Racing brake pads for stock 3.2 Carrera

[jimbauman]

What's the latest concensus on the best racing brake pad for a stock 3.2 Carrera (for big track DE events)?

Thx,
JB

[Jeff]

I'm using Porterfield R4 compound and like them a lot. I have also heard good things about Performance Friction 97 compound, but have no personal experiance with them.

[cbeers]

I just put in the Ferodo 2500s and notice a nice gain over stock. These are the only non OEM pads I have used though.....

A day at Sears = almost no wear
(of course, I am a new track driver, so I am sure that could change)

-Chris

[Dixie]

You'll never get a consensus on the best brake pads...

As for me, on a pretty-much-stock Carrera, on Khumo MXs, I like Hawk HP+ pads. They're cheap, adequate, and I don't have to swap pads between events.

For a race oriented pad, I've always liked Carbotech pads. I've run them on everything from a Miata, to a Corvette. You can call Larry up and discuss your needs. He really knows his stuff.

[Driver8]

I have been running KOOL KEVLAR racing brake pads for years on my 3.2. They work very well and don't need to get hot to work. They are a great DE pad. Pete Tremper sells them through DER SIX ENTERPRISES. You can contact him at tremper9146@aol.com or 856-881-7049 or http://hometown.aol.com/tremper9146/

Please feel free to tell him I sent you.

Aaron Ambrosino

[KTL]

Funny thing to note here.

I believe Porterfield R4, Kool Kevlar, Carbotech are all similar in the sense that they use the carbon-kevlar formula. I could be mistaken though. Lots of people have good results with the carbon kevlar pads. Price is good on them too.

A bunch of my friends (Souk, cstreit, Ray 911s, jstein, PorscheGuy79, et al.) all use PF 97 pads with great success. I plan to use these for the upcoming season. A little more pricey than the carbon kevlar flavors. But the 97's are up to the task for full-on racing. That's how cstreit (Chris) uses them

As for the Ferodo DS2500? They're good on lighter cars. CPlavan (Chad) uses them on his '69S 2.5 racecar. Says he loves them. Apparently his racecar is light enough to not overtax the brakes. I've used them on my stock '87 with Yoko ES100 street tires and front cooling scoops. I got significant pad deposition and a low, pulsing brake pedal (got really bad at Gingerman) using them this past DE season. Could be my braking, but I don't think i'm that bad at it? So for your stock 3.2, i'd stay away from the Ferodos. Give the Kool Kevlar a try? I'd try those myself if I didn't have a local source for PF97 pads.

[Dixie]

Porterfield R4, Kool Kevlar, Carbotech are all similar in the sense that they use the carbon-kevlar formula.

I believe you are correct. But I suspect it goes beyond that. These companies make the end product, not the pad material itself. The pad material comes from some supplier. And who knows, maybe they all get their material from the same supplier...

[hagfish2]

I have used the Porterfield R4's and Pagid Orange with good results. Getting more longevity from the Pagids. But you pay 60% more, so you better.

A lot of the club members in North Texas are using Hawk Blue on their 3.2 Carreras. For me, my next pad is the Pagid Black, which gets you one notch above the carbon-kevlar compounds. It's a ceramic material.

[88 Club Sport]

I have used Hawk HP+'s for the past two seasons and while they are an improvement over stock, they do not last very long.....maybe 4 weekends per front set.....5-6 for the rears. When it comes to wear, what do you guys see ? Is my wear excessive or normal given the abuse?

Heat is also a huge issue so I plan to add brake cooling this winter.

[hagfish2]

Aren't HP's a street/track pad? If so, they will not last long on the track, as you are discovering. Actually, I'm not sure many true track pads last more than 3 to 4 DE's. My .02

[Dixie]

I have used Hawk HP+'s for the past two seasons and while they are an improvement over stock, they do not last very long....

Based on my experience, that sounds about right for any pad. Some will get a touch more, some a touch less, depending on the track, and driving style. What a "racier" pad, like Carbotech’s XP-8s, offer is a nicer "bite" when applied, better torque, better release, better temp. resistance, and ease of modulation.

All that said, keep in mind that the limiting factor in your brake system is your tires. Unless you're running 'R' compound tires, a "race" pad can easily overpower the tires making the car harder to drive.

Heat is also a huge issue so I plan to add brake cooling this winter

Heat will shorten pad life, as well as affect brake performance. You are wise to add the ducting. It will make a huge difference. Even the AJ kit that attaches to the A-arms will make a huge improvement. I bet you'll get another day or two out of a set of pads with the ducting.

[KTL]

I believe the Hawk blues are the pad of choice for the Carreras? A friend uses them on his 78 SC and swears by them. A little harsh on rotors though.

See? The list keeps getting longer! Brake pads are kinda like motor oil. Everybody's got their own personal taste.

Can't agree more with the comment on cooling. The whole point of bigger brakes is to have a bigger heat sink. If you can accomplish the same goal (more heat capacity) without increasing the size of the brakes, by all means do it!!!

[Dleong]

I'm surprised no one mentioned Pagid Orange. That is what I ran on my Carrera. It was the pad of choice for the GGR time trials. Pretty expensive though.

There was always a wide variety of performance results amongst all of us Carrera drivers. A couple of guys on this list, who ran fast times were always working on their brakes, and had a pool of fluid under their car, while others, wondered what the fuss was about. That last second or two, (depending upon driving style) really took their toll on brakes.

[PeteBrown]

I've used Hawk HP+s and ATE Super Blue and used boil my brakes on hot DE days.

I switched to Porterfield R4s and Motul 600 and no longer boil my brakes and the pads are lasting longer, 10+ DE days vs. 6-8 on the HP+s.

Car is a fat '87 coupe weighing 2805 without me on S0-3s, 22/29 bars and Bilstein sports.