Brake pads (Page 1 of 2)

"overkill" and "brakes" should not be together in any sentence that does not also include the phrase "there is no such thing as".

We use stock Mopar front rotors with viper calipers using plates we made ourselves (this is obviously not an over-the-counter swap).  We were using the stock single piston calipers with Porterfield brake pads but we cracked the pads during the Toledo 24 Hour Race so we switched to the Viper calipers.  The rear brakes are Mustang Cobra single piston stuff again using our homemade brakes to mount them on the Chrysler 8 3/4 rear end.  The stock C-Body brakes (front disc/rear drum) worked just as well as our current set-up but our rear drums were manually adjusted so by the end of the race we had to double pump the brakes every time we used them.  We kept the costs down for this conversion by making our own adaptors to make everything work.  We also had to run 17 inch cragar steel rims that we had to grind down the inside to clear everything.

We used Porterfield R4 pads, front and rear, on stock 10" rotors at New Orleans. Stainless steel lines and Ford heavy duty brake fluid. No cooling ducts. 750 racing miles later the front pads were at 10%, the front rotors cracked to hell, but it still stopped good. The pedal travel had gotten a bit longer though. The rear pads are 75%.

We brought spare calipers, pads, rotors and hoses(stock rubber) just in case.

For the next race we are using the same setup plus cooling ducts. Or maybe some kind of freon cooled brakes..... Still working the bugs out on that one.

FYI, the Ford HD fluid used to be the shit, but they (very quietly) changed the formula to low viscosity for new ABS systems in cold weather.  The wet and dry boiling points are no longer what they used to be and I would not use it for track duty.  Get yourself some good ATE or Motul.

This is our first Lemons, so teh results are TBD, but we will be running stock solid rotors in the front and drums in the rear of our ~2400lb 260Z.  Both ends will have Porterfield R4-S pads and ATE fluid.  We also plan on running ducts to the fronts and SS hoses F&R.

We run Porterfield R4s all the way around on the 240Z.

I upgraded to rear disc brakes and vented front rotors as well.

We use Valvoline Synthetic brake fluid which ha s aHigh dry-boiling point of 480 degrees.

Just says it surpasses specification for ..... minimum wet boiling point is 311 degrees.

We have three races on the front pads and two on the rear and everything is still happy.

While full on race pads are more expensive, they seem to last much longer.  If that is correct, they are less expensive, safer and more reliable in the long run.

Then there's the rubber stuff.  Ask Tunachukers how their lines worked out for them.

ATE is fairly proven, and isn't all that expensive, plus for last minute bleeding switching between the gold and superblue makes it easier and saves you a lot of guessing and extra fluid.  The ford stuff is good, but I've never used it for anything but hydraulic clutches since ATE makes the whole process easier and works well.

as a follow-up to this for the Maxima brakes all we did was turn the original OEM rotors and installed the HAWK DTC-60 pads.  We bought ducting but didn't install it, nor changed the brake fluid from DOT 3 to DOT 4.  I must admit I was worried because the first time we came of the track they smelled - just bedding them in I guess.  Afterwards they were great.  No fade no over heating, no brake fluid boiling or busted lines.  I think the pads are the single most important factor

I'm not exactly sure which brake pads are on the 928 estate...either porterfield R4's or hawk 60's or 70's.....on stock 1984 single piston 928 brakes....with stock rotors but DAMM they work....typically track driven 928's with street-ish pads get brake fluid so hot it "spits" out the top of the fluid reservoir..but I saw almost zero spitting with these pads.....

The wear on the pads over the weekend was also quite low...but the rotors are a bit worn...with some heat stress

We ran Carbotec XP-10 front and XP-8 on back of our Miata with all else stock and could not be happier with the setup!  After weekend backs look new still and fronts are about half gone.

We run stock Miata rotors and street pads with zero issues... yes, street pads.

The key is keeping the brakes cool. Our brakes get a TON of cooling airflow since we don't have a front bumper or fenders. Bad for aero; great for brake cooling.

With this setup we experience no fade and great pad life. In fact we've run the same set of pads for two races, and they still have enough meat on them for a third race.

Summary: run big nasty cooling ducts from the front of the car to the rotors.

Porterfield pads after a day and a half: