The Benefits Of The Thermo-Graphic Heat Marking System On DBA Rotors

As any racer knows, managing heat becomes a major factor in both sprint and endurance racing, and even a few hot laps can bring heat levels to their extremes in high performance street cars. The heat generated by the braking system can ramp up to massive temperatures very quickly at race pace, and if that heat is not managed properly, braking performance can begin to drop off almost immediately.

DBA 4000 and DBA 5000 series disc rotors use the company’s Thermo-Graphic heat paint markings which change color when certain heat thresholds have been reached in order to help you accurately measure the bulk temperatures that the rotors are hitting in the most extreme braking situations. The color changing feature of these markings is especially useful as the peak temperature as the disc can drop in temperature by more than one hundred degrees Celsius before you have time to stop and check the reading.

Ideally, you want your pads and rotors to stay between 450 ̊C and 550 ̊C for peak braking performance.

As indicated in the chart above, you can verify the system is staying within that range with DBA 4000 and DBA 5000 series disc rotors when the green paint mark changes to white and the orange paint stays orange.

For the marks to change color, the rotor must reach the temperature indicated for 10 seconds, ensuring that the color change isn’t triggered by higher surface temperatures rather than the relevant temperature of the rotor itself, yielding an accurate measurement of your braking system’s heat generation. Find out more about the DBA Thermo-Graphic heat marking system at DBA USA.