Cheap pads - they rocked at the track!

[CL65 Captain]

OK... here's the story. Up at Mid Ohio this weekend and went through my set of Cobalt Friction Sport GTs. Actually with a 1/3 of the pad left one set cracked severely and crumbled. Last lap of the session coming into turn 1. Major fade (or so I thought). I hadn't shifted into 4th yet, so I let the engine brake a little and then turned in and floored it to keep it solid. Thank you Comptech Pro and Falken 615s. I think it was the fastest I have ever been through turn 1. :biggrin: BTW: Data logger showed a peak 1.52g on that turn that lap... highest I have seen yet.

So I had a set of OEMs that had about a little less than a 1/4" for Emergency get homes. I slapped them on for 2 sessions the next day, I pulled the wheel to check the pads. Well, they were OK for the drive home but marginal for another 30 min session.

At lunch I figured I take a long shot and check Adv Auto Parts up the street. They had some cheapo pads called Wearever Gold. $31 for the front axle. Yes $31. Well when I opened them up to put them on I saw the Made in Mexico. At this point I figured I'd skip the last session and put these pads on since I already had one caliper off. Then I thought, well I might as well run the last session and just take her easy, go through the motions and work on using less braking and other things. After all these were cheap pads, no chance for bed in and green.

After a couple of laps and the brakes seemed fine I started using them harder. Now I wasn't braking as hard or deep as with my Cobalt SGTs, but damn these things were as good as stock/maybe better as I really didn't get any fade - including the 130-80 back straight.

Now, granted I am running RB slotted 2 pc and have 2" cooling ducts from the front but these $31 pads really surprised me. I think these will be my new street & emergency pads. Switching to Hawk HP+ F/R for the track from the crumbling Cobalts.

Oh and for those that know Mid Ohio.
Fast lap for the weekend: 1:45.7 and fast lap with el cheapo pads 1:48.4 (didn't have the balls to run the back straight all the way up through 5th with el cheapos - held the top of 4th)

 

[NSXLuvr]

Based on what you have told us - you are too fast for Cobalt GT's. Those are intermediate pads(street/DE) use. You need real track pads, I would go with Carbotech XP10's or 8's or Panther Plus's if you don't want the squeal. They are rotor friendly too!.

I personally don't care for Hawk's. I have seen them crumbling a bit too often on a turbo miata.

GL.

 

[nsx2tall]

No personal experience with Carbotech yet, but I've heard good things. I just switched from HP+ to the HT-10 on my track STI. I was pleasantly surprised at the better bite I got at the track, especially deep into the sessions when the HP+ tended to just not give braking confidence. I have heard of Hawk being hard on rotors so I'll be keeping an eye out for that. I wouldn't go back to HP+ on the track, and I suspect that the HT-10 would work fine with careful braking at low temps to and from the track. It's not as if they were completely non-functional on the street...

As for the $31 pads-- I think you were daring to try them on the track and lucky that they worked. An interesting experiment nonetheless.

 

[CL65 Captain]

I just bought a set of HP+. I am still running street tires (Falken 615s) and not sure if going to a track pad will really help since the tire is limiting until I go R compounds. I have 2" ducts to the front and slotted RB rotors so fade doesn't seem to be an issue.

 

[nsxtasy]

I would go with Carbotech XP10's or 8's or Panther Plus's if you don't want the squeal.

Don't go with the Panther Plus if you don't want squeal. Based on my experience, they squeal LOUD.

I have heard of Hawk being hard on rotors so I'll be keeping an eye out for that.

I believe that is primarily with their "Hawk Blue" (9012) product, not their other pads.

 

[L8apex32]

Just as a point of reference on the Panther Plus pads, I just put on a new set on brand new rotors this week. Rears stayed the same. I did the bed-in procedure, unfortunately, on the street and not on the track.

That said, they squealed a medium amount the next day on the way to work. They have squealed less each trip and none today on the way to lunch.

This is my 3rd set of Carbotech PPs for mixed street/track use and I've been happy. NSXTASY and I have had somewhat different experiences with PP pads on the street.

Not sure if it matters, but I don't use any pad backing plates, anti-sieze or even those thin metal pad holders that come OEM. I just set the pads in the caliper mounting bracket, put on the caliper and go.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[NSXLuvr]

Don't go with the Panther Plus if you don't want squeal. Based on my experience, they squeal LOUD.

Thats Bizarre - I am on my 3rd set of Panther Plus. They used to squeel a bit for first few minutes. But now they don't squeel at all.

 

[nsxtasy]

Not sure if it matters, but I don't use any pad backing plates, anti-sieze or even those thin metal pad holders that come OEM. I just set the pads in the caliper mounting bracket, put on the caliper and go.

Same procedure here, and the loud squeal never diminished over time.