Brake pads for track

[d_a33]

I am going on a track day soon and just wanted to know from your experience what is the best track pads are and should i just change the front or the rear as well.

[MartG]

Change all four.

As for pads, there are probably as many opinions as there are drivers , and a lot depends on how heavily you use the brakes. I've generally been OK with EBC Redstuff all round, but some folk prefer Yellowstuff. If you've got the money though Carbotech ones are reputed to be excellent.

[WeirdNeville]

IMO you can't beat Ferodo FC308's for front pads. You can get them in halfords (but don't let that put you off!) for £17.

They're excellent both on road and track. I've hammered them at Silverstone and Brands Hatch and they are consistant and do not fade.

If you're doing a proper track day or are going to make a habit of it, you should really overhaul your brakes. Standard stuff is fine but it needs to be in good condition.
First things first, flush your brake fluid unless it has been done less than 6 months ago. Older fluid will boil, and this is when your pedal goes all mushy and you can't stop.
New brake discs at £30 a side add more meat so the discs themselves heat up less quickly. A clean flat braking surface never hurts either.
I'm also in the process of fitting braided brake lines, just to improve the braking feel and to get rid of the perished looking rubber brake hoses.

So, have a think about how much you want to spend and then sort your brakes in the order Fluid change>Pads>Discs>brake lines IMO.

[widster]

IMO you can't beat Ferodo FC308's for front pads. You can get them in halfords (but don't let that put you off!) for £17.

They're excellent both on road and track. I've hammered them at Silverstone and Brands Hatch and they are consistant and do not fade.

If you're doing a proper track day or are going to make a habit of it, you should really overhaul your brakes. Standard stuff is fine but it needs to be in good condition.
First things first, flush your brake fluid unless it has been done less than 6 months ago. Older fluid will boil, and this is when your pedal goes all mushy and you can't stop.
New brake discs at £30 a side add more meat so the discs themselves heat up less quickly. A clean flat braking surface never hurts either.
I'm also in the process of fitting braided brake lines, just to improve the braking feel and to get rid of the perished looking rubber brake hoses.

So, have a think about how much you want to spend and then sort your brakes in the order Fluid change>Pads>Discs>brake lines IMO.

This is good advice for me too. It reminds me that it has been a few years since i changed my brake fluid so probably overdue now. Can you remind me what type of brake fluid to use? I think i used DOT5.1 before?

[Bender Unit]

Mintex 1144 – good cold response, massive amount of bite and no fade even after 30 hard laps. Perfect for a lightweight car. Also do the rears as well as the fronts, the rears do as much braking as the fronts do on the MR2.

Fluid wise get that racing blue brake fluid, by all accounts great stuff for serious track use. Will be doing mine shortly.

[System-G]

Beelzebub! You guys can't be serious about those Ferodo FC308's

Seriously one of the worst pads I've ever entertained. And entertaining they certainly were after they nearly caught fire during sighting laps

Never again.

Yellowstuff all the way Or Carbotech if your wallet can streatch

[Jim-SR]

my preference is with Ferodo DS2500's. awesome pads, ive not used better. i cant stand EBC products, never got on with green stuffs and i just wont use the other types based on that, im not going to waste my money on trying their products. Ferodo DS2000, 2500 and 3000's all work perfectly depending on the temperatures involved (2000's for road, 2500's are in between, 3000's lack bite from cold for comfortable road use) so i just stick with what i know.

ive heard some good things about Performance Friction pads which are now available for the mk1. and also Carbotech have a very good reputation, albeit at a price. they are probably the best pads available, but for what they cost you could buy a set of ST185 Celica front brakes lol

[Tiny]

Beelzebub! You guys can't be serious about those Ferodo FC308's

Seriously one of the worst pads I've ever entertained. And entertaining they certainly were after they nearly caught fire during sighting laps

Never again.

Yellowstuff all the way Or Carbotech if your wallet can streatch

Yep i agree with Garrick on this I nearly set fire to a set trying to keep up with Lee and James from 3S over a set of stop start roundabouts. (do have warped discs though...) GT4 calipers and discs picking up tonight will cure that though.

[System-G]

Jim, you just can not compare the Greenstuff with their others
That's like comparing £12 ebay specials with Carbotech

I did 3 years of experimenting with various pads/disc combinations on road & track using my 1a. None of the Ferodo's held up well at all.

The only combination to work on the car was yellowstuff with standard or grooved discs. The grooved discs are good for "slicing" glazed pad material off, but you'll get longer life out of using standard discs. I wasn't prepared to fork out for Carbotech's though, but have driven cars with them fitted and they're truly awesome, but not £170/axle awesome.

I still can set fire to Yellowstuff if I try hard enough, but they keep working and biting really well hot & cold no probs.

I am tempted to try a full set of Bluestuff...

Each to their own on the subject though...

Tiny - GT4 brake conversions are a complete and utter waste of time, money & effort. I know more owners who have fitted them and taken them off again than owners who have left them on. You'll need to suit the rears and then you'll also need to get a suitable capacity master cylinder and a controlable brake bias for it all to work properly. And if you're going to these measures - you may as well run a dual cylinder setup. Just not worth it when the standard setup can stop the car on a penny

[Tiny]

they are not the full 4 pot GT4 205's they are the twin 165s.. Trust me anything is better than the 1a brakes that just keep warping (even after fully rebuilding the calipers new disc pads fully regreased the works they still warp. And for all the hassle to go to 1b brakes i thought i would go to 165s after getting a set for £50

1b rotors 165 calipers braided lines

mk3 rear rotors and mk2rev1 rear calipers Ive driven a car with them on the stock master cylinder and braided lines and the difference was huge in comparison to 1as and for the cost of buying 2 lot of carbo techs i can use bog standard oem components and have greatly improved braking.

[WeirdNeville]

This is good advice for me too. It reminds me that it has been a few years since i changed my brake fluid so probably overdue now. Can you remind me what type of brake fluid to use? I think i used DOT5.1 before?

DOT5.1 is good, but you do pay a premium over DOT4. I would say it's most important that it's FRESH. DOT5.1 accumulates water quicker than DOT4 so if you change it infrequently it might be a better bet for you.

Make sure to avoid DOT5 or Silicone based brake fluid. It's horrid stuff, it eats the seals in "normal" braking systems and once you've put it in it will contaminate your system for ever, making other brake fluids useless.
DOT5.1 is Glycol based and can be safely added to DOT4 fluid though.


Re the Ferodo FC308's IMO it only goes to show how subjective the whole issue of Brakes and Brake feel, durability, repeatability varys so much from driver to driver.... All I can say is, I've never had a problem, they've lasted well on road and track, and I wouldn't consider myself easy on the brakes by any means.... You know that last marker countdown on approach to roundabouts? It's a badge of honour that you're still doing 100Mph as you pass them (on your private road).

[System-G]

they are not the full 4 pot GT4 205's they are the twin 165s.. Trust me anything is better than the 1a brakes that just keep warping (even after fully rebuilding the calipers new disc pads fully regreased the works they still warp. And for all the hassle to go to 1b brakes i thought i would go to 165s after getting a set for £50

1b rotors 165 calipers braided lines

mk3 rear rotors and mk2rev1 rear calipers Ive driven a car with them on the stock master cylinder and braided lines and the difference was huge in comparison to 1as and for the cost of buying 2 lot of carbo techs i can use bog standard oem components and have greatly improved braking.

I think you need to have a drive of my car (or any other car I've done the brakes) then

I've run 1a's extremely hard on track since 2003/4 and have never warped a disc. The cars stop on a penny

The only initial problems were finding a pad that could cope. Since that was acheievd, I've had no probs.

I think this will be my last post on brakes as I'm starting to sound like a stuck record

You can all learn by your own trials and errors

[Tiny]

using the stock 1a oem rotors?

I thought the whole point of Toyota going to the larger thicker disk on the 1b was due to the 1a discs having a habit warping?

[System-G]

using the stock 1a oem rotors?

I thought the whole point of Toyota going to the larger thicker disk on the 1b was due to the 1a discs having a habit warping?

Yup 1a stock sized discs from Brakes Int. com

The only discs I've warped on a MK1 have been Black Diamond grooved on a 1b - which brings to mind - never, ever buy drilled discs
Grooved OK, but dilled... Nnnnooooo
Worst thing about it, it wasn't even my car

The upgrade of brake components on the 1b was because the SC was being planned/in production. You'll also have noticed the change in suspension to accomodate the extra weight and different weight distribution etc...
It had nothing to do with warping discs.

[D]

Hi,
I decided that I don't make a big brake conversation now. It wasn't an easy decision. So I'd like to buy a good pad and a rotor then.

I think I should buy Yellowstuff or Carbotech.
But I don't know which carbotech compund should I use?
Are there anybody how used carbotech? Which rotor is good for them?

Previously I used Toyota rotors(with ebc red), but they gone wrong. Sorry I don't know, how to say it in English. So I think once I made them too hot and after that they weren't flat, so they shakes the steering.

Guys, I know this is a boring q but please answer it.

Many thanks Daniel

[MartG]

Previously I used Toyota rotors(with ebc red), but they gone wrong. Sorry I don't know, how to say it in English. So I think once I made them too hot and after that they weren't flat, so they shakes the steering.

Daniel, warping the disks is actually quite rare - what happens is that pad material gets deposited unevenly on the disk making them judder so people think they are warped when they aren't. A couple of hundred miles of normal driving often fixes this, or cleaning the surface with an abrasive can also help.

Pads - I'm happy with EBC Redstuff all round, but others who brake harder than me use Yellowstuff, so that could be a good choice for you.

[cartledge_uk]

I think I should buy Yellowstuff or Carbotech.
But I don't know which carbotech compund should I use?
Are there anybody how used carbotech? Which rotor is good for them?

I use carbotech XP8's and the cheapest rotors I can buy, I go through rotors quicker than the pads (which is good as the rotors are cheaper).

But carbotechs are very expensive, and I would say first of all change all the fluid, check the brakes are working correctly and perfectly, and jsut try some basic fast road pads, if you then think you need more, then upgrade.

[aw11rally]

I am having real trouble finding pads for my road car (mk1.5).

I've just been on the phone to tweeks for about 40mins while the guy there phoned pretty much every pad manufacturer (he was very very helpful, and usually gives good discount if you ask )

So.....I need help.

Front calipers are ST185 for which mintex, ferrodo, pagid etc etc etc list nothing.

Rears are MR2 turbo, tweeks quoated £100 for 1144's delivered in about two weeks.

Can anyone help?

The car currently has EBC(rap) red duff all round, no bite, no feel, very noisy when really pushed about the only good thing is that the dont fade they just keep on going just not very well.

Should I try EBC yellow all round?
(These are available for both calipers, delivered tomorrow)

[D]

I think I should buy Yellowstuff or Carbotech.
But I don't know which carbotech compund should I use?
Are there anybody how used carbotech? Which rotor is good for them?

I use carbotech XP8's and the cheapest rotors I can buy, I go through rotors quicker than the pads (which is good as the rotors are cheaper).

But carbotechs are very expensive, and I would say first of all change all the fluid, check the brakes are working correctly and perfectly, and just try some basic fast road pads, if you then think you need more, then upgrade.

Really you change the rotor more often than the pads ? How often?

I have rbf600 now, Stock callipers weren't refurbed but I think they work perfectly. (What will I feel if they gone wrong?)

Goodridge lines also fitted.

I want to have the best solution.

Why xp8? My car with me around 2600lbs, toyo r888. Should I use xp10 or 12?

[Jim-SR]

I am having real trouble finding pads for my road car (mk1.5).

I've just been on the phone to tweeks for about 40mins while the guy there phoned pretty much every pad manufacturer (he was very very helpful, and usually gives good discount if you ask )

So.....I need help.

Front calipers are ST185 for which mintex, ferrodo, pagid etc etc etc list nothing.

Rears are MR2 turbo, tweeks quoated £100 for 1144's delivered in about two weeks.

Can anyone help?

The car currently has EBC(rap) red duff all round, no bite, no feel, very noisy when really pushed about the only good thing is that the dont fade they just keep on going just not very well.

Should I try EBC yellow all round?
(These are available for both calipers, delivered tomorrow)

Ferodo DS2500's are available for both those calipers. try motorsportworld.co.uk