I'm going to jump in and replace my front brake pads MYSELF. I'm going to AMVIV 4 and doing the Phil Wicks Driving Academy. Waaa-hooo!

He suggested some higher performance pads, at minimum, on the front. Apparently the ABS system gets a bit crazy with hot brakes. I'm going to get someone there to do the fluid. Never bled brakes before.

Anyway, aside from the How-to already posted, any suggestions on a mixed use pad? Any other pointers?

Thanks!

 

I have the EBC GreenStuff pads on my MC and they work fine for twisties, street and occasional track use. I'm pretty happy with them as they are not noisy and don't dust a lot, either...plus, I have around 27,000 miles on them and they are still in really good shape.

My MCS has Hawk HPS pads now. I like them so far but haven't gone to a track with these yet. They are not noisy and seem to be pretty good in the low dust category. Before the Hawk pads, I had Ferodo DS2500 pad on the front. They grip super on the track but I didn't like their noise and dusting, so that's why I went with the Hawks.

 

Get two sets of pads. Street and track. I am very suprised that EBC Greenstuff worked on the track. I run the DS2500s and I can get them to fade on the track. And that is at Streets of Willow (not a fast track) on street tires (original runflats and Azenis 215s) so I cannot strees enough to have two sets of pads. AS th other guy said the DS2500s are not so awesome on the street. And once you change the pads, you will see how easy it is to change. When I prep my car for the track, I can change to track wheels and do pads in 30-45 minutes tops. You will only need to change the fronts.

 

Thanks for the input. Phil (Driving School) mentioned the Green Stuff pads another guy recommended the Ferodos. Nice to know what real life experience is. What about the brake fluid? Never done that (and not sure I want to). Do you guys feel it is NECESSARY for a school/track day?

I'm going to go for the front - DYI. Going to try the Green Stuff - reasonable price and good input.

 

I would not recommend Green Stuff for the track - once they get hot, they're useless (and they will get hot at Pahrump, just based on intel I received from friends that have run there).

Brake fluid is an absolute must before you hit the track - swap it with Ate Blue, Ate Typ 200, Motul RBF 600 or another comparable fluid. Most DE's around here won't even let you on the track without a tech inspection that shows your fluid has been flushed within the last year...

 

Hmmmm...when I talked to Phil Wicks, the only pad he mentioned was Green Stuff (mixed use).

Not sure what to do, just ordered the Green Stuffs.

Thanks for the info on brake fluid. I'm going to have someone else do it - here or Vegas.

 

Give them a shot - I've never had any luck with them, personally. Here in the heat of Texas summers, on the track and autocrossing, the Green Stuff turn into giant blocks of superheated brake pad that don't like to stop... When you're hauling the mail down the straight and hit the brakes and nothing happens, well, that's generally not a whole lot of fun...

But, not everyone has the same experience... YMMV!

 

YMMV? My goal is to IMPROVE my experience. Hmmmm...going to Vegas? Ever done the 'academy'?

 

ive ran ds2500 and yes they do fade.,... but they are phenomenol before it, and they endure alot better than stock pads.. time after time...

for pure track work, i'd recommend something like DS3000, but a friend of mine fried his in a single weekend... but he said they were absolutely amazing

 

OK. I'm really confused now. Ordered the Green Stuffs then read some of this. Called the place I ordered from for input. One agent says RED, another says GREEN until I tell him what the first said.

I was thinking maybe YELLOW.

ARRRGGGH. RED seems overkill (ceramic). Any reason to try and change from GREEN to YELLOW?

 

My point was only that not everyone seems to have the same experiences with brake pads... Some people are just easier on their brakes than others (meaning they're either not going as fast, are driving a better line, or a myriad of any other reasons). So, for some, EBC Greens work just fine. I've cooked a couple sets, personally - one while instructing at autocross school, and one while instructing at a DE. In these cases, it was a combination of high ambient temps, lots of hard braking zones, and not a whole lot of time for cooling.

We'll be in Vegas, yes... I've never done the Phil Wicks Academy, but I've done plenty of DE's... We'll be doing a couple sessions in our Cooper at AMVIV...

 

I'm just going with the Green. Like you said...it will vary.

Btw, what does 'YMMV' mean? Ummm...Your...something...May Vary...
I know I'm going to say 'Doh!' when someone clues me in.

EDIT: Doh!!! Just went out the door to leave...MOTOR...Your MOTORING May Vary?

 

I decided to go Ferodos with my rear drilled Brembos

 

Its been said but, ebc greens wouldn't be a good choice for track duty (nothing scarier than that brake pedal dropping to the floor as you trying to make a turn in cone). Other than them wearing strange (more than likely a bad set of pads) I really liked the mintex 1144's held up well at watkins glen and pocono and were livable on the street, just use a bunch of antisqueal (I liked the firmer pedal feel they gave, I switched back to oe pads in the rear when the 1144's craped out and the pedal felt comparably mushy). Other options I've heard are good are Hawk HP+'s and if your really after a set of track pads go mintex 1155/66's hawk ht-10's or ferrodo DS3000's. My next set of brake pads will probably involve a combo pad (1144, hp+) on the rear with a street pad (red box, HPS) on the front and I'll switch to a track pad (1155, ht-10) for hdpe just to avoid the PITA of retracting the rear calipers

 

Hey, I like that definition - more appropriate than the Your Mileage May Vary that I intended!

 

Definitely Ferodo DS 2500 for track days,

Some of you mentioned brake fade with these pads, Are you sure it was not you brake fluid getting too hot.

I use the Ferodo DS2500 with motul RBF600 for the track, with no issues at all, this is also the same set up I use on my street car.

Stay away from the Ferodo DS3000 unless it is a full race car (no street driving.

Victor

 

what do you all think of pads made by akebono? I looked at them becuase they were ceramic and would cut down on the dusting I get with the OEM ones.

 

Good ceramic street pad - but will not take hard use very well.

 

I'm using Carbotech 10's now. I 've used Frodo2500's in the past. Found that the Carbotech's had better cold / initial bite and didn't fade. The small track I go to is very hard on brakes, so it a good test of how well things are working. There are four short straights of 70 to 80 mph with six 25 to 45 mph turns in between (mostly 25/35). First time I did the track, I had stock pads with SS lines and Mutol 600. In three laps I had bad fade and by the 5th the fluid boiled and the pedal went to the floor! I've been to the track 5 more times sense. I've switched to Castrol SRF which has cured the boil problem. By the way, I still have the 10's on and they work great in COLD weather (8deg). If anything they bite a little better. HMS Motorsport said they would work in cold weather (I didn't really think they would).

 

Not sure about akebono, but the Hawk ceramic are great.
You would not belive how clean your wheels are with these pads.

 

Brake pads are like ice cream.....too many flavors.......and everyone has different taste...some like it sweet, some like it sour.

 

DO you still havr these pads and how do they grab compared to the stock unit?

 

just a question on brake pads, if I'm going at a corner and I apply force gradually to the brakes and they start slipping and grinding do I need new pads?

 

The best way to check your brakes, is to look at the pads and see how much pad material is left.
For track use, we do not recommend using pads that have only 25% left, it is time to replace them.
Also, for track time, you should really consider using better brake fluid.
hope this helps

Victorr

 

No one has mentioned it but it should be obvious. Change your fluid before but also important...AFTER your track days. The best is Castrol SRF - not the stuff you get at Autozone - at $100. Motul RBF600 -Dot4 - Do not get 5.1 is outstanding and also not easy to find so you might need to order it. Go back to Valvoline Syntech for the street.