CSG and RCE tag-team suspension Q&A thread! Ask us anything!

[unsurety]

Originally Posted by fooddude

@CSG Mike:
Obviously, race pads aren't used on the street because of excess noise and dust... but, how long do race pads last you on the streets compared to hybrid/street/track pads and also pure street pads?

If race pads wear out a lot quicker..then why do you run them on the street? ...unless of course, the wear difference between race & street pads is minimal..?


or is it because you own a shop and have all the pads you can ever want, hehe


edit:
"I wanna be like Mike" ...so should I use Club Racers, XP10, 999, etc for the DD too?? haha

Employ gratuitous amounts of engine braking.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by fooddude

@CSG Mike:
Obviously, race pads aren't used on the street because of excess noise and dust... but, how long do race pads last you on the streets compared to hybrid/street/track pads and also pure street pads?

If race pads wear out a lot quicker..then why do you run them on the street? ...unless of course, the wear difference between race & street pads is minimal..?


or is it because you own a shop and have all the pads you can ever want, hehe


edit:
"I wanna be like Mike" ...so should I use Club Racers, XP10, 999, etc for the DD too?? haha

My S2000 has actually seen exactly 2 sessions on track in last ~18 months, but has definitely had some canyon time.

I've run through maybe 3-4mm of pad of those last 18 months (~25k miles)

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Coefficient of friction is at maximum, so the number isn't really something you should be looking at.

Why not? If you want more braking for a given level of pedal effort, higher coefficient will give you that. That said, I would go by reports from users over published numbers from pad manufacturers.

A race pad will ALWAYS have more bite than a street pad, even at cold temps.

What?! This is not true for a many track pads, I would guess MOST of them. That's the primary reason serious track pads aren't recommended for the street, little to no cold bite. There are some that are OK, though, perhaps more now than in the past. I haven't had any issues with Carbotech XP8 and XP10 in this regard, but they definitely don't have anything like the cold bite that Hawk HP+ do.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by Fizz

Hi guys, can you recommend a street pad which has the highest coefficient of friction, whilst still offering great cold bite.

For reference, this is going onto the rear brakes of a daily driven car, therefore cold bite is important since the rear pads will take longer to get up to proper working temp compared to fronts.

I can live with a little more dust and noise.

HP+, but don't just run them in the back, that will give you rear brake bias, which is unstable. ABS will help, but still IMO it's a bad idea. Match the front and rear pads.

In some cases rears can heat up *quicker* anyway. Smaller pads, smaller rotors, less airflow.

[fooddude]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

My S2000 has actually seen exactly 2 sessions on track in last ~18 months, but has definitely had some canyon time.

I've run through maybe 3-4mm of pad of those last 18 months (~25k miles)

So what you're saying is that race/track pads actually last a long time for DD use??

Should I just use Club Racers then for a DD if I plan to track every month or so? (instead of swapping track to dd pads all the time)

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by fooddude

So what you're saying is that race/track pads actually last a long time for DD use??

Should I just use Club Racers then for a DD if I plan to track every month or so? (instead of swapping track to dd pads all the time)

Depends on how you drive them. A track pad will wear faster at temperatures outside it's optimal range (both too hot and too cold), so if they're never heating up you'll wear them faster than if you were heating them up into their happy range.

It's not like they're going to wear out in a week though, so you're probably safe.

[gramicci101]

I've seen a few references to this, but nothing definitive.

Do coilovers have to be rebuilt every so often? If so, is it based on time or usage? Are struts the same?

[cdrazic93]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

I've seen a few references to this, but nothing definitive. Do coilovers have to be rebuilt every so often? If so, is it based on time or usage? Are struts the same?

Yes, not sure how long the rebuild period is, but it may be variable upon manufacturer. Fairly certain it's based off edit: usage not time*. Don't know about struts.

*courtesy of dem pros

[Fizz]

Can anyone provide some feedback on the PMU B-Spec pads? I'm able to get hold of a set locally for discounted rate...so I'm tempted to try them. Cold bite? Noise issues?

[BrandonB]

how are bilstein b14 coilover compared to swift/b8 combo? I want it to handle like stock but better if that makes sense and also ride close to stock

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by ZDan

Why not? If you want more braking for a given level of pedal effort, higher coefficient will give you that. That said, I would go by reports from users over published numbers from pad manufacturers.

What?! This is not true for a many track pads, I would guess MOST of them. That's the primary reason serious track pads aren't recommended for the street, little to no cold bite. There are some that are OK, though, perhaps more now than in the past. I haven't had any issues with Carbotech XP8 and XP10 in this regard, but they definitely don't have anything like the cold bite that Hawk HP+ do.

That's because it's not coefficient of friction... it's *peak* coefficient of friction.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by fooddude

So what you're saying is that race/track pads actually last a long time for DD use??

Should I just use Club Racers then for a DD if I plan to track every month or so? (instead of swapping track to dd pads all the time)

Reasonably long yes, but keep in mind that it will probably wear your pads and rotors faster than street pads.

If you're going a month, I'd recommend you swap pads, unless you can deal with dust or want the additional bite (like i do).

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

I've seen a few references to this, but nothing definitive.

Do coilovers have to be rebuilt every so often? If so, is it based on time or usage? Are struts the same?

Yes.

It's based on usage.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

That's because it's not coefficient of friction... it's *peak* coefficient of friction.

I know. Which reinforces the point that track pads generally have less bite when cold, sometimes dangerously so. But you said:

A race pad will ALWAYS have more bite than a street pad, even at cold temps.

This is just not true. Some race pads have next to no bite when cold If someone is looking for cold bite on the street, he shouldn't be looking at serious track/race pads.