Brake pads - Yellowstuff/Porterfield/Carbotech/Hawk etc

[RobPhoboS]

Hey guys,

Apologies for 10000 posts/questions on this stuff.

I'm just about to revitalise my brakes, and I've hit a bit of a conundrum, which really comes down to price.

My current set up on my rev 3 NA, are standard discs, yellowstuff pads and motul RBF600.
So I'm sticking with new, standard discs (brakes international), the motul fluid but am now doubting my original idea of going for Carbotech AX6's due to the total cost

Carbotech + discs + fitting = £535 approximately

I can do that at the moment but Christmas is coming up quickly, and I want to purchase some other toys for myself as well, so I'm thinking perhaps I'll get some AX6's in 6 months time. I do want a set of the buggers though.

I thought I'd quickly work out the cost for the EBC pads (as an example), which is a lot easier to take.

Yellowstuff + dicss + fitting = £290 approximately

However I'm wondering what other pads could be worth checking out ?
I've no problem with the yellowstuff pads, although I didn't ever get to feel them at their best as I think the discs they went on should have been replaced ages ago. Also another friend runs the yellowstuff pads in the MR2 championship and thinks they are fine.

My usage will be, a few track days + 'ring, plus the typical journey to work (b roads).

The only other companies I've found are:

Porterfield R4-S
Hawk HP Plus (not sure on price nor where from)
Carbone Lorraine RC6 (£327.77 about the same as carbotech's)

Cheers for any thoughts !

[dantheman]

Whilst i have never used yellow stuff pads on track, ive been told a number of times than EBC pads are awful. I run carbotech XP8's (which are expensive) and they are absolutely fantastic. They have done over 10 trackdays and theres about 2/3 of the material left. ive been told EBC pads will only manage 3 or 4 before they need changing. Price isnt everything, you gotta think about value for money.

On that note i hate paying labour cost. How much are you paying for fitting? ~£100? You can by a jack for 40, 2 axle stands for 20, a basic ratchet set for 50, a breaker bar for 20 (or torque wrench for 35) and a tin of copper slip for 5. So thats £150 for the equipment to do it yourself (less if you already have any of that) and every subsequent time after that and any other basic jobs. Changing pads and disks is a very easy job to do, 3 hours max for all 4 corners.

Also i realise this is a really small amount of money in comparision but i used to run that Motul fluid. An automotive engineering friend of mine pointed out it is a DOT4 fluid. What you want from brake fluid on track is the highest boiling point possible. The DOT4 requirement is lower than the DOT5.1 requirement. So you can have a highly engineered DOT4 (motul) or this stuff: http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_255218 which has the same or higher boiling point. Ive run it on multiple trackdays and its never boiled. It should be cheaper too.

[dazzz]

My yellow stuff pads are good for the road but i don't think they would be good on a track day.

When i went to the ring they fadded fast. Maybe it was the brake fluid, i ran 5.1 but have bought some RBF600 for next time.

I'm also looking to get a price on the carbotechs form America / Mexico.

I will have carbotechs next time i go to the ring

[dazzz]

A good read.


http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic. ... highlight=

[RobPhoboS]

Cheers for the input guys.

I guess the trouble with saying X is good, and Y was bad is a tricky thing due to multiple factors.
ie: was the brake fluid fresh/discs good condition etc etc

dantheman:
I was quoted £60 to change discs & pads.
I've got all the kit to do it myself but I don't know if I can be bothered at the moment, not sure.
Also I bought a box of the RBF600, so I don't need to purchase any more for quite some time
+ I'm happy with it

I did have someone that may have been able to pick up Carbotechs from the States for me but I'm not sure when they are next out there.
I still don't understand why it's more than double the cost to buy them in the UK

[gazrev1tubby]

I've got ferodo ds2500 pads, and they're awesome

[RobPhoboS]

I've got ferodo ds2500 pads, and they're awesome

Front and rear ?
Can't seem to find much info on them.

[Rob]

I have to say that I am royally disappointed with my yellow stuff pads. Bought them new with CRN grooved disks and they feel dangerous despite 2 brand new front calipers and the backs working ok.

I will retract this if it turns out that my brake servo cylinder or another component is duff......

[RobPhoboS]

I have to say that I am royally disappointed with my yellow stuff pads. Bought them new with CRN grooved disks and they feel dangerous despite 2 brand new front calipers and the backs working ok.

I will retract this if it turns out that my brake servo cylinder or another component is duff......

Even my ones on worn discs stop well, and definitely don't feel dangerous.
I just don't know how many laps I could get in (say Silverstone) before they cry mercy.

[g.lewarne]

i got a rev1 with the original smaller discs -

running mintex M1144s up front and BlackDiamond predators at the back

stops awesome and I have yet to have them fade even when i tried to

as for their actual performance - on the M5 had to brake very hard to avoid a t**t, and I outbroke the M5 beside me (05 plate) and he was doing the same speed. Wether he was pushing less hard or not i dont know, but it was a full on emergency situation and i stopped about 5 metres before him

good combo, at least for the way I drive it

KarlBristol has been in my car and can confirm the braking performance

[Keri-WMS]

It's worth remembering that stopping distances alone can be a bit misleading as there are more factors invloved than brakes...

- If you out-brake the car next to you once, chances are your grip is better (a function of tyres primarily, unsprung weight, shocks, brake bias vs conditions......as well as brake feel). (and the fact we have mid-engined cars with wide rear tyres!!! )

- If you out-brake the guy next to you several times in a row or progressively more and more over several stops because his brakes are overheating / fading, that is where better brakes are making the REAL difference.

Hope that makes sense!