Supercharged111

Previously I ran Carbotech XP10/8 combo which was good, but when I start to push I get excessive pedal travel. Might/might not be the pads, but the Carbotechs didn't last very long and I keep hearing great things about the Raybestos. I tried to order ST43 all around, but ST43 front is on backorder. I'm told the ST45 is replacing the ST43, so I searched for ST45 results here and got nothing. Can anyone comment on the ST45? Also, it seems I should stagger the pads too. What stagger is recommended? I'll be on Nitto NT05 tires, so I'm thinking the ST47 might be overkill? I've got to pull the trigger on in-stock pads on Monday to have them for the following weekend which is when I'll prepare the car for the next following weekend's event.

rmackintosh

I have used Raybestos for years. I love the longevity and the performance of the pads. I used Pagid before on Porsche Big Red calipers on a Camaro. I have worked my way up from ST42 to now using ST45s. The current brake system is Stoptech Trophy brakes and the pads that are in the calipers are now 7 race weekends old...no street driving. They actually were on the Camaro that I crashed in 2011 and totaled. To be fair, the weekend in the Camaro was SHORT....hehe...and one weekend in the Corvette had little track time due to other issues, but they last a long time and work very well.

lathrash

I was going to order a set of ST-43 pads from Porterfield but they didn't have any in stock and suggested going with the ST-45.

The information from the Raybestos website suggests they are a bit more aggressive than the ST-43...
Raybestos Pad Compound Comparison

Supercharged111

Do you run the ST45 all around or staggered? Do they feel like they'd overwhelm a street tire or would it be fairly easy to modulate? How hard are the 45s on rotors vs the 43s?

I hadn't seen that yet, just the useless marketing hype. The worst part appears to be the increased harshness on the rotors, but the increase in torque looks marginal.

rmackintosh

I would guess the 45s are harder on the rotors...but I am still on first set of rotors. They seem to be starting to get heat checked now, so they are probably a little harsher on rotors than before. I use a 45/43 combo, but do not know that it is necessary--then again, this is a full race setup with a balance bar, and currently I am dialing more brakes back to the rear and haven't hit the limit yet.

I don't know about these for the street. They need a lot of heat to work well. If you were careful I guess they could work, but would annoy me. The 45s are more like an on/off button. They hit hard and bite hard. I don't have ABS, so I don't know how that would work with it, but it may be an issue on street tires. If you are looking for a compromise pad, I would think 42 or 43.

Supercharged111

Yeah, I thought 43 too, but they don't have any in stock. I wouldn't run these on the street, rather on street tires at the track. I have separate street pads/rotors.

kmagvette

XP10 F, XP8 R on the track is a really not enough pad. Most run XP12 F, XP10 R with good results. I have been quite happy with that combo for several years.

X25

I am running ST43s all around on StopTech 380mm front / 355mm rear. ST43s are the quietest ones Raybestos manufactures, work great when cold, too, and are actually quiet enough on StopTech calipers so I can just use them both on the street and at the track. I love not having to change brake pads before every track day

Our cars already come equipped with electronic brake balancing should the brake force get unbalanced, and both StopTech's BBKs and the OEM brake calipers already balance the F/R distribution by using different # of pistons and piston sizes. In my opinion, the benefits of using staggered setup is highly exaggerated. The OEM setup uses the same pads everywhere to start with, and I don't buy that just because friction coefficient is increased, the balance would be substantially lost.

I think the biggest benefit of using less aggressive material in the rear is protecting the rear rotors from unnecessary abrasion that would be caused by more aggressive pads. Oh well, ST43s are extremely friendly to rotors anyway.

ST45s are marked as noisier than ST43s. If you have the slightest intention of trying to use this set-up at the street as well, I'd stick to ST43s and wait for them. Porterfield usually gets a new shipment every other week.

Note: Even though they are quiet enough on StopTech calipers, ST43s were very loud on stock C6 Z06 calipers. Considering I have never seen even 1 race pad on C6 Z06 calipers that is also quiet enough cold and hot, I believe it's due to the insane design of running 20 padlets.

theVcar

I just got an email from

http://www.bestbrakes.com/c/home
Good luck. I run DTC70 fronts, but was thinking on those 45' s

Supercharged111

Longevity is the only thing shying me away from the 12/10 combo at the moment. I think I'm going to DD the 10/8 until they're dead, so much more stopping power than the street brakes.

I thought the stagger was retarded too, but I recently read a snippet where the real intent, according to some, is that the rears run cooler than the fronts and the lesser pad out back ensures it hits its sweet spot in the temperature range where it's happy. I'll have those stickers on my calipers for this next event, so I can see what runs hot/cold.

Also, according to the chart that was posted, the 45s are quieter. The chart illustrates a very modest increase in friction, but rmackintosh has indicated that the difference is quite noticeable. The increase in rotor wear looks noticeable. Fvckin Raybestos, way to screw me over on this track day.

I'm on the fence here, wondering if the initial torque of the 45s can overcome the mushy pedal I get when hot, thus keeping the pedal high enough to not affect my driving? Then again, the 43s might be that much better and do it too while remaining more rotor friendly.

X25

Actually, ST43s are quieter. The higher number indicates less noise

Supercharged111

Geez, I went back and re-read the whole chart to make sure I didn't misinterpret anything else! 45s must howl, because aren't the 43s pretty loud until you heat them up?

X25

I'm not sure why, but they are not loud at all on my StopTechs. They were, however, incredibly loud on my OEM C6 Z06 calipers and OEM EvoX Brembos.

Supercharged111

What a relief! As of last Friday, Porterfield was still waiting on a ship date from Raybestos, which made it sound like they hadn't yet shipped, which is why I started looking into the ST45. I called again today, my no shjt last day for me to order pads for the weekend, and they'll have 'em tomorrow, which means I get them (ST43) Friday/Saturday, so no need to substitute a pad that might not be ideal for me. Also, the UPS man dropped off 4 new tires, and the Fedex man owes me 2 wheels tomorrow.

lathrash

Sweet. I'll order a set of them as well then.

jcsperson

I just got off the phone with them after ordering a set of ST-43s so their lack of inventory must've been temporary.

lathrash

Ya. I just got a set from them about a week ago.

Supercharged111

Lovin these pads.