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Brake pads for the track only

2K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  Chad-1stGen 
#1 ·
I am in the process of upgrading my brakes. My first instinct was to just continue with the pads I have been using for years, Porterfield R4. I have used others, Carbotech, EBC, Raybestos etc. Want some opinions and what folks are using. The track I am on the most CMP is very hard on brakes, so I need something that can handle heat and last. The Carcotech's gripped great and lasted 2 weekends..ouch! I know there must be better options than the R4, but I have not found one yet. They are terrible cold, but the hotter they get the better they work and I usually get 6-8 weekends from a set. They do not seem to have the best grip though. Again, track only pads, don't really care about cold performance, dust or noise, just grip and longevity. Oh and price. Thanks
 

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#4 ·
What front calipers and rotors are on there?

ex-Global West GM
1991-1995
 
#5 ·
The new setup, never run, is wildwood wilwood superlite 6r piston on the front and wildwood dynalite 4 piston in the back. The rotors are cross drilled iron 12.19X1.25 F and 11.75X1.25 R. Petals are willwood as well with 7/8 MC front and rear with a balance bar on the pedals and a restrictor valve in the back line that I can adjust while I drive if needed.
 
#9 ·
Take a look at the Wilwood BP-30 pads for track only. I've driven a lot of Wilwood pad compounds (Poly E's, Poly B's, BP-20, 30 and 40's) and the BP-30 is my favorite. They have much better modulation than a BP-40 and handle high heat like a track pad should. I typically do time trials competitions with them so I don't usually do more than 3-4 hot laps a session but they last me quite a while.

They also work great cold but I'd try to minimize the amount of driving done on cold pads (e.g. avoid street or autocross style driving) as when cold they wear faster and will wear the rotor faster.
 
#6 ·
and with that hardware you're seriously worried about not being able to stop?

Assuming you had stock front disc with the Porterfields and had pad longevity issues.....
you're now increasing the heat "sink" and pad footprint significantly over what you were using.
Footprint is what figures heavily into pad longevity. (that and the temp characteristics of the
friction compound)

I don't see a huge issue (or any issue at all) really.
Maybe if you were +4000 lbs and trying to slow down constantly from 160/170.....

ex-Global West GM
1991-1995
 
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#7 ·
For me there is more than just stopping power involved in the decision. I used Hawk Black on the hobby stock and the Miata. They are lower cost compared to other racing brake pads (IIRC under $200/set) and last a while. I like the initial bite and the modulation fit my braking style. The pad a driver likes best is usually the one that fits the driving style better. I'm a stabber then modulate kind of guy.
 
#8 ·
I haven't experimented much with pads on my '68, I break it too often!

Started tracking a '19 gt350, and while part of this is the the sheer mass of the brakes, the Raybestos ST43 is an awesome value so far... i've got roughly 10 hours of track time on them and have used 3mm of the 10mm pad so far... not sure that compound would be enough for hoosiers, but may be worth trying... it's an endurance compound, but has no problem locking up cup2's or NT01's so far.. I am more about track time per dollar than squeezing every last second out of the car, so haven't even tried the super sticky tires yet...

For reference, i'm running 1:40's at Gingerman, which I believe isn't far off the american iron lap times there. So i don't think i'm babying the car much.

I had negative experience with Gloc compounds on my 2014 GT track pack, burned up toooooo fast and left tons of deposits. In fairness, I stopped trying to make them work with the R16's, so maybe the R18's could work well, but either way they burned up over 1mm per track day so not a good value.. IMO... they are same as carbotech from what I understand.

Good luck finding something you like!
 
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