[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by Tristor

I've now been on track 3 times with a combination of AP Racing Sprint BBK in the front and OEM rears w/ CSG Spec C2 front, C1 rear.

Generally speaking I'm very happy with the results of the CSG Spec pads.

Pros:

The linearity is fantastic all the way through the temperature range, which is very apparent because my brakes don't heat quickly until deep into a session due to the track configuration and my driving style. Braking points are extremely predictable and repeatable from my very first hot lap all the way to my last hot lap. I also daily drive with the same brake setup, and I find them to be exceptionally good at cold bite on the street with again strong linearity at low temps, making it easy to stop exactly where I want to every single time and easy to modulate speed in highway traffic.

Recorded caliper temps are lower with the CSG Spec pads vs the Ferodo pads I was previously running on track as measured via AP Racing caliper temp stickers. Clearly the pad material is providing a better thermal buffer in this case, which will likely result in a longer fluid life span. I haven't needed to bleed my brakes yet after my last flush due to heat fade.

Cons:

These pads produce a significant amount of dust, which tends to burn in. My APEX Racing ARC-8 wheels have only had 1 track event and ~500 miles of daily driving on them and already have nearly impossible to remove brake dust burn-in. Only way I can remove is via using acid mix with 000 steel wool by hand, a wheel woolie or stiff bristled brush with wheel cleaner and Iron-X isn't sufficient. Thankfully my nicer wheels are all double ceramic coated, so removing the brake dust from them is much simpler matter.

Pad wear seems to be extremely high compared to my initial expectations, likely due to lower operating temperature range during most of the pad usage (daily driving). I'm about 6 months in from initial installation and I believe I will likely need to replace my front pads in the next 2 months, not quite finishing out a year. Very surprising to me considering I didn't get on track nearly as often this year as I initially expected, so I would have assumed much longer lifespan considering component cost.


General note, the AP Racing Sprint BBK is very noisy both on and off the track. I wore through my first set of rotors already and due to this I was able to positively determine the noise is almost entirely caused by the J-Hook rotor design. Once the rotors were flat, and after sufficient burn-in, they were nearly silent with the CSG pad compounds. I am assessing switching to a different front BBK that will let me run flat-faced rotors as I don't believe slots or j-hooks are necessary for my application. If/when I do so, I'll re-assess the CSG Spec brake pads and update the thread. At this point, I plan to buy a second set and see how they go I'm open to recommendations from other drivers on which BBK I should consider with the assumption I'm keeping OEM rears.

The wear is a function of the bedding process. If the discs (if also new) are properly bedded, the life of the disc increases significantly. We have also seen discs fail as quickly as 2 track days due to improper bedding. We also recommend not using ducting if possible to maintain heat in the system. One big difference is the ability for the pads to maintain consistency even when it's highly stressed. This results in low caliper distortion due to heat and reduced heat into the brake fluid.

Let us know if you need some support on this avenue before going through a different brake system. While trying to maximize the AP kit, we also must know what pace you're driving at as well. At some point there simply isn't enough thermal capacity in the disc to handle and thus, going to a larger system will significantly improve your the wear qualities, brake feel, and brake performance consistency.

Thank you for your honest review. We look forward to many more from others!