature screen? This is where it starts to become relevant. Ideally, we use the smallest Brake Duct that prevents the brakes from cooling off excessively AND prevents extreme overheating. However ... we need to know what is too cold and what is too hot in brake speech. We will visit the files again. And again, this will change depending on the sim, and even from car to car in the same sim (rFactor, I'm looking at you).

We will go to the SeasonData/Vehicles folder once again, this time we will look for the car we are using right now. I'm my case, I go to the Jaguar folder, then open the 2001_R2 folder. There are plenty of files here, the one relevant to us has an .hdv extension. This file defines the variables related to the car itself. Once again, any text editor works, Notepad is recommended.

Open the file and scroll down, to the corner variable: [FRONTLEFT], [FRONTRIGHT], [REARLEFT] and [REARRIGHT]. I'll post the [FRONTLEFT] as an example.

[FRONTLEFT]
BumpTravel=-0.005                   // travel to bumpstop with zero packers and zero ride height (5mm compression)
ReboundTravel=-0.065                // prevents rebound travel (for example, when upside-down), 55mm max front ride height plus 10mm leeway
BumpStopSpring=170000.0             // initial spring rate of bumpstop
BumpStopRisingSpring=6.50e6         // rising spring rate of bumpstop (multiplied by deflection squared)
BumpStopDamper=2200.0               // initial damping rate of bumpstop
BumpStopRisingDamper=7.00e5         // rising damper rate of bumpstop (multiplied by deflection squared)
BumpStage2=0.065                    // speed where damper bump moves from slow to fast
ReboundStage2=-0.065                // speed where damper rebound moves from slow to fast
FrictionTorque=2.30                 // Newton-meters of friction between spindle and wheel
SpinInertia=0.795                   // inertia in pitch direction including any axle but not brake disc
CGOffsetX=0.000                     // x-offset from graphical center to physical center (NOT IMPLEMENTED)
PushrodSpindle=(-0.050, -0.150, 0.000) // spring/damper connection to spindle or axle (relative to wheel center)
PushrodBody=(-0.520, 0.170, 0.000)       // spring/damper connection to body (relative to wheel center)
CamberRange=(-6.0, 0.1, 81)
CamberSetting=35
PressureRange=(90.0, 1.0, 106)
PressureSetting=45
PackerRange=(0.000, 0.001, 41)
PackerSetting=10
SpringRange=(100000.0, 5000.0, 41)
SpringSetting=12
RideHeightRange=(0.015, 0.001, 41)
RideHeightSetting=15
SlowBumpRange=(2000.0, 250.0, 13)
SlowBumpSetting=6
FastBumpRange=(1000.0, 250.0, 11)
FastBumpSetting=3
SlowReboundRange=(2000.0, 500.0, 17)
SlowReboundSetting=5
FastReboundRange=(1000.0, 500.0, 15)
FastReboundSetting=5
BrakeDiscRange=(0.021, 0.007, 2)    // disc thickness
BrakeDiscSetting=1
BrakePadRange=(0, 1, 5)             // pad type (not implemented)
BrakePadSetting=2
BrakeDiscInertia=0.715              // inertia per meter of thickness
BrakeOptimumTemp=550.0              // optimum brake temperature in Celsius (peak brake grip)
BrakeFadeRange=1100.0               // temperature outside of optimum that brake grip drops to half (too hot or too cold)
BrakeWearRate=4.821e-011            // meters of wear per second at optimum temperature
BrakeFailure=(1.43e-002,7.36e-004)  // average and variation in disc thickness at failure
BrakeTorque=3507.5                  // maximum brake torque at zero wear and optimum temp
BrakeHeating=0.00195                // heat added linearly with brake torque times wheel speed (at max disc thickness)
BrakeCooling=(3.162e-002,4.503e-004)  // minimum brake cooling rate (base and per unit velocity) (at max disc thickness)
BrakeDuctCooling=1.239e-004         // brake cooling rate per brake duct setting (at max disc thickness)

Yes, this is a lot of information, I know. I have the only data that's relevant to us bolded. BrakeOptimumTemp is the ideal brake temperature. If you were, by magic, to keep the brake disc temp at exactly this temperature you would always have maximum brake power. This can only be achieved in fantasy land.

The second value, BrakeFadeRange, basically tells you at which temperature the brakes will provide half of their full power. In this particular example, the Brakes have an optimal temperature of 550ºC. At a temperature of 1650ºC (550ºC + 1100ºC), you would have half of the brake's max power. Similarly, at a temperature of -550ºC (550ºC - 1100ºC), you would also have half of the brake's max power. Fortunately we never have to worry about the brakes going below the universe's minimal temperature point, so we'll focus on the overheating part.

Now, reaching 1650ºC is kinda difficult, even on a very low Brake Duct setting. The problem is that there is a point where the trade off between good braking performance and high brake wear due to temperature takes a turn for the worse, and that's way, way, WAAAAY below 1650ºC.

I determined, through trial, error, iteration and more brake scares than I'd like to admit, 3 important temperature points that you need to keep an eye out when out on track. These 3 points have to be determined through formulas, because mods can have different BrakeOptimumTemp and BrakeFadeRange. If I gave out a value that works for the base F1C cars, they would be too conservative for ... say ... the CMT mods, or too aggressive for older F1 seasons.

The formulas are, in order of importance:

• Upper Temperature Point: BrakeOptimumTemp + BrakeFadeRange * 0.4
• Max Temperature Point: BrakeOptimumTemp + BrakeFadeRange * 0.5
• Lower Temperature Point: BrakeOptimumTemp - BrakeFadeRange * 0.4

Allow me to explain: 

• The Upper Temperature Point is the Temperature at which the Brakes are hot and working at 80% of their max power. This is still solid power. At this point, Brake Wear is a bit concerning, but controllable. During practice, on low fuel and normal, racing speed driving, this is the max temperature the brakes should hit. This is not an ideal world, however. Some tracks are special.

• The Max Temperature Point is the Temperature at which the Brakes are hot and working at 75% of their max power. Braking force is now dropping. It is here that Brake Wear becomes a serious concern, if and only if you are hitting this temperature constantly without doing any Brake Protection strategy. Ideally, you should only hit this temperature during practice with very high fuel loads and race sessions, also with very high fuel. If, during a race, brakes start to hit this point even at low fuel loads, find a way to start saving them and prepare for the worst.

• The Lower Temperature Point is the Temperature at which the Brakes are cold and working at 80% of the their max power. The least relevant of the three. Generally, you'd prefer the brakes to not be below this point, but certain exceptions are out there.

If we apply the current brake variables to the formulas, we get this:

• Upper Temperature Point: 550 + 1100 * 0.4 = 550 + 440 = 990°C

• Max Temperature Point: 550 + 1100 * 0.4 = 550 + 550 = 1100°C

• Lower Temperature Point: 550 - 1100 * 0.4 = 550 - 440 = 110°C

Basically, and this applies for all cars in the base game, we want to keep our brakes over 110°C if possible, below 990°C if possible, and below 1100°C at all costs. And how do we do that? The Brake Ducts. The basic theory is this: 

1. You go out on track with the biggest Brake Duct Size available and run a few laps, on low fuel (6 laps or so). We want race pace for this test.
2. Ideally in cockpit view, you need to keep an eye on the Brake Temperatures. The important areas of interest are the biggest braking points and the longest straights.
3. The objective is to balance out the cooling using the 3 temperature points explained before. You want to decrease the Brake Duct Size until the brakes are above the Lower Temp Point at their coolest and below their Upper Temp Point at their hottest.
4. This won't always happen of course. Maybe the setting that keeps you over the Lower Temp Point makes you reach the Max Temperature Point, for example. Or maybe you are well above the Lower Temp Point and not close to the Max Temperature Point. This is where you must decide what to do, though the general consensus is that cooler brakes are better than hotter brakes over a race distance, for reliability reasons.

After driving single lap stints (Remember, we only have 10 minutes to go. A lap at speed is everything you need for this anyway), I came to the conclusion that Brake Duct Size 3 is ideal for my style and the track, and I know that setting might scare some OGs. Silverstone is known to be very easy on the brakes, as there's only 1 true hard braking zone and many braking zones where you just touch the brakes to help turn in. Temp could be a bit on the high side, though. I could consider Size 4 if Ambient Temperature increases.

There are tracks that are very, very special. Montreal is a track where you need to be careful. Even with low Brake Pressures and max Duct Size, the brakes could go if you aren't careful. Same thing with Monza, to a lesser extend.

Summary

• The fate of your brakes, and their performance to a lesser extent, will depend on your ability to set the correct Brake Duct Size.
• Higher Duct Sizes will increase the cooling available to the brakes. This lowers their temperature and wear, but can make them less responsive and effective. You will also suffer a drag and downforce penalty.
• Lower Duct Sizes will reduce the cooling available to the brakes. The car will have slightly more downforce and less drag, but brake temperature and wear will increase.
• Settings 3 to 7, in my experience, are the only usable settings in the range. Maybe Setting 2 can work for a conservative driver in a low brake wear track. I'm not taking my chances.
• If in doubt regarding temps, go for more cooling. Better to have less downforce and cooler brakes than having to drag a 3 brake car (Or worse!) to the checkered flag.
• If in doubt regarding the setting, or the mod in use doesn't feature an LCD screen, go for the max setting.

Brake Reliability

Yes, I know, that was a long wall of text regarding Brake Cooling. I'm well aware. That's because if there's something that's going to punt you out of a race is getting to a hard braking zone in the closing lap with a few atoms remaining of brakes. The brake will die, and (assuming you don't die too) you'll have to drive a gimpy car that can't brake straight to the finish, armed with the knowledge that any of the other remaining brakes are set to blow up.

We can setup the brakes as much as we want to protect them, even that won't be enough. It is a matter of driving technique as well. Allow me to explain a few factors that affect brake reliability.

• Late brakers are considerably more likely to kill their brakes than early brakers. This is because they have to put more pressure on the brakes to get slowed down. The early brakers starts slowing down ... earlier, and doesn't need to put that much pressure on the brakes. Temperatures are lower.
• Lower pressure, however, doesn't always lower brake wear. It is a battle of trade offs. Less Brake Pressure, be it setting or technique, results in less Brake Temperature, but you will also be on the brakes for a longer time. If Brake Pressure is too low, the benefits of the lower Brake Temperatures dissipate since they brakes are engaged for longer.
• Ambient Temperature has a slight, but tangible effect, over brake cooling. It just isn't nearly as notable as engine temps, however. Usually it isn't worth it to change anything if the Air/Ambient Temp changes a few degrees, that will barely do anything. However, if the Ambient Temp changes by double digits, a change in Duct Size could be a consideration.
• The Ultimate Brake Saving Technique: Lift And Coast.  Part of the reason brakes get destroyed is that they have to bring a car from velocities of over 300KMH at times, to less than 100KMH at the hardest braking zones. That's a lot of energy to dissipate. Instead of just having the brakes (and aero drag, which can be gigantic at speeds) deal with the workload all on their own, you can help them by slowing down the car before hitting the brakes. This is Lift And Coast. The tactic is simple, you lift a distance away from your usual braking point, let engine braking and aero drag take some speed away, then hit the brakes a bit of distance after your usual braking point (remember, you lost some speed). While you sacrifice some lap time, you reduce brake wear and temps, as well as saving some fuel along the way. This technique is most effective when you have a heavy fuel load, as that's when the brakes are most stressed.
• Brake Pad Wear can be useful. The Brake Pad Wear is shown on the Brake Setup Menu, it updates after every run. I don't use it, but I understand how to. The idea is: You learn the starting size (Enter and quickly exit), note it down, do a decently long stint (10 laps should work) with a decent fuel load (half the tank's capacity works), then note down the lowest Brake Pad Wear value. Subtract the starting size minus the lowest Brake Pad Value, then divide by the number of laps. This value you get is the Wear Per Lap. Then Divide the Starting Size by the Wear Per Lap, and you will get how many laps the brakes should last. However, this doesn't take into account the fact that brakes wear faster the more worn they are. So, if you calculate that the brakes will be fine for 70 laps and you are racing 60, don't be surprised if the brakes die anyway.