Stoptech Street Performance pads, heat range?
 

After a weekend at a local track, it's very apparent I need new pads. It only took a couple hot laps to get some pretty awful pad fade on the OEM pads, but happily the recovered after some cooling down and worked fine on the way home.

I was looking at HP+ pads, but someone local also suggested the stoptech street performance pads (309's). For the life of me I can't find any detailed specs on them at all with regards to heat range, does anyone know where to find it?

My car is a daily driver first, and will never see long track sessions. Any events I'm looking at doing are either open lapping or time attack events with pretty short sessions (20 minute practice sessions, 5 lap sessions for timing) so I don't need any endurance type pads.

If I can help it, I don't want to have to swap pads for street/track use, but I'm fine with swapping pads for the winter if needed.

I don't believe there's a published number, but they're definitely street pads from the feedback we've gotten from our track customers.

If you're tracking, I'd highly recommend you get a dedicated pad for the track. They'll also work on the street if you can deal with increased dust and possibly some noise. There is no street pad that can survive 5 laps, even with a fairly inexperienced driver.

We have quite the selection...

^what he said. You can try a dual-purpose/crossover pad like the DS2500 or AX6, but you'll find them insufficient for track duty, while a track pad CAN work on the street if you're okay with noise and dust.

I should've clarified, the 5 lap sessions are a warm up, 3 hot laps and cool down, but that might still be enough to overheat them?

All the instructors I talked to (who are also high placers in the series) suggested HP+ and most run them in their cars as well without issue in this format.

I guess my real question was will the stop tech pads take as much (or more) heat than that HP+ or not?

I'm definitely not discounting your opinion on this, but if I can avoid having to swap pads (which seems like the consensus up here) I don't want to go down that route. Maybe the cooler Canadian temps are helpful too?

HP+ aren't street pads, so it goes with what the others are recommending. They're dusty and noisy. I swap to HP+ for my track events.

Hawk lists them as a street/track pad?

The whole reason I'm intrigued by the stop tech's is because they're half the price, and the shop I called said they're better on the track than HP+.

The price/performance throws a red flag to me, but if they really are comparable for heat range then it might be worth a shot since they are definitely less noisy/dusty from what I hear.

How qualified are these instructors if they're using aggressive street pads on track?

If there was a track pad that worked at a street pad price, believe me, we'd be all over them...

PMu HC+800 sounds like a good one for the OP?

Both instructors I had were class winners in events last year, with a number of years experience. One runs HP+ in his MS3, the other I'm not sure what he runs in his Z06.

It was a shop that suggested the stop techs, not the instructors.

Sounds like you have solid instructors. The best recommendation I can make is for you to learn how to change pads (involves 1 bolt on the brake caliper plus taking off the wheel... very easy), and use race pads. You may discover you like the race pads even on the street...

I started out swapping pads, but never went back to street stuff after experiencing race pads

I've swapped plenty of pads/rotors before, the issue is more with laziness and a busy schedule. :D

Do you consider the HP+ track pads like some do, or do you consider them a crossover?

HP+ pads are street pads that are up to some track use. They have a *ton* of bite, even when cold. They won't take the heat that a dedicated track pad will, but will definitely do better than OEM in this regard.

I tracked my S2000 on street tires with HP+, no problems whatsoever. I've also tracked my 5-seconds/lap faster 250+ hp 240Z with them without issue.

I think the reason people are saying they aren't good street pads is the dust (lots of it) and the noise (can squeal quite a bit, highly annoying on the street).

Whatever you do, don't be tempted by HPS as a "compromise" pad. In my experience, infinitely worse than OEM Honda S2000 pads. Dangerous on the track!

I ended up ordering some Ferodo ds2500's, the project U's look great too but are twice as much up here and the difference just wasn't worth it to me at this point. I'll see how these hold up to more track use this summer and go from there, at the absolute worst they're still MUCH better than stock.

According to this page, the 309 pads are rated up to 1300 deg. F

"Stoptech 309 suitable for usage up to 1300 degrees Farenheit (704 deg Celcius) - light track, autocross, canyon runs, performance street). HPS showed significant fade at 750 degrees F (398 deg Celcius)"