Quote:
@JRitt,
Sorry if this doesn't come across the way I mean; it is difficult to convey the right tone in a forum. Do you think including the brake pads is the best way to do this kit? I am just thinking that there maybe be people who have their own preference for pads. Do you think it would be feasible to add an option on the webpage for different pads. I have seen drop down menus that do that: Want option a? +$100. Want option b? +$200.
Cheers.
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Absolutely no offense taken, and I completely understand your point. There are a whole bunch of issues related to the brake pad situation. I've been back and forth a million times on whether or not to include pads, which pads to include, etc. Some thoughts...and this is after nearly a decade of selling brakes into the aftermarket.
At my last job in which I sold brake kits to aftermarket customers, we included a set of cheap street pads with all kits (despite my incessant urging to not do so). On those pad boxes we had a pink neon sticker that said, "not for track use." On the phone we told people, do NOT use those pads on the track. I wish I had a dollar for every customer that ignored our warnings, used those pads on the track, and destroyed their discs after overheating their pads. It was so common, that it was the first thing I asked when a customer called with a vibration/judder problem, or some other complaint after taking their kit to the track for the first time. Unfortunately, some people don't listen, regardless of what you tell them. Others just use what is available/included because it's the easiest path to getting the kit on the car. They put the pads they have in, and think, "Well, I'll just change them out before I go to the track...I just want to see what it feels like." Then life happens...the track weekend rolls around...they don't have any other pads...or, even if they have other pads they're thinking, "shoot...I'd rather be drinking this tasty PBR than swapping out my brake pads on Friday night. I'll just run the pads that came with the kit...they should be okay." That makes me strongly inclined to include a quality set of brake pads with the kit that can stand up to whatever any customer will throw at them. The customer has them on hand, and it doesn't leave them out to dry in a pinch.
A second issue is that it's tough to say our brake package will work spectacularly on your car if you decide to run a brake pad that we've never tested with that specific system. Frankly, we won't really know exactly how it will feel or perform. Obviously we wouldn't expect anything bad to happen if you run a set of pads from a reputable manufacturer. It's just tough for us to put our best foot forward if something in the system isn't performing to our expectations or standards. The pads are such a critical piece of the puzzle. If we include a component with our system, whether it's a brake line, a bolt to attach a bracket, or a set of pads, our customers can be confident that they are getting the highest quality parts that will all work well together. The specs on those items are all reviewed and tested by our engineers. In most cases, those part combinations have also been tested on hundreds of race cars in the real world as well. We know they will work well as a system, and nothing is left to chance.
We also have a wide range of customers, with vastly different levels of experience. While one customer may have 30 years of club racing experience, another may have never even been on a track before. The AP Racing C300 pad was chosen because it 1) works great with our system, and 2) seems to appeal to/is easy to use for a broad range of customers. These pads never seem to have judder issues, they're easy to bed-in, they have a nice flat torque curve, they're easy to modulate, and they last a long time. Most people really like them. After running through the C300's, a few of our experienced customers who really know what they like have asked for something with a slightly higher mu, in which case we typically point them to a Ferodo DSUNO compound. Others ask for an alternate set of slightly milder pads for AutoX that don't have quite as much bite and aren't so intensely noisy...in which case we point them to Ferodo DS2500 or CL Brakes RC5+. Overall though, we like to have a quality, tested, 'go-to' pad with broad appeal. I view it as sort of a home base, and then the customer can tweak to their taste after getting a good feel for the standard.
Also, since the AP Racing C300 compound is relatively new, most people haven't yet tried them, and are pleasantly surprised when they do. I've had quite a few customers thank me for putting them on those pads. Some of those folks had been in a rut, running the same compounds for years, and were glad to try something new and different / latest technology (and in many cases liked the AP's better).
Another issue is that we (and our resellers) stock complete, built systems, boxed up in inventory. If every customer wants different pads, then they would have to pull apart boxes to load in different pads, or ship additional boxes with orders, etc. Not a huge deal, but still a factor that can be disruptive to certain systems.
I just wanted to explain that it's a more complicated issue than it appears to be at first glance, and a lot of thought has certainly been put into it.
All of that said, we want to give our customers what they want, so I will definitely put some further thought into this request. Maybe as part of special consideration for pre-order customers, we will offer a choice of a few different pads? I'll look into this a bit further, and do my best to come up with some options.
Finally, I'm always open to any other requests or suggestions. I will listen. I can't promise I won't ignore you...but I'll listen. :D Thanks gents.
