Track Brake Pad Discussion Thread
 

Greetings FT86Club Track Junkies! :party0030:

Let's discuss track brake pads.

Please use the following template to provide an easily comparable review of the available track brake pads!

Brake Pad Manufacturer (F/R):
Caliper (F/R):
Rotor Size (F/R - IE OEM or specify):
Compound (F/R):
Tires:

Feedback:
Feedback...

Scores:
Dusting (1=high-10=low):
Cold bite (1=low-10=high):
Hot bite (1=low-10=high):
Modulation (1=low-10=high):
Noise (1=extremely loud-10=quiet):
Pad Lifespan (1=short-10=long): (estimate/actual)
Does the brake dust with this combination damage the wheels/paint if not cleaned immediately? (Y/N)
Brake ducts: (Y/N)
Let's hear them! :burnrubber:

I'll start first!

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Carbotech
Compound (F/R): XP10/XP8
Tires: 215/45/17 Dunlop Z1SS

Feedback:
The XP10/XP8 combo worked quite well for the stock-powered and stock-weighted BRZ especially on stock sized Dunlop Z1SS. Brake dusting and brake noise was definitely elevated over stock. Street driving has been a pleasure with these pads. There is significantly more bite over stock brake pads. Modulation is quite good as well for track pads in the cold.

I noticed how well the brake pads performed high speed tracks such as Auto Club Speedway, where speeds need to be dropped from 130mph to 40mph consistently even at 105ºF+ ambient conditions! So far so good. I have had about 14 track days on the brake pads before I wore the pads down to the backing plate. :thumbup:

Thanks CSG David.

Looking forward to more posts here - I think the stock pads are kind of wimpy, but maybe they're just not bedded in properly? I have < 300 miles on my BRZ odo.

I put EBC pads on my Titan and they are a huge improvement over stock. Messy, but very functional. I run EBC on my Ducati as well, and used to run EBC on all my roadracing motorcycles.

I plan on getting EBCs on the BRZ unless I hear of a better option for street use with a track day on occasion.

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Endless
Compound (F/R): MXRS
Tires: 215/45/17 Michelin Pilot Super Sport

Feedback:
very awesome compound. low dust, and no squeal at all. great cold bite, much better than stoptech, ds2500, duralast gold, and stock. the only sound they make is they scrape the rotors at low speed.

on track they are friggin awesome. no fade plus great bite and modulation. will engage ABS with too much pressure, due to the bite brake tap and trail is very easy. it's actually really easy to overbrake with these pads and PSS tires.

downside would be price, but totally worth the premium you'll pay for Endless. i've seen them for 315 an axle but i know you can find them under 550 a set.

EDIT: Low Dust for a race pad...

Brake Pad Manufacturer: StopTech
Compound (F/R): SP/OEM
Tires: 215/45/17 Michelin Primacy (OEM)

Feedback: The new front pads definately have more stopping power then the OEM pads. Dusting is increased slightly but no noticable noise increase. With the new pads, the OEM tires are the limiting factor for grip and stopping distance. Very cost effective alternative to OEM pads since they run around $60. Have only run one track day on them at the SOW and no fade occured.

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Hawk
Compound (F/R): HP+/OEM
Tires: 215/45/17 Michelin Primacy (OEM)

and

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Ferodo (and Hawk for rear)
Compound (F/R): DS2500/Hawk HPS
Tires: 215/45/17 Michelin Primacy (OEM)

Feedback: HP+'s were much rougher on the rotors and noisier on the street than the DS2500s. In fact the DS2500s almost never squeak. Both have similar stopping power on the track, definitely more than the stock Michelins can provide.

I certainly recommend DS2500 over the HP+.

My first post here. I just picked up an FR-S. My current HPDE car is an 86 Porsche 944na (need to decide whether to sell the 944 since I have the FR-S now), and I autocross a 2002 Boxster S (wifey won't let me track "her" car).

Interesting that everyone so far is using different compounds front to rear. What are you trying to accomplish with the non matching compounds? I know a lot of the rear engined porsche guys are using different compounds. IIRC, it is to even out stopping force as designed by the factory, but I can't recall the specifics.

I could get away with HP+'s on the 944, but tried my first true track pad with PF-97's and figured I'd never go back to a "compromise" street track pad. Altough I'll try something different next time because the PF-97 dust will ruin any wheel if it gets wet. Never even heard of Endless before, I'm assuming the MXRS is a street/track compromise pad? Maybe I'll take a new look at the current crop of pads available and give the street/track pads another shot.

I have a lot. Not all track setups, but applicable to the track :) I'll also rate the pads on a few subjective metrics, with ratings from 1-10 (1 is bad, 10 is good)

***Please note that these are my personal experiences and feedback with these pads on the CSG BRZ, and as always, YMMV.

Brake Pad Manufacturer: OEM
Compound (F/R): OEM
Tires: Stock

Feedback:
Pads begin to fade after a few laps on a low speed track with easy braking (SoWS CW). Pads are relatively low friction and bite, but still offer great modulation (especially so for beginners and those with no experience with track pads) that is well matched to the OEM brake booster. Fade is progressive, and driving while faded requires more and more pedal pressure to achieve the same braking power.

Dusting: 8
Cold bite: 2
Hot bite: 2
Modulation: 3

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Carbotech
Compound (F/R): XP10/XP8
Tires: 215/45/17 Dunlop Z1SS

Feedback:
Unable to fade the pads at any socal track, except at Auto Club Speedway, which is EXTREMELY hard on brakes (130-40, 85-40, 100-35, 100-40, all within a 2 minute lap). At ACS, the brakes faded after about 5 consecutive laps, which was expected. The staggered setup was originally speculated to be relatively balanced, but hampered trail braking.

Modulation range is large, due to the compressibility of the ceramic compound used in the Carbotechs. It's easy for both novices and experienced drivers to transition to these from street pads.

With proper bedding, 98% of the noise these pads make is eliminated, and you won't even notice them on the street.

Dusting: 3
Cold bite: 5
Hot bite: 6
Modulation: 6

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Carbotech
Compound (F/R): XP10/XP10
Tires: 215/45/17 Dunlop Z1SS

Feedback:
Only difference from the 10/8 is that proper trail-braking became possible.

Dusting: 3
Cold bite: 5
Hot bite: 6
Modulation: 6

Brake Pad Manufacturer: Project Mu/Carbotech
Compound (F/R): Max900i/XP10
Tires: 225/45/17 RS3 front, 215/45/17 Dunlop Z1SS rear

Feedback:
The metallic compound Max900i is one of the predecessors of the newer Club Racer pad. This pad offers BIG intial bite, which may startle newbies, and will require a small adjustment period for those that are not used to the bite of a sintered metal pads. Modulation with these pads is exceptional, but there's a TON of brake dust.

With proper bedding, most of the noise these pads make is eliminated, and you may hear a light scratching at VERY low speeds, with the windows open and the radio off.

Dusting: 2
Cold bite: 6
Hot bite: 9
Modulation: 8

Brake Pad Manufacturer: AP Racing/Carbotech (AP Racing front caliper)
Compound (F/R): C300/XP10
Tires: 225/45/17 RS3 front, 215/45/17 Dunlop Z1SS rear

Feedback:
Please note that this feedback is with the AP Racing 3850 caliper in the front.

The C300 is an enduro race compound. With the newfound cooling of the BBK, I am currently unable to actually bed these in...

Dusting: 5
Cold bite: 3
Hot bite: 5
Modulation: 5


I'll add more as I have the opportunity to test different setups.

Most factory cars come with a rear bias, and use EBD (electronic brake force distribution) to compensate. The reason for this is that stability and traction control systems operate by using the rear brakes (in addition to cutting power), so the rears tend to get overworked if they don't have that bias.

In my experience, I've discovered that the FRS with stock suspension is perfectly happy with a staggered compound, but the BRZ with stock suspension is not. With coilovers, that all goes out the window, and you'll need to experiment to suit your particular setup. As of now, it seems that cars with coilovers seem to do just fine with either setup.

Interesting. No ABS on the 944 - the FRS will be my first car on track that has electronics in the design.

Just because it's there doesn't mean you should use it. You'll still stop faster threshold braking, but the ABS will help during REALLY bumpy braking zones...

ABS tends to heat up brakes faster too...

really, Endless>ds2500s?

Good advice, will have to try those

Mike i copied your format but added noise as well


Brake Pad Manufacturer: Ferrodo / Oem (Stock Front Calipers)
Compound (F/R): DS2500/Oem
Tires: 245/40/17 RS3 front & rear

Feedback:

Average pedal Feedback, Initial bite was good, pads were pretty consistent thought the session in how they felt but they did start to loose bite in the last laps.

My scores:

Dusting: 6
Cold bite: 7
Hot bite: 8
Modulation: 8
Noise: 10





Brake Pad Manufacturer: AP Racing / Project Mu (On AP front Sprint BBK)
Compound (F/R): C300/Club Racer
Tires: 245/40/17 RS3 front & rear

Feedback:

Great Feedback, transmits a lot of confidence and breaking pedal feel. Initial bite is ok but as the pad heats up the bite gets better. After a 15 lap session i noticed that they were very consistent in the way they felt thought the whole session. My wheels are black so i cant comment on dust but nothing out of the ordinary for a track pad.

My scores:

Dusting: 7
Cold bite: 5
Hot bite: 8.5
Modulation: 8.5
Noise: 2 (Very Loud)

The only reason I don't add noise, is because the noise is eliminateable (is that a word?) on EVERY pad, given proper bedding... but proper bedding isn't always possible.

I've managed to bed the most aggressive pads known to man on the s2k (undersized brakes), while I'm unable to properly bed a mild enduro pad with the BBK on the BRZ. In this case, the brakes are simply "too good" for the amount of kinetic energy that the BRZ can build up and needs to dissipate while slowind down.

Even "hybrid" street pads like the Project Mu HC+800 and Hawk HP+ will screech like a dying pig if they're improperly bedded...