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Ok so lets talk brake pads....... Who is into what? Are any of you mixing compounds front and rear? What kind of life are you getting out of them?
RDP Store wants to know so we can build brake packages just for you guys to help you save big. Us at RDP Store can only track and race so many different vehicles and set ups.......WE want your input to help you
Ok lets hear what are all you running, Go..............
Previously: Carbotech XP12 front / Carbotech XP10 rear
Currently: Ferodo DSUNO (25mm) front / Carbotech XP10 rear
Future: Ferodo DSUNO (25mm) front / Ferodo DS1.11 rear, once I switch out the rear calipers later in the year.
I haven't run with the Ferodo's yet so who knows. They were recommended by Essex w/ AP's CP9668 calipers.
Stoptech ST60 Front and ST40 rear, with Stoptech "Street Performance" pads for easy brake tracks like MSR Cresson and TWS with street tires.
Cobalt Friction XR1 front and XR2 rear pads for hard brake tracks like Eagles Canyon and Road America with slicks.
- PFC01 front / PFC99 rear, worked great but 99's are no longer available.
- PFC01 front / Raybestos 43 rear, will try next month but I think the 43's may be too much for the 01's.
My grocery getter Corvettes run OEM pads and my autocross Corvette runs Hawk HP Plus pads. My OEM pads stop just fine for the groceries and my Hawk HP Plus pads are great for autocrossing. My C4 autocross car has the Baer 6 piston 14" rotor setup and the pads are barely worn after a full year of use and that includes two Optima events with the hot lap segments.
ST43s front and rear. Love these pads. Tried Hawk DTC70s and didn't like them.
Why didn't you like the DTC70s? I hope you were using these pads under extreme conditions such as road racing where the brakes experienced extreme high heat instead of grocery getting.
I've been running Cobalt Friction XR1s front and rear on stock brakes. I really like the fact that no precise bedding procedure is required for them to work well. We run weekends so I normally bleed my front brakes Sunday mornings I flip the pads while I'm at it to help reduce taper. I get around 3 weekends on a set of fronts and about six on a set of rears.
I upgraded to the AP Racing CP9660 calipers over the winter so I don't have any data for those. Cobalt makes the correct pad shape/depth for the CP9660s (AP19) even though Essex doesn't seem want to list it on their site (I provided them the drawing with Cobalt's blessing).
Why didn't you like the DTC70s? I hope you were using these pads under extreme conditions such as road racing where the brakes experienced extreme high heat instead of grocery getting.
I used them for three HPDE days at Sebring. Every lap has 4-5 braking zones of over 130mph. I found the DTC70s to have inconsistent bite with their friction changing during a braking zone deceleration. They'd start with low torque and then increase through the braking zone requiring lots of pedal modulation to keep a consistent decel rate.
They also destroyed the OEM rotors.
The ST43 pads wear much better, are easier on rotors, and have even and consistent torque.
Last edited by spearfish25; 04-03-2017 at 12:22 PM.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (track prepared)
C3 of Year Winner (track prepared) 2019
On my C7 Z07, I've used the Raybestos ST43s front/rear (iron rotors) and was really happy with the bite and pad life. Heavy car went through CCB brakes really fast.
Recently swapped to AP Racing/Ferodo DS1.11 and will possibly pick up some DSUnos next time I go to a high speed/heavy brake track. If those don't work, I'll swap to PFC 08s f/r
On my C7 Z07, I've used the Raybestos ST43s front/rear (iron rotors) and was really happy with the bite and pad life. Heavy car went through CCB brakes really fast.
Recently swapped to AP Racing/Ferodo DS1.11 and will possibly pick up some DSUnos next time I go to a high speed/heavy brake track. If those don't work, I'll swap to PFC 08s f/r
Also switched to AP recently, went with factory BBK front calipers and Ferodo DS1.11.
Stock rear calipers, XP-10's. ST 43's next for rears. Love the AP package (although found Ferodo's finicky to bed.)
Mostly Sebring, 13 GS.
Last edited by speedwaywhite; 04-04-2017 at 09:21 PM.
I don't like the hawk dtc-70 very much. Wear out too fast. Always been partial to PFC 01 or the newer varieties. have a bunch of 06 and 07 to use as well.
Extremely broad topic....there's no right answer here.
My customer base can get a number of answers on this. From a couple of street compounds to ones that will perform well in AX type of events only to ones that are dedicated open track use.
Variations in tires, track surface, experience, type event, speed, car weight, car balance, track demands.....The goal is good modulation with enough bite to slow to the needs of the event without fade over overheating.
Three common uses in Wilwood land:
Street: low dust, low noise, long wear. BP10 or BP20
Autocross: cold response, decent wear, no fading, no grabbing, good recovery. BP20s, and Poly E.
Open track: fade resistance, even torque curve, reasonable wear rate, not overpowering. Poly B for the DOT street tire and new driver, moving to Poly H for the more experienced and dedicated race rubber, to possibly Poly A with extreme demands (hard on rotors)
Never expect all of that from one pad. Just doesn't work that way.
Try to stay "in family" meaning swapping from mfg to mfg can be problematic.
Don't worry too much about what "the other guy" is using. Use what works for you to start. Then explore alternative compounds in family first before you jump ship just because the guy who won is using Brand X pads. It's more likely his experience level is the main reason he's winning not just his pads.
I tend to think that when shopping for brake pads it's always going to be a compromise - similar to buying a race engine, when buying a race engine you get to pick 2 of the following 3:
Power
Reliability
Cheap
When it comes to brake pads the 2 out of 3 are:
Longevity of pads
Easy on rotors
Cheap
Some examples - the experience of my customers and friends is mainly at Road America so YMMV.
Hawk DTC-70 or 70/60 combo - they are easy on rotors and fairly cheap but wear out more quickly
Raybestos ST47 - They lasted longer than the DTC-70 and are fairly cheap but seem like they are harder on rotors
Cobalt Friction XR1 - Easier on rotors and last longer than either of the pads above but they would not be considered cheap
Pads I would like to try are the Ferodo DSUNO and CL RC8 both pads that are on the expensive end of the spectrum but I would be interested in how long they last vs the cheaper alternatives.
04-02-2017, 02:01 PM
Lets Talk Brake Pads..........
