Track day brake pads

User avatar
SR85DET
Club4AG Enthusiast
Posts: 132
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:16 am

Track day brake pads

Postby SR85DET » Tue Jan 10, 2017 7:19 am

I know there are some discussion about brakes out there but I am looking to discuss track day pads only.

What do you use for your track days? Looking for
-what kind of pad Brand and type (model)
-Price
-feel
-fade
-how much time time on track each session/day
- same pads FRONT and REAR?

Less important but do you use them on the street? I will probably be swapping mine out for my street pads.

I personally am considering Porterfield RS4 based on price and review

I was disappointed to find that EBC only makes FWD pads (wtf). Would like these just bc their price and reputation is decent and that's what my friends are all running in different cars. Would have been an interesting comparison.

SgtRauksauff
Club4AG Enthusiast
Posts: 113
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2013 9:43 pm

Re: Track day brake pads

Postby SgtRauksauff » Thu Jan 12, 2017 8:29 am

One of my frequent tracks is Blackhawk Farms Raceway, near South Beloit, IL. I started out using Hawk HP-PLUS pads front and back. They were ok for autocrossing, But on track after about 2-3 laps things would get warm and squishy. I think this had more to do with there being very small thermal mass, and no way to dissipate it, so the heat kept building until the fluid, brakes, rotors, wheels, everything was hot. I actually boiled away my wheelbearing grease in a different car on this track. That car had more power and the same size brakes, and was heavier (turbo'd escort wagon). I don't recall the exact numbers, but I want to say 800°F is the top working range for the HP+.

Keep in mind, this was WITHOUT any cooling ducts. I then upgraded to Carbotechs, and when I was on the phone talking to the guy, with the weight of the car, and speeds involved, we were going with one type, then I mentioned a track day at Blackhawk the next week, and he's like, "Oh, Blackhawk Farms? That changes things." and we proceeded to fit XP8 on the rear, and XP10 on the front. Still no brake ducts, and a MASSIVE improvement. I could go out for the whole 20-minute session, at BHF or Milwaukee Mile, and only start to feel fade beginning at the last lap or two. I ran the Carbotechs for the rest of the season, and they did ok. They worked fine for AutoX, and i just left them on for the street also. they made a lot of dust, and squealed at times, but it wasn't too bad. We had an event at Brainerd Int'l raceway in MN, and I could finally start to feel fading somewhere near the 25-30 minute range. I had upgraded to a header and a AFPR at this point, but had not installed cams yet, so didn't quite have the speed/acceleration that I do now.

Cams went in, and for the next event at Brainerd I wanted even better brakes, because the car was getting seriously quick. A friend was using some Raybestos pads on his EVO, and loving them, so I looked into it. I ended up getting some ST-45 front, and ST-43 rear. Those are the best pads I have ever run across. I ALSO installed brake cooling ducts before this track day, but all said and done, I was able to run two back-to-back sessions, around 40-50 minutes, nonstop, with no fade at all. I only came in because it was the last session of the day and I had to pack up.

I was running Hankook/Hoosier race tires, also...

--sarge

User avatar
chohdog
Club4AG Enthusiast
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Jan 10, 2013 10:15 pm

Re: Track day brake pads

Postby chohdog » Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:29 pm

You have to mention what tires you'll be using. That is probably the biggest factor for which pads will work well for you.

I usually run R-compound (Kumho Victoracer, RA1, R888, Hankook TD) so please keep that in mind (stickier tires will ask more of your braking system).

What did not work: Axis metal master, Toyota OEM, Project Mu HC Titan Kai
Why they did not work: Ever hear Winston in Ghostbusters? He's "seen @@#$ that will turn you white". That's what happened to the pads, they overheated and turned white, and the pad material no longer stopped the car.

What sort of worked: Hawk Blue, Raybestos compound 43
Why: Hawk blue is great, but on a high speed track or 90+ degree weather, they will eventually fade. Price to wear/fade resistance ratio though is pretty good. Raybestos compound 43 took over a year to break in appropriately. Before that, the initial bite was waaaay too high. You cannot fade the pads though, and they will bite into anything.

What works great:
TRD full race, Project Mu Racing 999, Carbonetic R spec (super race)
Why: Project Mu and Carbonetic are the same pads. They take about 1 lap to warm up and are decent enough on the street, but have never faded on me. I will get about 12 track days out of them. TRD full race are terrible on the street and take about 2 laps to warm up, but once warm have great pedal modulation and will not fade.

What I have found are basically 2 ways to think about it:
Route 1: Hawk Blue or Raybestos are about $120-$150 for a front pair. They are not too great on rotors, but have a medium price point and are acceptable for most track environments. I have a place near me that sells front rotors for $15 each, so I used to just keep buying rotors.

Route 2: Expensive full race japanese pads (like the P Mu Racing 999). These and Endless will run anywhere from $200-$300 for a front pair. They won't fade, are easier on rotors but come at a higher price point.

User avatar
SR85DET
Club4AG Enthusiast
Posts: 132
Joined: Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:16 am

Re: Track day brake pads

Postby SR85DET » Tue Feb 14, 2017 6:14 am

High performance street tires, no R comps as this is my first track day (HPDE). But I do plan on running R comps eventually, just not sure pads will last until then. It's at Mid-Ohio, early April for Grid Life event. Thanks for the responses so far.

totta crolla
Club4AG Pro
Posts: 651
Joined: Tue Mar 26, 2013 5:21 am
Location: Oxford U.K

Re: Track day brake pads

Postby totta crolla » Tue Feb 14, 2017 8:14 am

With a small amount of filing it is possible to fit Mitsubishi Evo rear pads to the front of an AE86 and my choice would be ferodo DS2500