Carbotech 1521 brake pads, how are they? - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Keenercarguy · 02-29-2016, 10:53 PM

Hey everyone, just looking for a few reviews of Carbotech 1521 "bobcat" brake pads. I'd be running them in conjunction with my Carbotech XP8's since they're compatible. Unless eveyone and their mother has had a horrible time that's my plan. Opinions/thoughts/advice?

ansibe · 03-01-2016, 09:38 PM

I'm using these pads in my BRZ between track events, and also in my Legacy.

My use is very similar to yours, except I use xp12/10 on the track. I really like Carbotech, and the 1521 is no exception. They're quiet, grippy, low dust, and easy to break in. In fact they seem to need no break-in at all - they were great right out of the box. They occasionally squeal very slightly, but it's hardly noticeable, 1000x better than the XPs; 1,000,000x better than HP+.

The only comparison I have is with Hawk HP+, and there is really no comparison. HP+ are shockingly noisy (worse than the XPs), fade badly (worse than OE), and the dust seems to eat wheels!

Compared to OE, the 1521 needs a lighter touch because of the higher friction, provide pedal feel similar to the XP (I think because the pad material doesn't compress), but are ever so slightly noisier than OE. They dust about the same as OE, but the dust seems completely benign and just wipes off my OE wheels. I found the 1521 doesn't fade on the road whereas the OE faded predictably.

They're a bit pricey, but worth every penny IMHO.

Captain Snooze · 03-02-2016, 12:16 AM

Similar to @ansibe I use 1521 for street and XP10 for track. They do the job, no noise on my set up (Sprint Kit). I haven't noticed dusting as I rarely clean the outside of my car. I have no idea how they handle any sort of abuse because I don't give my car a hard time on public roads.

ansibe · 03-02-2016, 05:10 PM

Hey, Captain, what pad shape do you use on the Sprint Kit? I don't know what pads fit that caliper.

CSG Mike · 03-02-2016, 05:43 PM

The 1521 are excellent street/autox pads, but are not made for track use.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ansibe

Hey, Captain, what pad shape do you use on the Sprint Kit? I don't know what pads fit that caliper.

CTW7420 is the shape you want.

http://counterspacegarage.com/ct-152...p8350-d41.html

dp1 · 03-03-2016, 09:47 PM

I use them on AP Sprint front / stock rear on the street. Great for that purpose and they do fade when pushed on track/ax as expected. No need to clean up rotors when swapping to AX6 or XP12 pads. Very happy with this combo.

02-29-2016, 10:53 PM	#1
Keenercarguy Mountain Runner Join Date: Jan 2014 Drives: 2013 Subaru BRZ Limited 6MT Location: Boone, NC and Charlotte area NC Posts: 714 Thanks: 489 Thanked 142 Times in 105 Posts Mentioned: 8 Post(s) Tagged: 2 Thread(s)	Carbotech 1521 brake pads, how are they? Hey everyone, just looking for a few reviews of Carbotech 1521 "bobcat" brake pads. I'd be running them in conjunction with my Carbotech XP8's since they're compatible. Unless eveyone and their mother has had a horrible time that's my plan. Opinions/thoughts/advice?

03-02-2016, 12:16 AM	#3
Captain Snooze Because compromise ® Join Date: Jan 2012 Drives: Red Herring Location: australia Posts: 7,818 Thanks: 4,050 Thanked 9,551 Times in 4,195 Posts Mentioned: 60 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Similar to @ansibe I use 1521 for street and XP10 for track. They do the job, no noise on my set up (Sprint Kit). I haven't noticed dusting as I rarely clean the outside of my car. I have no idea how they handle any sort of abuse because I don't give my car a hard time on public roads. __________________ My car is completely stock except for all the mods.

03-03-2016, 09:47 PM	#6
dp1 driving smoother faster Join Date: Jul 2013 Drives: Sold Location: Some Posts: 990 Thanks: 630 Thanked 471 Times in 286 Posts Mentioned: 19 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Carbotech 1521 brake pads, how are they? I use them on AP Sprint front / stock rear on the street. Great for that purpose and they do fade when pushed on track/ax as expected. No need to clean up rotors when swapping to AX6 or XP12 pads. Very happy with this combo. Last edited by dp1; 03-03-2016 at 09:59 PM.

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03-01-2016, 09:38 PM	#2
ansibe Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Drives: White BRZ Location: Toronto Posts: 60 Thanks: 9 Thanked 32 Times in 18 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I'm using these pads in my BRZ between track events, and also in my Legacy. My use is very similar to yours, except I use xp12/10 on the track. I really like Carbotech, and the 1521 is no exception. They're quiet, grippy, low dust, and easy to break in. In fact they seem to need no break-in at all - they were great right out of the box. They occasionally squeal very slightly, but it's hardly noticeable, 1000x better than the XPs; 1,000,000x better than HP+. The only comparison I have is with Hawk HP+, and there is really no comparison. HP+ are shockingly noisy (worse than the XPs), fade badly (worse than OE), and the dust seems to eat wheels! Compared to OE, the 1521 needs a lighter touch because of the higher friction, provide pedal feel similar to the XP (I think because the pad material doesn't compress), but are ever so slightly noisier than OE. They dust about the same as OE, but the dust seems completely benign and just wipes off my OE wheels. I found the 1521 doesn't fade on the road whereas the OE faded predictably. They're a bit pricey, but worth every penny IMHO.

03-02-2016, 05:10 PM	#4
ansibe Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Drives: White BRZ Location: Toronto Posts: 60 Thanks: 9 Thanked 32 Times in 18 Posts Mentioned: 3 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Hey, Captain, what pad shape do you use on the Sprint Kit? I don't know what pads fit that caliper.

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