Brakes Wheels 1st Gen Tires Most liked posts in thread: Street pads that WON'T get destroyed at the track?

Think what should be gleaned from all this is that what is good for one might not be good for another.

Pad selection shouldn't only be a street - track decision. Selection should be based on the skill level of the Driver and the performance capabilities of the car. As you increase HP, handling and the grip of the tires, the demands on the pads increases too. So it does as we progress in our driving abilities; we drive in deeper, carry more speed through the turns and use the brakes more during the turn...

All things to be considered. What worked good enough when I first started is woefully inadequate now and what works good now, will probably become less and less adequate in the future if my driving continues to improve and my car gets stronger too... 2cents

 

:cornut: The 'heavy into racing' people down here in Texas,(if their track car is also a daily driver) put their race pads on before the race and put their street pads back on after the race. As an example: Green or Red Stuff=daily driver and Yellow Stuff=race pads. From your post I can tell that you already know that both jobs cannot be done by a single pad. I'm probably one of the few people around here that likes Green/Red/Yellow Stuff pads. The guys/gals will come up shortly and recommend other pads.

Jasonopcorn:opcorn:

 

I have an R53 and run my Hawk HPS pads on the street, through the twisties, at the Dragon, and to, at, and from the track 3-4 times a year at 2-day HPDEs with BMW CCA. I still run the original rotors and the pads are still good, too. I DO keep my fluids changed and have s/s brakelines.

 

Look at two sets. If you're pushing it on the track, IMHO you're not going to find a dual duty pad.

The carbotech's are nice, in that if you run bobcats on the street, you can switch to the carbotech track pad (XP 8, 10 or 12) with a minimum amount of fuss and bother with regard to bedding in, as the compounds are similar.

 

Some people manage with one set of brake pads, but it has nothing to do with the pads and everything to do with the driver. The rest of us use two sets, one for street and one for track.

 

I did one Dragon with Bobcats and one with the XP's that I left on from a HPDE a week before and had no problems on either event

 

I have done some track days with my DD pads and had no problems....BUT I was careful not to push them to hard.

I am now running the Cool Carbon pads from BavAuto and LOVE them. Great bite and nicely modulated. I haven't had a chance to do a track day on them, but I do push them hard on my local "Dragon" Hwy 242

 

HP+ can be loud on the street. Lots of bite, okay fade resistance, but IMO not a great street pad and maybe an OKAY track pad. They're basically a street pad with a ton of bite that makes a lot of noise and can take a little bit of heat but not much.

2 pads make things easier.

A big driving factor should be your tire choice. If you're running r-comps then you really do need a dedicated track pad.

- andrew

 

If you take "autoX" out of your mix the Carbotech Bobcats would be the ticket

Great bite, low dust, durable

 

I used my Hawk HPS pads for daily driving and occasional track use (1 or 2 weekends a year). They will chew up quickly and are nowhere as heat resistant as my Wilwood BBK, but they did OK in green and my early experiences in blue (first two skill levels at my DE event provider).

You will chew through the pads quickly... maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the total pad for each weekend, but it works fine for dual use if that is what you have available.

With the Wilwood BBK up front, I swap out my daily driving pads for track pads when I do a DE now... it's just so easy with the BBK... less than 10 min a wheel and most of that time is spent taking off and replacing the wheel itself. On the rears, I still run the Hawk HPS pads for street and track and love 'em. Those are such a PITA to swap, I never pull 'em until the pads are gone (avg: 2 years of street driving + 2-3 DE events) and then I'll put on new Hawk HPS pads and TSW (WMW) Rotors again.

 

Take a look at the Hawk stuff, too. They're known for less modulation and more of an on-off feel, but their newer DTC-60 pads will stand up to track day heat (P/N HB444 and HB445). Also consider Cobalt Friction, Raybestos ST-43, EBC (as Jason mentioned), and whatever else you can find.

I run Hawk HPS on the street for no particular reason other than $$, and the Performance Friction 01 compound on the track. They have pads that fit my TSW BBK, and I managed to scrounge up some rear PFC 01's. The rears must have been such a low production run that they didn't even bother with anti-rattle clips. They make a horrible sound driving to and from the track, but the lack of clips actually makes it easy to swap the rear pads. PFC does a lot of Porsche, BMW, and Mustang fitments, but not so much for the MINIs. I used to blow through 1/4 to 1/3 of a front pad when I was running Carbotech XP-12/XP-8, but I measured only 1mm of wear on the 01's (out of 12mm).

My advice is to talk to everyone about pads when you're at the track. Find someone with a similar driving style and ask what pads they're running. There really isn't a "best" pad for a particular car because it's mostly dependent on driver and cash flow.

 

I have used Axxis ULT pads for street AutoX and the occasional track day. Not in the same field as proper track pads but decent enough for a HPDE every now and then. Just got some Carbotech AX6 pads as I will be doing a whole season of AutoX but I was going to leaving them on for the handful of trackdays I might end up doing.

 

I was SORELY disapointed in the HPS pads on my Mustang GT. Never gonna buy Hawk again.

I've been very happy every time I've picked up EBC pads. If you aren't gonna become a superstar on the track and you just want a decent pad that will work on the street I'd say EBC Greens. Good for DD, AutoX, and "spirited" street driving but consistent and fairly fade free on the track.

They aren't the BEST brake out there but they make a happy compromise. I'm too lazy (and not that good of a driver) to swap pads for "race" pads. I've actually been tracking on the OEM pads this year. They work alright. You just have to brake earlier (which slows your times down) than if you had better pads.

 

MINIMark said it well... The parts are good for some at skill level X and track X might not be so good at skill level Y and track Y.

In my earlier DE events, the Hawk HPS did well... Stainless lines and brass rear caliper bushings helped with a better feel as well. Good quality FRESH fluid is a must. After a few weekends in blue, my skill level and confidence was increasing and after 15 min, the Hawks were starting to fade pretty badly (on a 18 minute track session).

You know... a fair compromise might be to pick an all-purpose pad for the front and rrear brakes but then upgrade the front pads only to a track specific version before you go. The fronts are much easier/faster to do a swap on, so it might be worth it to you. The fronts do 70%+ of the braking anyway... it may save your street pads excess wear and give you better performance on your DE weekend without costing you tons of time on the garage floor.

 

Actually do just that and run the CT XP8s on the rear all the time. They are a little dusty but hold up for a good while. Then put the 12s on the front for track. One thing to consider when doing that is brake bias; bought some HPS pads for the street () and they don't have the bite the XP8 does....so if in the twisties, trail braking can be tricky... Going to douche the HPS, may just get 8s for the front too.... Wish I could find something a little cheaper to use... We don't live but a few minutes from some GREAT roads and want a daily pad I can go have a quick evening run with, without having to change pads... The HPS gives me no confidence at all.

 

What about Bobcats up front? Thats what I use for daily driving, and XP12's on the track. The Bobcats are MUCH gentler on the rotor than XP8's are going to be.

I'm surprised the XP8's are messing up your brake bias though on the rear though--they need a little heat to bite. I have them on my rears and leave them on all the time too, same excuse, laziness...

 

It's not real bad, especially until things get heated up and then the HPS stop working very well at all. Bobcats definately would be better but 8s would be even better.... Guess I'm spoiled to the 12s and the weight transfer during turn in...and not having to use so much peddle pressure...

 

Talk to the guys at BavarianAuto and check out the Cool Carbons. They really are a very capable pad and you won't be disappointed.