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Thread: Brake pads for track car

  1. #1
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    Brake pads for track car

    I run an e36 328is with an s54 conversion. I have the Massive big brake kit on the front and e46 325 rears. Was running Hawk HT10 square but wanted more up front so run the Wilwood Poly H compound. Lately a lot of the Camaro crowd has been raving about the Raybestos ST 47 pad. They spec out near the same. Interesting is that the Raybestos pad is @$160 cheaper per set. I instruct so I do get to ride in a lot of different cars and I will say this about the Camaro. When these boys hit the brakes the stopping power is amazing. In a normal season I need three sets of fronts so it's worth kicking around. So far the Hawks and the Wilwoods have been fairly kind to the rotors but reports are that the Raybestos is a little tougher. ANyone have any experience with the Raybestos?
    Thanks
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  2. #2
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    As you know, ideal pad selection for any one driver is very dependent on a billion things. But here goes.
    I've got 4 days on ST47s (E36 M3, 2370lbs empty). High initial bite, Hi mu. Wear rate seems pretty good (roughly 1mm / weekend), but too early to know for sure. Also too early to tell about the rotors (but I use $50 rotors, so I won't really care). Finger nail test of rotors says they're still smoooooth.
    Because of their hi mu, trail braking is a little harder to modulate, but I think my brain will adjust. I don't think it's a hysteresis problem, I just need to adjust to the lighter pedal pressure.
    It's odd, but because I'm using less pedal pressure now, the whole braking system seems to be working much better, much more consistent. This I really like. Hard pedal pressures seem to f-up the vacuum/booster assist on my car and make braking pressure and pedal feel somewhat rpm dependent. That problem is mostly gone with the ST47s.
    With the ST47s, I'm considering a booster delete (and the other required mods to make pedal pressure reasonable).

    I've not run a ton of different pads; PFC08 (my go to and previous fav), PFC11, Ferodo DS1.11, and ST47s.
    Want to also try the ST45s (liked by many), and the Ferodo Dsuno.

  3. #3
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    Thank you for the info. My pad journey has been mostly by recommendation over the years. Started with Performance Friction 01 and liked that. Think th 08 is/was the next generation. Ended up switching over to Hawk HT10 after stopping at Summit in Ohio on my way out to Gingerman and to PF that they had. I get great wear on the rotors up front and only changed them when I switched to the Wilwood compound. On the rears I usually run the cheapest junk I can find but the current rotors have actually started to degrade. Not form the clamping force but it the car sits for a bit I will get what looks like a rust line in the outline of the pad. After tracking a few times I noticed that it did not come off and found it was actually into the surface so those rotors are off.
    As for the Raybestos, I thought about the 45 compound based on their description but the graphs of the 47 most closely resemble the graph of the Poly H compound. I have had the initial bite of the Raybestos described as a switch, on/off so maybe that is not good but I think you get used to any pad with some use. I was just curious as the price is less than half of what I am using.
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  4. #4
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    Where are you pricing the ST4s?

  5. #5
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    Internet search shows less than $140 everywhere. Price on the Wilwoods lists out @$280 (Summit). These are for Wilwood or similar caliper. ST47r701t20 vs 15h-8114k
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  6. #6
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    Ok, if you can send me a link, for Raybestos ST47 pads, either front or rear, for $140, I'll buy 10.
    Seriously, a quick search shows what I would expect, $260-$320, depending.

  7. #7
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    autoplicity $136
    THmotorsports $137.23 Am I missing something? I thought the price too good
    IMG_3380[1].jpg

    - - - Updated - - -

    Are you running BMW calipers? I find that always jacks the price way up.
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  8. #8
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    Well....sale price, etc. Maybe.

    I run porche calipers up front, OEM rear M3 calipers.
    But I've never seen a race pad for any of my calipers that cheap.

    But I use speedfreaks, porterfield-brakes, etc.

  9. #9
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    So I'm not wrong? Never used them before and could not believe the price. That is why I started the thread asking if anyone had any experience. the 700 pad is even cheaper, which fits the caliper also. Can't figure it out
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  10. #10
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    I don't know. Porterfied had to make the pads for my calipers. So maybe your size is very common.

  11. #11
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    Well it says they are shipping direct so I will let you know but I just ordered two sets for the front. Guessing the front is a very common size. Sorry to get your hopes up on the price.
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  12. #12
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    Let us know!!!

  13. #13
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    No HAWK? That's what I run that are cheap, come in my 993TT FMSI shape and are reasonable all around just dust/noisy like crazy.

    I run DTC 60/30


  14. #14
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    Got into the habit of avoiding hawks, cause I heardz they were hard on rotors..and here I am trying out pads that are hard on rotors. lol.

  15. #15
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    As for the Hawk pads the HT10s were as easy as any pads I have run on the rotors, I have a set of fronts with 13k track miles that I have a spares and only pulled them off because I changed compounds. Just checking with a buddy that runs the ST47. Camaro pads front $350, his 95 Mustang $47. Apparently what caliper you are using makes a huge difference.
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  16. #16
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    Update after another weekend on the ST47s. There's a lot to like. But, they are harder to modulate. Only because they are so high grip, very little change in pedal pressure makes huge difference in grip. (A better driver than me may manage this.) I wouldn't run these with a booster and without ABS. If I keep the booster, I'll probably not use these and will try 45s. But these may be THE ticket for getting rid of that damn vacuum booster. I'll measure pad wear, and check rotor wear and report.

  17. #17
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    Thanks for the great feedback. I was told by a Mustang guy that they were like an on off switch. I have never had ABS in a track car but did order a standalone kit so I might wait to try them out until I install it. Looking forward to trying them and your next report!
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  18. #18
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    I cancelled my order from THMOTORSPORTS today. They say that the pads will not be shipped until 12-16. I have plenty of pads here but find it ridiculous that it should take two months to get pads. Either Raybestos or THM are not a serious company.
    Spent the weekend at CMP with the BMW club. Picked up a shudder under hard braking and looking into the source. Checked the usual suspects and everything is fine which leads me to think I could have uneven pad transfer to the rotors. I planned to put new rotors on when the new pads arrived but in the mean time am considering just hitting the rotors with a scotch bright pad and rebedding to see if there is a change. Not trying to save $$ on a set of rotors just trying to identify what is causing the judder in the front of the buggy. Any thoughts or experiences with lightly sanding rotors when putting in new pads?
    Thanks
    ME:"I want to make my car faster and lighter"
    THEM:" Get out and let someone else drive"

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cobra1956 View Post
    Any thoughts or experiences with lightly sanding rotors when putting in new pads?
    I've done this several times on a few different cars. I use a power sander and a rough grit to scuff the rotors. Never had a problem.

  20. #20
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    Porterfield-brakes got mine to me in about 2 weeks (including shipping). I think they make them there.
    I've had some luck sanding a rotor.
    Usually, a few laps with really hard brake usage will also clean up any snarf.

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