brake pad suggestions - Tuner-Junction

njn63 · #1 (**permalink**) March 10th, 2006, 12:20 PM

I'm going to be doing my first track day on May 26th and one thing i want to make sure i do before is my brakes. What would you guys suggest for pads? I've heard lots of good things about Hawk's and Carbotech's so that's the brands i'm leaning towards at the moment.

hcarcrx · #2 (**permalink**) March 10th, 2006, 01:28 PM

what track are you going to do???
i like hawk pads

mad-ass · #3 (**permalink**) March 10th, 2006, 02:45 PM

axxis and hawk pads are good

njn63 · #4 (**permalink**) March 10th, 2006, 04:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcarcrx

what track are you going to do???
i like hawk pads

blackhawk farms. It's in northern Illinois. I can't remember who is putting on the track day but it's $155 and they're talking 2-2 1/2 hours of track time.

hcarcrx · #5 (**permalink**) March 11th, 2006, 01:55 PM

its a nice track. its not too pricy for a track day!!! take some in car footage!!!!

apexinghonda · #6 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 11:00 AM

Is your car a daily driver or not? Or is it a weekend car and/or like mine just a dedicated track car? That will help determine your pad choice. I really like the carbotech pads and have been using them on my cars for the last four or five years.
http://www.carbotecheng.com/main.htm
Hawk pads at least the Blues use to eat rotors "for breakfast" and were corrosive to the paint you had so much cast iron being shaved off the rotors. I think now they may have gone more to a formulation like Carbotech. Carbotech are some kind of semi-mettalic/ceramic set up I believe. The are rotor friendly which I like. They dust like a bitch but then that is what you get when you are rotor friendly. That is a non-issue for me.

I have been running 1109s on my CRX with now the Type R brakes up front and previously with the OEM CRX brakes on them. As I have mentioned in prior threads at the "other place" with the OEM rotors being ducted I was getting them hot enough in 3 hours of track time to thermal stress crack the rotors all over. The ends of my rotors would be blue when I would be through for the weekend. Yet, I never once experienced pad fad with the carbotech 1109s. They would use extra thick backing plates for me with the OEM rotor set up anticipating the abuse they would see. I thought that was a nice touch. I had a track weekend coming up quickly and they cooked a set of pads for me in a rush one time. So I like their service. They aren't cheap but being able to stop with authority is something you don't want to skimp on.

If you car sees double duty, I would recommend the 1108s. They bite sooner at a colder temp for street use and are good to 1350 degrees. I used them on my twin turbo Supra for track work and never experienced any issues with them (3400lb. car).

I have the rear disc conversion on my CRX and use the carbotech bobcats on the rear. I am still getting a good bit of lockup in some turns in the rear but not flat spotting the tires but then FWD can smoke a rear tire at the threshold sometime. Unfortunately two weekends ago I was chasing a friend in a modded Z06 deep into turn 2 at Barber, felt the "floaty" feeling that I know is front brake lockup but it was too late to modulate and well my brand new Kumho V710 left front got a flat spot. They are more sensitive to braking pulse spikes than RA-1s (which are heavier and not as sticky) and so I put that one tire down to the price of learning about the tire. The next lap when I came into turn 2 there it was a nice fresh wonderfully arcing tire mark deep into the entry of the turn. Thumpa, thumpa, thumpa. New one here this thursday for Road Atlanta this weekend.

Barry H.

Barry H.

njn63 · #7 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 12:36 PM

yeah, my car will see double duty for sure (probably way more street than track). I just figured this was a good excuse to replace the brakes as i don't want to go into a track day with old brakes and then proceed to beat on them for 2 hours. Thanks for the help.

hcarcrx · #8 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njn63

yeah, my car will see double duty for sure (probably way more street than track). I just figured this was a good excuse to replace the brakes as i don't want to go into a track day with old brakes and then proceed to beat on them for 2 hours. Thanks for the help.

make sure you bleed all new brake fluid thru out the entire system

njn63 · #9 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hcarcrx

make sure you bleed all new brake fluid thru out the entire system

for sure. That's probably going to be the next thing i look for suggestions on.

hcarcrx · #10 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 03:29 PM

i use ate super blue brake fluid

apexinghonda · #11 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 07:49 PM

for the ATE Super Blue. For those not familiar with it when you get it too hot, it turns from blue to amber. Don't ask me how I know.

Good price. I have run that a bunch of times but went dumb one day and bought the Castrol bling brake fluid (all the world challenge teams use it!Well I have to have it then) for freakin $68 a litre. BUT it really works.

By the way duct your brakes. Some zip ties and brake duct hose typically does it.

Barry H.

hcarcrx · #12 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apexinghonda

for the ATE Super Blue. For those not familiar with it when you get it too hot, it turns from blue to amber. Don't ask me how I know.

Good price. I have run that a bunch of times but went dumb one day and bought the Castrol bling brake fluid (all the world challenge teams use it!Well I have to have it then) for freakin $68 a litre. BUT it really works.

By the way duct your brakes. Some zip ties and brake duct hose typically does it.

Barry H.

brake ducting just took some thinking and routing and rerouting of the brake ducts till you get it the way you want it!! lots and lots of zip ties

njn63 · #13 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 08:00 PM

dumb question but how much brake fluid does a crx take? I figure both of you guys would know this.

Oh, and is the Hawk HP+ pad compariable in performance to the Carbotech or which one would be the best street/track pad. I like what i hear about the Carbotech but the price has got me seriously considering Hawk's.

hcarcrx · #14 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by njn63

dumb question but how much brake fluid does a crx take? I figure both of you guys would know this.

Oh, and is the Hawk HP+ pad compariable in performance to the Carbotech or which one would be the best street/track pad. I like what i hear about the Carbotech but the price has got me seriously considering Hawk's.

it took about a quart of brake fluid to 100% flush my system, starting w/ the rears. and from there on out i just bleed them before every track day. usually about three ot four pumps of the brake pedal on each corner.
i have never ran carbotech's so i could not tell you about them what so ever.
i have a set of prototypes brake pads from wilwood, if i rember correctly they are a ploymatrix style pad??

i like them, sad that im on my last set!!!

scottigee · #15 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 09:28 PM

Awesome pad info fellas

Barry (or anyone else with a rear disc conversion) Did you drive the car when it had drums? I'm wondering what the improvement is from drum to disc...if it's worth it.

jadkar · #16 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 09:38 PM

I used Combalt up front and Axxis in the rear on my NSX with insane results. On the CRX Brian at Fast Brakes hooked me up with cobalts all the way around. I haven't had a track day with the REX yet.... can't wait. Oh I also run ATE SuperBlue, the stuff is worth every penny!!!!

njn, your gonna have such a great time!!! Your gonna be addicted for sure!!

apexinghonda · #17 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 10:26 PM

No my car was already converted. The big thing for me is I can't stand drum brakes. They are a PITA. Discs are so much easier to work on.

Barry H.

scottigee · #18 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apexinghonda

No my car was already converted. The big thing for me is I can't stand drum brakes. They are a PITA. Discs are so much easier to work on.

Barry H.

Point taken, but with the huge front brake bias in my hatch, and your CRX you can pretty much set and forget your rear drums. That's why I'm wondering if it's worth it performance-wise to make the conversion.
There was a civic hatch in Sport Compact Car years ago...a red one with some frankenstein motor and everything tuned to the hilt...and stock drums out back

Makes me wonder...

anyway I'll stop pirating this great source for pad info

hcarcrx · #19 (**permalink**) March 15th, 2006, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jadkar

njn, your gonna have such a great time!!! Your gonna be addicted for sure!!

its worse than crack