Track Brake Pad Discussion Thread

[why]

Brake pads: CL front OE rear
Calipers: stock
Rotors: stock
Compound: RC6 front OE rear
Tires: BFG Rival 225/45R17

Feedback: These are the best track pads I have ever used. I bedded them in, drove to the track and flogged the car for two days. No fade at all. Strong initial bite and easy modulation. No squeal at the track, but some light squealing on the street at times. Very little dusting and easy to wash off with no damage to the finish on my new Enkei PF01s.

Scores:

Dusting: Low 2-3
Cold Bite: High 9
Hot Bite: High 9-10
Modulation: Easy 8-9
Noise: Low 3-4 only under light braking on the street
Pad Life: Not sure yet, but easily better than the Hawk Blues or Porterfield R4
Wheel Damage: Low 2
Brake Ducts: No

[why]

Oops! Sorry, I just realized I scored everything backwards. Please reverse the numbers.

[N_I_N]

I've got a track day at Sebring this Saturday and I ordered some XP10s from a Vendor on this site 7 days ago. I was just informed that Carbotech does not have any more in stock and they are on backorder.

I need some XP10's by tomorrow or Thursday latest if I'm going to be able to flush my brakes and get these pads installed. Does anyone know where I can get some overnighted? I've called RevWorks in Orlando but they drop ship from Carbotech too so they would be in the same boat.

Any of you guys keep XP10's in stock that can overnight to (Florida) 34116?

I really don't want to do stock brake pads again...

[Kido1986]

No one stocks Carbotechs often. I've only seen car specific shops (like Spec Miata shops) stock these pads and obviously they only stock for specific cars.

Did you see if they can get you XP8s? I have driven on the AX6s and they hold up very well on Sebring (assuming you aren't boosted or some crazy build). With good fluid, on the AX6, I had no fade in 20 minute session with ambient almost 100F. Could nearly lock my 215 Hankook R-S3s they had so much bite.

Carbotech very likely can get you XP8s in time if they are in stock.

Do your flush anyway. That takes the longest and the stock fluid is NOT made for tracking. Worse than stock pads. Also, pads take 15 minutes to change later.

[N_I_N]

Thanks! I will check on the XP8's. RevWorks had some Hawk HP+ but I would rather stick in the CarboTech family.

[Kido1986]

Originally Posted by N_I_N

RevWorks had some Hawk HP+ but I would rather stick in the CarboTech family.

Very smart decision. Though @Rev Works are amazing people, the brake choice is spot on.

[Black Tire]

Brake Pad Manufacturer (F/R): CL
Caliper (F/R): Stock
Rotor Size (F/R - IE OEM or specify): Stock
Compound (F/R): RC6
Tires: BF Goodrich Rival 225/45/17

Feedback:
I spent 2 days on the track in the dry with the BF Goodrich Rivals, and 1 day on the track in the rain with the stock Michelin Primacy HC tires. I used the brakes very heavily in several braking zones around the track. There was no discernible fading during the weekend.

The bite is very high, requiring relatively little pedal pressure to achieve very heavy braking force. I could easily have used R-compound tires for this, as it was fairly easy to engage the anti-lock system. I preferred not to engage the anti-lock if possible however, as it would cycle slowly causing quite a disruption to the car in the braking zone. The brakes worked equally well in the wet, and were easier to modulate in these conditions, probably due to less brake force being used.

Pad wear seemed to be quite good. It appears that I have about half of the pad left. I may use these on the street, and buy another set for the track next time. When pads are near the wear limit, they heat the calipers and fluid a bit more due to the rotor being closer to these parts. Look at the photo and it is clear that the pads have been USED. There is some buildup on the pads, which suggests that even though these pads bit well all weekend, they may further benefit from slotted rotors. These pads would easily have lasted for another dry day (or even two) on the track.





Rotor wear seemed to be almost nonexistent for two dry and one wet track day. It seems the pads wore and not the rotors. See photos:





The dust seemed very easy to clean off. Much better than I have seen before. I used new Enkei RPF1 wheels and waxed them before the track. There were only a few very small black dots that are still there after using Griot's Garage Spray On Car Wash. I think these would be removable with some solvent (like denatured alcohol). See pictures of the wheels in this thread:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39086

Scores:
Dusting (1=high-10=low): 8
Cold bite (1=low-10=high): 9
Hot bite (1=low-10=high): 9
Modulation (1=low-10=high): 7
Noise (1=extremely loud-10=quiet): 3 street, 8 track
Pad Lifespan (1=short-10=long): (estimate 7/actual ???)
Does the brake dust with this combination damage the wheels/paint if not cleaned immediately? No, mostly
Brake ducts: No

[darksmac]

Brake Suggestions - 80% Daily/ 20%Track?

So far leaning toward Carbotech AX6 (all around) or XP8 (all around). I've heard XP10's little too loud for my taste on a daily. I'm really trying to avoid swapping pads if at all possible cause i'm not a track star just yet. Also would properly bedding brakes make a significant difference in sound even on these more track oriented pads?

-Stock car
-ATE Superblue Fluid
-Stock suspension

[N_I_N]

I ended up with XP8s. These are great pads - not even a lick of fade at Sebring.

I am a complete NOOB in the mechanical arena (I don't even change my oil) but I could swap my pads in about 20 minutes. SUPER EASY. Remove wheel, remove one bolt - flip the caliper up and pop in/out the pads. Flip caliper back down, re-insert and tighten one bolt and put your wheel back on.

I chose to swap back to my stocks after track days since it's only 3 or 4 times a year for me...

[darksmac]

My problem is bedding/resurfacing the brakes every time.. and I am on the same page as you with 3-4x/ year maybe a couple autox events if i can fund it may be in my schedule..

My understanding is that you SHOULD resurface/re-bed every time you swap brake pads.. I could be wrong about this proper procedure

[RedBRZ80]

I swapped pads on my 97 mustang gt for every track day and went back in forth with no problem. Just go out do some hard stops and such. I stayed with same brand so maybe that helped

[sdm822]

Brake Pad Manufacturer (F/R): StopTech
Caliper (F/R): Stock
Rotor Size (F/R - IE OEM or specify): Stock
Compound (F/R): Street Performance, Motul RBF600
Tires: 215 Primacy HP

Tried to get away with the StopTech street performance pads and stock tires at GingerMan Raceway. Track is brake demanding, brakes faded progressively. First 15 minutes showed manageable fade, last 5 minutes were bad. I plan on bumping up to Carbotech XP12s and Dunlop ZIIs for track duty next spring.


Scores:
Dusting (1=high-10=low): 6
Cold bite (1=low-10=high): 3
Hot bite (1=low-10=high): 2
Modulation (1=low-10=high): 8
Noise (1=extremely loud-10=quiet): 9
Pad Lifespan (1=short-10=long): Killed half the pads in a weekend
Does the brake dust with this combination damage the wheels/paint if not cleaned immediately? (Y/N) No
Brake ducts: (Y/N) No

[diss7]

Brakes front: Wilwood 6 piston 328mm
Brakes rear: Stock base level NZDM spec (solid discs)

Wilwood bp10 compound in the front, TRD compound in the rear.

The BP10 compound is the street pad delivered in their BBK. Minimal bedding required.
This is an excellent street pad, and performed better than expected on the track. I'm in between coilovers at the moment so used my stock suspension, however still used my semi slicks. On the two hair pins (which are 200kmh-90kmh, and 170kmh-70kmh) there was fade, however this was limited by car setup, as they stock suspension unloaded the rear so much that the rear tyres would lock. With firmer suspension, this effect wouldn't exist and the fronts would have been given the chance to work harder, and I believe would have faded more than they were.

Because of setup, pad performance was fairly consistent all day, up until about 3 laps before they were completely dust. All up they lasted about 60laps.



I'll refrain from giving a scores yet, as I want to try other compound in the setup first. Good street pad no doubt. Using as a sprint type pad, it appeared to offer similar braking performance as a stock system running ENDLESS mx72. On the track the bp10s quickly fall outside their designed temperature range, and while still working, longevity is drastically affected.

I have since put in polymatrix D for street use. I may also flog these on the track and see how they go. I also picked up some polymatrix H, for track use only. Hope to test these in a couple of weeks.

[TT51]

Brake Pad Manufacturer (F/R): Hawk/Hawk
Caliper (F/R): Stock/Stock - Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Rotor Size (F/R): DBA Club Spec Slotted Rotors - Stock Size F/R
Compound (F/R): DTC70/DTC60, Motul RBF600
Tires: Hoosier A6 - 245/40R17 - Square Setup

Hawk offers a contingency program for NASA Time Trial competitors so that is why I started with these pads on the new FR-S. I have also used the same setup on a much heavier S197 Mustang with similar results. The car is still street legal but driven almost exclusively at the track. I am making about 200 NA RWHP right now with an E85 tune. My feedback is based on 4 track events at Laguna Seca, Miller, Chuckwalla Valley and Arizona Motorsports Park (Current NASA TTD Track Record).

My overall impression of these pads is very favorable. I did a proper bedding in with new DBA rotors and have had zero problems with noise. After about 32 very intense track sessions, 10/10th's, the pads and rotors still look fine. I would estimate that about 60% of the pad material remains. The pads come on very quickly at the beginning of a session with only a brief warm up on the out lap. The car is very well balanced at turn in whether trail braking or threshold braking. I did experience a low brake pedal at the end of the long straight at MMP after about two laps. I think that was more the fluid than the brakes as I am sure there was some residual fluid left over when I converted to the RBF 600. The front brakes get very hot on my car, so much so that a fair amount of smoke is emitted from both sides immediately after coming off track after a session. I always cool them as much as possible before stopping for good. I will be adding cooling ducts prior to the next event. And, even though they seem to get pretty hot, fade has not been much of an issue.


Scores:
Dusting (1=high-10=low): 10
Cold bite (1=low-10=high): 8
Hot bite (1=low-10=high): 8
Modulation (1=low-10=high): 8
Noise (1=extremely loud-10=quiet): 9
Pad Lifespan (1=short-10=long): 10
Does the brake dust with this combination damage the wheels/paint if not cleaned immediately? (Y/N) No
Brake ducts: (Y/N) No (Will be installed prior to the 2014 season)