I'm looking for a new set of pads for my MCS. I'm currently running EBC reds with the R56 from calipers. When I took it to the track at Buttonwillow I was getting some serious brake fad. Now I'm looking into carbotechs and would like some input from those that are running their pads. Any recommendations should I just go with their street compound or should I invest in their autocross pads?

 

Get stainless brake lines to help eliminate the fade.

 

Sorry forgot to mention that. I've got SS brake lines with slotted WMW rotors on r56s calipers with ate super blue.

 

How often are you tracking it? That would help to determine pads.

 

i track my car about 3-4 times a year.

 

Hawk HPS Street would be what I would suggest. Its a high-performance street pad with much-improved braking performance and significantly reduced brake dust. The HPS pads are perfect for drivers who don’t want an ordinary replacement pad and want something that will hold up for aggressive street and light autocross/track driving.
In addition, the HPS pads are easy on rotors. And Hawk stands behind their pads with a limited lifetime warranty against defects.

 

Check this out also
http://www.soloracer.com/minisetup.html

 

If you're tracking the car use the carbotech track pads on the track. You'll need XP10 front, XP8 rear. The street pads wont hold up on the track but work very well on the street and have low dust. The auto x pads work great on the street and auto x but can't handle the heat of track use. The auto x pad is also very dusty.
We keep carbotech pads for in stock. http://www.sneed4speed.com/carbotech...pads-for-mini/

 

Do you recommend taking the pads out after the track day? Or are they driveable on the street?

 

IMO you would want to swap them out...when cold..like on the highway, the first application would be pretty bad bad...
One pad cannot do it all...but consider the pad swap and a bleed/flush to be a VERY good step to track prep your car...then just put the street pads on when done.

 

Thanks for the info. I always do a full brake fluid flush before hand so it wouldn't be too much work to swap pads. I'm guessing most people swap them at home, then just keep their distance on the highway to and from the track?

 

You can run the Carbotech track pads on the street, they work fine but are VERY squeaky. They work about as good as OEM when they are cold. DO NOT run the Hawks they will eat your rotors for lunch if they aren't at temp. I have the ran Carbotech Xp10/Xp8 on my MINI for months when I got to busy to change them. It just sounds like a school bus when you stop at a light.

 

Not to thread jack, but I'm running the AX8s and was going to try a novice track day or two this year. Am I looking at trouble if I run the autox pads then? What about the otherway around? would the XP10-8 combo be autocross viable...I do 20+ events.

 

If it is your first track day I would make sure every thing on your car is in good shape. Your first time out your ax6 would be ok, if you were to get them really hot you will were the pad faster but you still should be ok.

If you do more events then I would look at getting a set of track pads.

 

If the track is a low braking track, you have brake coolers, the outside temp is cool and your in the low speed groups you should be fine on AX6s. You'll notice as they get hot your braking distance will increase but they wont just go away like a stock pad. They will also wear quicker than the Xp10 on track
The Xp10s will work better than a stock pad at the auto x but not as good as the Ax6. If you do mostly auto x i would stay with the Ax6. Once you move up in the groups on track you'll want to move to the Xp10 because you'll be going alot faster into the brake zones.
As long as you stay in the Carbotech line you dont have to rebed when you change pads. So if you run the Ax6 and then install the Xp10s for a track day your good right away. Same for the Bobcat 1521 street pads, you can move to the higher pads without rebedding everytime.

 

Thanks. I've been looking for a new pad to use and hopefully something that would be usable on the street between events. Since noise isn't an issuie ill be placing an order for those pads soon! Anything else I should know about them? Are they fine to run in the winter or is that too cold for them?

 

They work in the winter too. They are the easiest track pads to live with I've found.