Looking for track car brake pads...
Discussion
As per the title really. What’s a decent set of track day pads that don’t cost the earth? They’re to go in my E36 saloon which will almost solely be used to track days.
I’ve seen the various pads available so I’m more interested in personal experiences with the various pads out there.
Cheers
I’ve seen the various pads available so I’m more interested in personal experiences with the various pads out there.
Cheers
Sammo123 said:
As per the title really. What’s a decent set of track day pads that don’t cost the earth?
In my experience, such a thing doesn’t exist. Good track pads, especially ones which work on a heavier car, are expensive. On the flip side, they should last a lot longer than cheaper pads.
I’ve tried a few different brands, but Pagid RS29 never let me down. I used them on my e36 and e46 M3’s and they wouldn’t fade all day.
EBC Yellow were cheap. Weren’t such good value when I chucked them in the bin after one day because they’d left pad deposits all over my discs and made the car feel like it was shaking itself to bits.
We race an E36 328 and have used both Mintex F4R and EBC Blue with good results, the Mintex last longer but the EBC’s are a lot cheaper and their performance feels no worse than the Mintex. For reference the car weighs about 1200kg, runs M3 calipers and CSL discs on the front and standards rear brakes and has won multiple races and championships.
Have you done the "e46 front disc/caliper/hub mods or are you on std e36 fronts?
Either way, I personally have used Pagid RRS29/Ferodo DS1.11/DS Uno on the front but I actually had TVR Tuscan/V6 Clio front calipers fitted to e46 325 discs.
All of the above work well and will cost probably 2 x EBC Yellows but EBC yellows never lasted a full TD at Cadwell.
All work well from cold & I either used Mintex 1144/Ferodo DS2500 on the rear depending what was available at the time.
I would usually still have half-worn pads by the end of the year and discs usually lasted 2 years, so there were large gains for both discs & pads for the more expensive pads making them a no-brainer.
Either way, I personally have used Pagid RRS29/Ferodo DS1.11/DS Uno on the front but I actually had TVR Tuscan/V6 Clio front calipers fitted to e46 325 discs.
All of the above work well and will cost probably 2 x EBC Yellows but EBC yellows never lasted a full TD at Cadwell.
All work well from cold & I either used Mintex 1144/Ferodo DS2500 on the rear depending what was available at the time.
I would usually still have half-worn pads by the end of the year and discs usually lasted 2 years, so there were large gains for both discs & pads for the more expensive pads making them a no-brainer.
You could step off the beaten path and go for something like Carbotech. Old school phone up/e-mail and order them.
http://www.carbotech-europe.com/
I've had XP8s and I've been happy with them (MK3 MX5 and GT86). XP10 might be good for more track focus/heavy. (Compared to EBC yellow stuff which I'd kill in a day, I get multiple days out of these. Plenty of squealing on the road though.) Your mileage may vary, I've never had them on your car etc etc.
http://www.carbotech-europe.com/
I've had XP8s and I've been happy with them (MK3 MX5 and GT86). XP10 might be good for more track focus/heavy. (Compared to EBC yellow stuff which I'd kill in a day, I get multiple days out of these. Plenty of squealing on the road though.) Your mileage may vary, I've never had them on your car etc etc.
I have an road/track E30 with E36 M3 Evo brakes up front. I've used Carbon Lorraine RC5+, EBC Bluestuff and Pagid RS29.
The CLs and Bluestuff I found to offer very similar performance, with the Bluestuff being somewhat cheaper. Both are way better than OEM pads with regards to bite, feel and fade resistance.
Although the CLs last significantly longer. The Bluestuff can feel a bit wooden for the first heat cycle or two but then are fine. No such issue with the CLs.
CLs squeal a little on the road and don't come with anti-rattle clips so you can hear them move around in the calipers at low speeds. The Bluestuff pads had decent road manners.
But the RS29 trumps them both. It is the most expensive. But it's also the best performing and longest lasting. Noticeably so on both counts.
The CLs and Bluestuff I found to offer very similar performance, with the Bluestuff being somewhat cheaper. Both are way better than OEM pads with regards to bite, feel and fade resistance.
Although the CLs last significantly longer. The Bluestuff can feel a bit wooden for the first heat cycle or two but then are fine. No such issue with the CLs.
CLs squeal a little on the road and don't come with anti-rattle clips so you can hear them move around in the calipers at low speeds. The Bluestuff pads had decent road manners.
But the RS29 trumps them both. It is the most expensive. But it's also the best performing and longest lasting. Noticeably so on both counts.
Another convert for performance friction. Used to track an e36 and e46 bmw with ebc yellows and then ebc blues. Neither lasted more than 3 days, before they were down to the backing.
Switched to PF08 compound, and while they are twice the price of ebcs, after 8 full trackdays, theyre only half worn, so way better value. And perform great.
As an aside, get your temps under control and all brake pads will last a lot longer. Get some ducting on the front discs, do cool down laps and they'll be a lot happier.
Switched to PF08 compound, and while they are twice the price of ebcs, after 8 full trackdays, theyre only half worn, so way better value. And perform great.
As an aside, get your temps under control and all brake pads will last a lot longer. Get some ducting on the front discs, do cool down laps and they'll be a lot happier.
nickfrog said:
Mintex 1155 or Ferodo DS1. 11. I run the Ferodo on the M2 and really happy with them for track and road.
They should be significantly cheaper than the RS29s... if they exist for that caliper
I used to run 1155s on my track CRX. Used to work all day on an open pit lane with Castrol SRF and standard OEM sizing/calipers. Only thing was they monstered the EBC blank discs compared to road pads. They should be significantly cheaper than the RS29s... if they exist for that caliper
I used the 1155s on the road getting to tracks, though they're strictly not a road pad. Behaviour cold/wet was fine.
What is the weight of the car? DS2500 I always think of as a road pad unless you are very light.
Another vote for RS29 (sorry) although the EBC Blue pads look interesting. Terrible experience with Yellow and Red in the past, on an E36 M3 Evo. I suspect faster but possibly comparable weight to yours, and this was in a Brembo caliper.
Another vote for RS29 (sorry) although the EBC Blue pads look interesting. Terrible experience with Yellow and Red in the past, on an E36 M3 Evo. I suspect faster but possibly comparable weight to yours, and this was in a Brembo caliper.
Blues are fine l. Ran them on e36 e46. Yellows I wouldn’t bother unless you had too. They disappear in a day and judder. I really like the rc5 and rc6. They have been my go to pad for years. Xp8 and 10 and rs29 also all excellent but more pricey. The Cl’s and carb are noises on the road tho. Blues are quiet but I never found them particularly linear or feel some unlike the cl’s.
It's going to depend on the car - you need recommendations from owners of similar BMWs. I run DS2500 in a caterham, and they're great. As to being a 'road' pad, I'm sure there was some nomenclature in the instructions that said they weren't really suitable for the road (but thats just H&S, they're fine)..
Anyway, I digress. The caterham is light, and has plenty of brake. My limited experience of BMWs suggests they're rather under-braked on a stock setup, so you'll probably need something more 'exotic' to cope with a lot of heat. It might be cheaper to upgrade the whole system (e.g. it sounds like there's a stock swap from another model) then run more 'vanilla' pads, than to run something more exotic which is invariably expensive. Bonus is that they might also work at low temperatures.
Anyway, I digress. The caterham is light, and has plenty of brake. My limited experience of BMWs suggests they're rather under-braked on a stock setup, so you'll probably need something more 'exotic' to cope with a lot of heat. It might be cheaper to upgrade the whole system (e.g. it sounds like there's a stock swap from another model) then run more 'vanilla' pads, than to run something more exotic which is invariably expensive. Bonus is that they might also work at low temperatures.
I have a 4 series 430i that I use as a daily/track car which has the Blue Msport brakes. Only using it whilst I save for a dedicated track weapon but it still goes considering it's quite heavy.
I used the standard pads at Oulton Park with ATE Superblue and didn't have any issues for most of the day, although towards the ends I was getting some fade as the pace picked up.
Swapped to DS2500s for Cadwell and it was perfect, no fade and they took some beating. Checked them over after and as I say, heavy car and lots of abuse and still had plenty of life left in them.
They only give a mild squeak on really cold days or especially in lockdown when you haven't driven in a while.
I used the standard pads at Oulton Park with ATE Superblue and didn't have any issues for most of the day, although towards the ends I was getting some fade as the pace picked up.
Swapped to DS2500s for Cadwell and it was perfect, no fade and they took some beating. Checked them over after and as I say, heavy car and lots of abuse and still had plenty of life left in them.
They only give a mild squeak on really cold days or especially in lockdown when you haven't driven in a while.
Munter said:
You could step off the beaten path and go for something like Carbotech. Old school phone up/e-mail and order them.
http://www.carbotech-europe.com/
I've had XP8s and I've been happy with them (MK3 MX5 and GT86). XP10 might be good for more track focus/heavy. (Compared to EBC yellow stuff which I'd kill in a day, I get multiple days out of these. Plenty of squealing on the road though.) Your mileage may vary, I've never had them on your car etc etc.
Second vote for XP8s. Had them on my Evo for years, don't think there's much better out there for stopping power. http://www.carbotech-europe.com/
I've had XP8s and I've been happy with them (MK3 MX5 and GT86). XP10 might be good for more track focus/heavy. (Compared to EBC yellow stuff which I'd kill in a day, I get multiple days out of these. Plenty of squealing on the road though.) Your mileage may vary, I've never had them on your car etc etc.
They are dusty and can be a bit noisy though.
Lucifer197 said:
I have a 4 series 430i that I use as a daily/track car which has the Blue Msport brakes. Only using it whilst I save for a dedicated track weapon but it still goes considering it's quite heavy.
I used the standard pads at Oulton Park with ATE Superblue and didn't have any issues for most of the day, although towards the ends I was getting some fade as the pace picked up.
Swapped to DS2500s for Cadwell and it was perfect, no fade and they took some beating. Checked them over after and as I say, heavy car and lots of abuse and still had plenty of life left in them.
They only give a mild squeak on really cold days or especially in lockdown when you haven't driven in a while.
DS2500s are a great compromise for a car that gets occasional use on track. I ran them on my Mini, and the difference to OEM on the road was imperceptible. I swapped to Carbotech XP8s as the Mini became a predominantly track car, and they are painfully noisy on the road (but incredibly fade-resistant on track).I used the standard pads at Oulton Park with ATE Superblue and didn't have any issues for most of the day, although towards the ends I was getting some fade as the pace picked up.
Swapped to DS2500s for Cadwell and it was perfect, no fade and they took some beating. Checked them over after and as I say, heavy car and lots of abuse and still had plenty of life left in them.
They only give a mild squeak on really cold days or especially in lockdown when you haven't driven in a while.
The Ferodo pads might not be the last word in high performance, and they might not win the internet top-trumps of "Who's got the most expensive/extreme parts fitted?", but they are an excellent compromise.
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