Mike Siska

How good are they for an hpde?

C5inWV

excellent
way better than stock

xsiveone

They're good, but a little on the light side IMO. I've run XP8's on the front and Panther+ on the rear and that was a nice combo.

BTW.. Why Panther+? Is this for the street and the track or just the track?

C5 XTC

Ask a question about brake pads and you'll get as many opinions as you get replies. I have used panther plus for the last two years, mainly track but some street use. I have found them to be very dependable and they have lasted longer than I thought they would but I don't brake nearly as hard as others who will respond.
C5 XTC

sleeper02Z06

Depends on you. Your car can build a lot of speed even with a novice driver in it so be aware. I don't know your skill level but I would venture to say they will be fine. As with any pad though, tailor your driving to the equipment. If you begin to feel them going away, dial it back and work on everything else besides braking. Good luck!

Joe

jwt1603

I've run the Panther plus for a couple of years now (track only C4) and really like them but I do 85% auto-x with only a few high speeds per year. When I ordered my set for this season and talked to Carbotech they confirmed again that the Panther plus (recently renamed AX6) is their auto-x pad. They're OK for high speed once in a while but if you do it a lot they tell you to go to the XP-8, 10, 12 etc. According to Carbotech if it's a course that's not hard on brakes like Roebling or Nashville they work fine but if you run at a track with a lot of hard braking like Sebring they really suggest the other pads.

Call Carbotech and talk to them. Great people and they will answer all your questions.

Here's a quote from their webpage....

Carbotech™ AX6™ (1106™): The AX6™ takes the place of the Panther Plus™ compound that was so successful. AX6™ was specifically engineered for Autocross applications. A high torque brake compound delivering reliable and consistent performance over a very wide operating temperature range (150°F to 1250°F +). Advanced compound matrix provides an excellent initial “bite”, high coefficient of friction, and very progressive brake modulation and release characteristics. AX6™ offers high fade resistance, rotor friendliness at all temperatures, excellent cold stopping power, and non corrosive dust. As a result, AX6™ is an excellent choice for Autocross & novice track day drivers and beginner high performance driver education (HPDE) drivers on street driven cars using street tires eliminating the need to change brake pads at the track. AX6™ has gained tremendous popularity with SCCA Prosolo/Solo2 competitors for its fantastic bite, release & modulation. Many drivers use the AX6™ for street driving as well, even though Carbotech doesn’t recommend street driving with AX6™ due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise. AX6™ is NOT a race compound, and should not be used as such. AX6™ shouldn’t be used by any intermediate or advanced track day drivers, and should not be used with “R” compound tires (racing tires). Cars in excess of 300hp and/or 3,000lbs should not use AX6™ for any track use.

Mike Siska

Thanks for all the replies. I usually do FATT's at Summit Point (six of them in the last few years), but have done HPDE's at Nashville Speedway and Pocono.
I plan on doing the NCM HPDE at Putnam Park in October in my Z06 with street tires (MPS2's). I haven't installed them yet (running ceramics right now). And will install and bed them in this fall. Sounds like they will be ok though.

rocsvette

You should be fine at Putnam however for C6 Z06 people should bring an extra set of pads (stock is fine) just to have in case they wear out their track set. This is unlikely for this event as it's a one day but definitely recommended for any 2 day event. We tested many factory Z06s at our HPDEs and this advice is based on that experience.