tS Track Day Pads - Advice/Insight Requested

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by Tristor

Motul DOT 5.1 is $20/liter give or take. ATE Type 200 is $17/liter give or take. Castrol SRF is $65/liter give or take, and Endless RBF650 (if you can even get it) is $100/liter give or take. It simply isn't worth paying $100 for something when $17 will do just fine if you're only doing a few HPDEs a year.

Slight correction, Motul is sold by the half liter. It's still cheaper than SRF, but it's not 1/4 the price.

Buying by the half liter can be handy though if you just need to top up slightly when bleeding. I won't use fluid that was opened previously, so if you're needing to bleed frequently then it can be a bigger savings by using the smaller bottles.

[Code Monkey]

You save money going with Castrol SRF. You pay more upfront but the fluid lasts much longer. So far, I have nine hpde weekends on the current Castrol and will finally bleed the brakes just in case but the brake pedal still feels good.

[JIM THEO]

Originally Posted by Code Monkey

You save money going with Castrol SRF. You pay more upfront but the fluid lasts much longer. So far, I have nine hpde weekends on the current Castrol and will finally bleed the brakes just in case but the brake pedal still feels good.

According to most brake fluid comparisons the SRF gives the worst pedal feel among all racing brake fluids, on the other hand Endless has low Ph which MAY deteriorate hydraulic brake system and Projectmu isn't suitable for low ambient temperatures!

[Code Monkey]

Can't beat that wet boiling point though!

[Lynxis]

My anecdotal experience, I've only run OEM, RBF600 and Castrol SRF.

OEM: Does not hold up to extended lapping sessions. I got HP+ before my first ever lapping session. My first ever event was in the pouring rain so I never felt any fade but my 2nd event was dry and I had to do time-attack style sessions to keep brake temperatures in check. 1 out lap, 3 hot laps, 1 in lap, then let car cool down because pedal was too spongy to be comfortable to continue. Spongy pedal feel would return after everything cooled down though.

RBF600: Got this for my 3rd HPDE and ran it with my HP+. Held up on the day of the event very well but the pedal would be spongy after the event and would remain until I did a partial fluid bleed. There was never any air in the system, just dark brown fluid near the calipers. Ran this for the remainder of my first year of track.

SRF: Did the initial flush over 2 years ago now and I was still running that flush just fine until last fall and the only reason I did a bleed was because I took my BBK off to sell it. I would have been completely fine continuing to run this fluid. Ran it with EBC Yellowstuff and Winmax W5.

I'll also note that I've run all 3 fluids in Canadian winter and the SRF is by far the best. The other 2 fluids get really thick when the temperature falls below freezing and seriously increases brake pedal effort but the SRF doesn't do this and the fluid moves as easily in the dead of winter as it does at the height of summer.

[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by Tristor

Honestly, you don't need to spend tons of money on brake fluid. RBF600 is plenty good enough. I have actually ran Motul DOT 5.1 and ATE Type 200 (both way cheaper than any of the "race" fluids) and have experienced good results on track. The only difference between a true "race" brake fluid and a high quality DOT 5.1 or DOT 4 fluid is that you will need to likely bleed after every track day and may need to flush on the normal fluids while a Castrol SRF or similar will last an entire track season.


Depending on how many track days you're planning to do will help you understand if it's worth spending big bucks on fluid. The stock DOT 3 fluid is insufficient for track usage, period. But that doesn't mean you need to shell out for Endless RBF650, Castrol SRF, Motul RBF660, or Torque RT700 just to go do an HPDE or two each year.

Motul DOT 5.1 is $20/liter give or take. ATE Type 200 is $17/liter give or take. Castrol SRF is $65/liter give or take, and Endless RBF650 (if you can even get it) is $100/liter give or take. It simply isn't worth paying $100 for something when $17 will do just fine if you're only doing a few HPDEs a year.


Brakes are safety critical, don't cheap out where it matters, but spending $100 on brake fluid is not going to make you any safer unless you are absolutely hammering your brakes non-stop day after day. Just make sure you properly bleed your brakes before and after every track day, and keep an eye on your fluid reservoir and brake feel during sessions REGARDLESS of which fluid you use, and with the DOT 5.1 you may need to flush more often (but it's way cheaper to do so).

High quality brake fluid is an inexpensive upgrade - Project Mu, Winmax, Endless, and Castrol are generally what our clients use on a consistent basis. Project Mu, Winmax, and Endless are always stocked in our facility.

Pads wise, if you have never used track pads before and are afraid of the track pad life, we have prescribed various brake setups to tailor the driving experience per driving application. While our CSG pads are superior for track and racing purposes (shameless plug), not everybody can truly appreciate the consistency of the pads. The ones who are incredibly impressed with our pads are those who have experienced different compounds and just lacked the optimal bite, the control, and the level of consistency lap after lap. Obviously, looking forward to your impressions on them...so far everyone has had the same response.

To the OP, please PM us if you got any questions on what you're looking for.

[J1Avs]

Originally Posted by CounterSpace Garage

High quality brake fluid is an inexpensive upgrade - Project Mu, Winmax, Endless, and Castrol are generally what our clients use on a consistent basis. Project Mu, Winmax, and Endless are always stocked in our facility.

Pads wise, if you have never used track pads before and are afraid of the track pad life, we have prescribed various brake setups to tailor the driving experience per driving application. While our CSG pads are superior for track and racing purposes (shameless plug), not everybody can truly appreciate the consistency of the pads. The ones who are incredibly impressed with our pads are those who have experienced different compounds and just lacked the optimal bite, the control, and the level of consistency lap after lap. Obviously, looking forward to your impressions on them...so far everyone has had the same response.

To the OP, please PM us if you got any questions on what you're looking for.

You’ll be getting a PM later. Thanks!

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Slight correction, Motul is sold by the half liter. It's still cheaper than SRF, but it's not 1/4 the price.

Buying by the half liter can be handy though if you just need to top up slightly when bleeding. I won't use fluid that was opened previously, so if you're needing to bleed frequently then it can be a bigger savings by using the smaller bottles.

I know it's sold by the half liter, it's $10/500ml on Amazon (you can sometime gets it for around $8/500ml) or $20/liter give or take. Endless RBF650 is also sold by the half-liter for about $47. ATE Type 200 and Castrol SRF are sold by the liter. Multiplying the half liter price by 2 to get an aligned comparison isn't a complicated thing... just saying.

Originally Posted by CounterSpace Garage

High quality brake fluid is an inexpensive upgrade - Project Mu, Winmax, Endless, and Castrol are generally what our clients use on a consistent basis. Project Mu, Winmax, and Endless are always stocked in our facility.

Yep, I am switching to Castrol SRF myself for 2019. But it wasn't clear from OPs post whether he was intending a couple of HPDEs a year with 90% street driving or if he was going to consistently track. It's not a huge cost difference, but it is a cost difference that may be unnecessary. I did 8 track days last year and am planning 15 this year, I think for me Castrol SRF is a fair investment. I just bled my brakes every time last year, started out with Motul 5.1 and ended using Motul RBF600 which is what's in it now.


If it's not a significant cost to the OP, the better fluid certainly won't hurt, but I don't think it's a mandatory change. It is mandatory to not use the stock DOT 3 fluid, but cheaper options will hold up to a single track day just fine.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by Tristor

I know it's sold by the half liter, it's $10/500ml on Amazon (you can sometime gets it for around $8/500ml) or $20/liter give or take. Endless RBF650 is also sold by the half-liter for about $47. ATE Type 200 and Castrol SRF are sold by the liter. Multiplying the half liter price by 2 to get an aligned comparison isn't a complicated thing... just saying.

Around here type 200 is about the same price as RBF600, but for twice as much (~$26/L of type 200 or ~$26/500ml of RBF600).

[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Around here type 200 is about the same price as RBF600, but for twice as much (~$26/L of type 200 or ~$26/500ml of RBF600).

Generally speaking, Super ATE and RBF600 is a great starting point for those who have never used anything better than the DOT3 fluid. Once you gain a little pace and put a little extra heat, you're going to want something better. We do have RBF600 and RBF660 brake fluid on the shelf, but our clients generally need something more consistent like the Project Mu, Winmax, and other fluids.

[JIM THEO]

@CounterSpace Garage, may I ask the low Ph (acid) of the Endless brake fluid could cause brake system problems in the long run?

[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by JIM THEO

@CounterSpace Garage, may I ask the low Ph (acid) of the Endless brake fluid could cause brake system problems in the long run?

Depends how long you're talking about. Even factory recommends you change the brake fluid every year as standard maintenance...just like engine oil, transmission oil, and differential oil.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by Tristor

I know it's sold by the half liter, it's $10/500ml on Amazon (you can sometime gets it for around $8/500ml) or $20/liter give or take.

Mind sharing where you're seeing it for $10/500ml on amazon? Best I can find is $19/500ml.

[Tristor]

Originally Posted by wparsons

Mind sharing where you're seeing it for $10/500ml on amazon? Best I can find is $19/500ml.

https://www.amazon.com/Motul-Brake-f.../dp/B00CMZQMKS


$9.99 w/ Prime Shipping, ships from and sold by Amazon.com