Brake Pad options

[TX3 Rally]

What options are out there for brake pads these days - we've just upgraded the brakes significantly now which will help heaps (but only if my nav remembers to call the calls of junctions that have the spectator points on them ). Unfortunately my favourite option for brake pads (EBC Yellows) don't appear to be available in the new pad sizes that we will be running, so I need to know a bit more about what other options are out there - as always any help is much appreciated.

[TX3 Rally]

Originally Posted by Karl Willett

Depends a lot on what your budget is obviously.

Oh the budget is well and truly frooted.

Any rough idea of price on the Ferodo's? and who sells or distributes them?

[Ric Cary]

Originally Posted by TX3 Rally

Oh the budget is well and truly frooted.

Any rough idea of price on the Ferodo's? and who sells or distributes them?

Specialised Brake and Clutch 02 9623 8070

they also have SBS pads which I am using, used to use the DS 3000 but have found these better again Brad Goldsbourough used them last year as did Kev Shaw and John Mitchell not cheap but ya gets what ya pays for

[afifield]

Another vote for SBS ceramics from SBCS. They're the best pad I've used.

[Matt Dyne]

Another tick for DS3000's.

If you do a search, there's been a few threads on this subject too.

I paid about $800 for front and rear for the Celica, but they have done nearly 6 events and are still halfway.

Matt

[Glen]

DS3000.

I can't imagine your car being too hard on the brakes so I would imagine a set of quality pads (DS300, Pagid Blue etc) will last you more than a season.

[rowdytoot]

Another happy DS3000 user here.. I do get fade on long stages, but I suspect that's more due to fluid boil and lack of heat capacity in the tiny non-vented discs and the thumbnail sized pads in the gemini, than the compound.

smee ran Pagid RS4-2's and I ran a couple of events with them, they were possibly slightly better but ~twice the cost.

Rowds

[Swill]

DS3000 front and back for me as well in the Commodore. And like Karl I came form Pagid Blues. $500 was what they set me back. Lasting very well for a 1500kg car, longer than the disks anyway. Apparently the DS3000s come in 3 different compounds as well ?


And Rowdy, you the man Ive never even come close to brake fade

[Spac]

I used DS2500s in the RX-7. About $400 for all four wheels, and I never went close to fading them.
Seem to be a lot kinder on discs, and work better when cold than the DS3000s.

I figure this makes sense - I'm a lot slower than Karl or Matt, and the RX-7 has vastly superior brake hardware than the Gemini.

[AV1611]

Dark horse in the field....

Lucas LM116 compound. Must be from Europe (Spain), not any of the other Lucas pads. They are rated by Race Magazine as being an awesome pad at a very, very low price compared to others.

I'm running them in my road car, and they are fantastic. Very dusty, but that shouldn't be an issue on your rally car!

Cost for my car was about $70 for fronts. Rears not available yet. If you are doubtful and live in Canberra, I can take you out for a fang should you seem sceptical that such a cheap pad could work so well.

[fro]

I've used QFM Comp 9s, and RaceBrakes Comp 15s in the front of the 180B.

QFM Comp 9s were great. $140ish for the axle set, great from cold and only got better with heat. I do remember them having fade once, but only the once. And knowing me, it was probably from something stupid, like having no rear brakes at all, or driving around with my foot on the brake.

I got RaceBrakes Comp15s when I needed new pads two days before Oberon, and they were what was on the shelf, and freightable that day. And cheap, like around $120 for the axle set. They're meant to be harder on discs, but I haven't noticed any massive disc wear yet. Not quite as good as the Comp 9s when cold, but fantastic warm. Rowdy can tell you how good they were from when I was bedding them in...

I'm sure neither option is as good as DS3000s, but they're cheaper, they fit the agricultural Commodore calipers I'm running, and I'm not going fast enough to need anything more flash.

[Bede]

I can’t drive my way out of a wet paper bag, so take this with a grain of salt…

I have rallied using the following pads:

Bendix
Ultimates
Metal King 2

EBC
Green Stuff

Pagid
Blue

Ferodo
DS3000
DS2500


Like most people have pointed out, it depends on your budget and personal preference with feel.

What do you really want out of your pads?

* Friction vs Temp
* Disc wear rates
* Pad wear rates
* Dust produced

From a scientific point of view, Ferodo DS3000 have the highest co-efficient of Friction over the largest temperature range - approx. 0.62 (claimed by Ferodo) from 200 degrees to about 800 degrees C. Check out this sit for more…
http://www.apracing.com/car/brakepad/performance.htm


A few tips for new brake pads and brake setups...

1. Lightly rub the pads on flat (but not smooth) concrete in a circular motion before you put them in.
2. Lightly rub the surface of the discs in a circular motion with approx. 240 grit emery paper. This is to remove any surface finish or sealant on new discs or any old pad material on old discs.
3. Make sure the mounting of the calipers is square with the discs (so the disc face and pad face are parallel).
4. Make sure there is minimal play in the wheel bearings (to help reduce pad knock-off).
5. Use a good quality brake fluid – brakes can reach very high temps and spending money on good pads can be a waste if the fluid isn’t up to the task.


thanks to dbasteve off PF here are the suppliers...

Barrie Smith Motor Sport = Pagid, Endless, Mintex
Competition Friction = Ferodo Racing
Motospecs = Formula Ferodo
Specialised Brake and Clutch = SBS (Denmark)
Race Brakes Sydney = Galfer
Race Brakes (Syd & Melb) = RB74

[rowdytoot]

Originally Posted by YRALLY

And Rowdy, you the man Ive never even come close to brake fade

it's pretty mild really, and it's not like I'm fast ,I really think it's due to the massive heat soak rather than my driving... (being a tubby bastard doesn't help either I guess!)

Back in the olde days of KE30 corollas in the adelaide hills, EBC blacks used to fade to the floor, pour smoke out of the front guards, and then come off the car crumbled into little bits...

but I've become more reasponsible since then!.. :p

Rowds

[rowdytoot]

Originally Posted by fro

. Rowdy can tell you how good they were from when I was bedding them in...

Mistake no.1 was getting in the car with fro
Mistake No.2 was having the harness in relaxed street mode, not "OMG I'm going to farqing die mode" when fro hit the brakes!...
They seemed good to me .. I dream of brakes that bitey and powerful in the gemini...

Rowds


edit- actually I dream of powerful bitey brakes surrounded by something that's not a gemini!...

[Matt Dyne]

Rowd's I think you're on the right track in checking fluids etc...I'd be very impressed if you could fade DS3000's.

In fact, reading the Ferodo literature, I'd reckon you could get away with DS2500's given the weight of the Gemini.

The Celica is a fat ****er (with even fatter ****ers inside it) so it needs all the help it can get...and like the others, I've not faded them.

M