Track pads database?
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From: Columbus, Ohio
Manufacturer: Cobalt Friction (http://www.cobaltfriction.com)
Compound: XR2 Front / XR3 Rear (Carbon/Ceramic)
Operating temperature range: Unknown
Coefficient of friction: Unknown
Brake system: OEM Brembo
Application: Road Course HPDE
Price paid: 400$ (250FR/150RR)
Durability: To be determined
Rotors friendliness: Supposedly very user friendly
General impressions:
Here's a pre-track impression of the newest compound from Cobalt Friction.
These pads are marketed as a Spec VR on steroids sort of pad. Speaking with the guys at Cobalt Friction, they are really excited about it. Really really excited...
I've driven the car for a few days on the street now and I can't help but be galvanized by their performance. From low temperature (~Mid 50s), they will stop the car on the first brake application better than many high performance street pads.
They would be a bit hard to manage if I was on street tire. Initial bite is very good and predictable. The thing is the amount of torque being generated is phenomenal. As soon as the pedal gets solid, the nose of the car dives. You get more and more torque as the weight of your foot pushed on the pedal from the deccel. I sound silly saying that I know, but these pads are insane!
I thought the PFC 01 pads had the best torque so far. The XR2 eclipses them even before being bedded-in, and at street cold temps...
I'm going to the track this weekend and I'm really, really excited...
**** Update ****
Ok, so I used these at Putnam Park. Wow, brake torque is excellent and linear. Initial bite is very strong and the brakes feel solid all along the brake zone. I like these a lot.
The brake release characteristics that I like on the SpecVR is similar, but the amount of torque makes it a bit harder to manage. I've had some issues with the cars electronics (BA or EBD) holding the brake a fraction of a second longer and that unsettled the car at turn-in.
One thing to keep in mind, the XR2 are not to be used with street tires. Use the XR3 instead. The initial bite and torque is high enough for the ABS to kick in immediately on cold RA1. I can't imagine a street tire being able to generate enough grip. I'm talking of a few pounds of pedal pressure here. I could not achieve full braking until the tires were hot. It takes a while to get used to them. Taking a cool lap at Putnam took the my aging tires out of the optimal temperature range, so even then the first hard braking was delicate.
The rotors aren't showing any sign of wear at this time, after ~200 miles of track.
These pads work surprisingly well on the street. Squealing a bit. Braking from reverse though is extremely loud! Weird directional phenomenon... I use the e-brake when backing up.
I have yet to get some telemetry data, but braking for turn one at Putnam Park, from ~120 mph to ~60 mph (to slow for the turn in fact) was done in 100ft (if the track markers are right).
Compound: XR2 Front / XR3 Rear (Carbon/Ceramic)
Operating temperature range: Unknown
Coefficient of friction: Unknown
Brake system: OEM Brembo
Application: Road Course HPDE
Price paid: 400$ (250FR/150RR)
Durability: To be determined
Rotors friendliness: Supposedly very user friendly
General impressions:
Here's a pre-track impression of the newest compound from Cobalt Friction.
These pads are marketed as a Spec VR on steroids sort of pad. Speaking with the guys at Cobalt Friction, they are really excited about it. Really really excited...
I've driven the car for a few days on the street now and I can't help but be galvanized by their performance. From low temperature (~Mid 50s), they will stop the car on the first brake application better than many high performance street pads.
They would be a bit hard to manage if I was on street tire. Initial bite is very good and predictable. The thing is the amount of torque being generated is phenomenal. As soon as the pedal gets solid, the nose of the car dives. You get more and more torque as the weight of your foot pushed on the pedal from the deccel. I sound silly saying that I know, but these pads are insane!
I thought the PFC 01 pads had the best torque so far. The XR2 eclipses them even before being bedded-in, and at street cold temps...
I'm going to the track this weekend and I'm really, really excited...
**** Update ****
Ok, so I used these at Putnam Park. Wow, brake torque is excellent and linear. Initial bite is very strong and the brakes feel solid all along the brake zone. I like these a lot.
The brake release characteristics that I like on the SpecVR is similar, but the amount of torque makes it a bit harder to manage. I've had some issues with the cars electronics (BA or EBD) holding the brake a fraction of a second longer and that unsettled the car at turn-in.
One thing to keep in mind, the XR2 are not to be used with street tires. Use the XR3 instead. The initial bite and torque is high enough for the ABS to kick in immediately on cold RA1. I can't imagine a street tire being able to generate enough grip. I'm talking of a few pounds of pedal pressure here. I could not achieve full braking until the tires were hot. It takes a while to get used to them. Taking a cool lap at Putnam took the my aging tires out of the optimal temperature range, so even then the first hard braking was delicate.
The rotors aren't showing any sign of wear at this time, after ~200 miles of track.
These pads work surprisingly well on the street. Squealing a bit. Braking from reverse though is extremely loud! Weird directional phenomenon... I use the e-brake when backing up.
I have yet to get some telemetry data, but braking for turn one at Putnam Park, from ~120 mph to ~60 mph (to slow for the turn in fact) was done in 100ft (if the track markers are right).
Last edited by Kolia; May 24, 2007 at 08:15 AM.
Manufacturer: Hawk
Compound: HT10
Operating temperature range: 200 - 1400
Brakes: OEM Brembo
Application: Autox, mostly HPDE and driving to/from events
Price paid: $4xx (fronts and rear)
Durability: They seem barely worn after 1 2-driver day at NHIS, but I hear worries of cracking?
Rotors friendliness: Not so much.
General impressions:
Granted, my rotors were getting a tad thin before putting these on, but yeah, they're DONE now. As far as feel, my n00b impression is "worlds better than that HP Plus junk I killed in 3 20-min sessions" - they feel like the hand of God is stopping the car... Right. NOW. I still had some fade issues but I think it was fluid not pad (combined with the thinner rotors, typical knockback, well, it didn't make for a confidence inspiring pedal at about the 15-min mark out of 20).
New rotors should be showing up today (along with new / better fluid) and I've got 2 days coming up at the Glen so we'll see...
Compound: HT10
Operating temperature range: 200 - 1400
Brakes: OEM Brembo
Application: Autox, mostly HPDE and driving to/from events
Price paid: $4xx (fronts and rear)
Durability: They seem barely worn after 1 2-driver day at NHIS, but I hear worries of cracking?
Rotors friendliness: Not so much.
General impressions:
Granted, my rotors were getting a tad thin before putting these on, but yeah, they're DONE now. As far as feel, my n00b impression is "worlds better than that HP Plus junk I killed in 3 20-min sessions" - they feel like the hand of God is stopping the car... Right. NOW. I still had some fade issues but I think it was fluid not pad (combined with the thinner rotors, typical knockback, well, it didn't make for a confidence inspiring pedal at about the 15-min mark out of 20).
New rotors should be showing up today (along with new / better fluid) and I've got 2 days coming up at the Glen so we'll see...
Manufacturer: Project Mu
Compound: B-Force
Operating temperature range: 0-500 degrees C
Coefficient of friction: 0.32 ~ 0.42
Brake system: 2006 Non Brembo brakes
Application: HPDE
Price paid: $160 F & R
Durability: 2 track days and 3 months daily driving
Rotors friendliness: good
Update on these pads. I have a total of 6 HPDE days and they are toast. After finishing up my last session yesterday and driving home, I heard an odd squeaking from my wheels. I completely toast these pads and my front right pad is down to the metal brackets. I am now in need of an aggressive pad and my next track outing is in two weeks.
Compound: B-Force
Operating temperature range: 0-500 degrees C
Coefficient of friction: 0.32 ~ 0.42
Brake system: 2006 Non Brembo brakes
Application: HPDE
Price paid: $160 F & R
Durability: 2 track days and 3 months daily driving
Rotors friendliness: good
Update on these pads. I have a total of 6 HPDE days and they are toast. After finishing up my last session yesterday and driving home, I heard an odd squeaking from my wheels. I completely toast these pads and my front right pad is down to the metal brackets. I am now in need of an aggressive pad and my next track outing is in two weeks.
Manufacturer: Hawk
Compound: HP Plus
Operating temperature range: MOT of 750°F I believe...
Coefficient of friction: (Hawk calls it "Extremely High")
Brake system: 2004 Non-brembo, Rotora 1-piece slotted rotors, techna-fit ss lines, RBF600 fluid.
Application: Lapping/Track
Price paid: $130 CAD (Front)
Durability: 3 days of daily driving, 1 track day.
Rotors friendliness: not the best, but seems to be fine if you have slotted rotors to shave off the pads for even wear. Visual inspection shows that it wore off about 1 mm off the rotors after a 3 hours track day and 3 days daily driving.
Biggest thing you'll notice is that the pedal will be more sensitive, a little bit hard to modify the brake pedal, but once you get used to it it's fine. They have fair amount of dust, but a lot less than OEM and more than HPS so somewhere in the middle. On the track, it's quite impressive, far better than OEM's and will last longer before having to pit in for cool down. Initial bite was quick and locks up tires when I want to. Didn't get too much of brake fading as I let it cool down every 4-5 laps (4.03KM a lap). But since this is my first track pads, I can't really comment on how well it performs against other pads and whatnot. I will be trying out EBC Yellow's next time.
Compound: HP Plus
Operating temperature range: MOT of 750°F I believe...
Coefficient of friction: (Hawk calls it "Extremely High")
Brake system: 2004 Non-brembo, Rotora 1-piece slotted rotors, techna-fit ss lines, RBF600 fluid.
Application: Lapping/Track
Price paid: $130 CAD (Front)
Durability: 3 days of daily driving, 1 track day.
Rotors friendliness: not the best, but seems to be fine if you have slotted rotors to shave off the pads for even wear. Visual inspection shows that it wore off about 1 mm off the rotors after a 3 hours track day and 3 days daily driving.
Biggest thing you'll notice is that the pedal will be more sensitive, a little bit hard to modify the brake pedal, but once you get used to it it's fine. They have fair amount of dust, but a lot less than OEM and more than HPS so somewhere in the middle. On the track, it's quite impressive, far better than OEM's and will last longer before having to pit in for cool down. Initial bite was quick and locks up tires when I want to. Didn't get too much of brake fading as I let it cool down every 4-5 laps (4.03KM a lap). But since this is my first track pads, I can't really comment on how well it performs against other pads and whatnot. I will be trying out EBC Yellow's next time.
Originally Posted by dmoffitt
Anyone used the Ferodo DS3000 (or Plus or Enduro flavors)? Chris @ Forged mentioned Sharif had but I didn't get a chance to pick his brain yet.
Originally Posted by shinkuu
anyone have information on carbotech pads?
Well, I'm looking for a track-only pad, I killed my HT10s in 2 days at the glen and 1 day at a small/simple track (Dunnville, ON, Can) - they delaminated and chunked apart while they still had a good bit of thickness... not cool.
Might try the Ferodos next but they are seemingly out of stock across the country
Might try the Ferodos next but they are seemingly out of stock across the country
Originally Posted by dmoffitt
Well, I'm looking for a track-only pad, I killed my HT10s in 2 days at the glen and 1 day at a small/simple track (Dunnville, ON, Can) - they delaminated and chunked apart while they still had a good bit of thickness... not cool.
Might try the Ferodos next but they are seemingly out of stock across the country
Might try the Ferodos next but they are seemingly out of stock across the country
I just have a homemade setup using some plastic wet vac flexible hose zip tied to the suspension. I cut some holes in the fascia since it's cracked anyway, but there is plenty of space in the grill opening you could mount it to.
I too haven't had much luck finding a kit out there, so I just fabbed up something myself and it's worked out ok so far.
I too haven't had much luck finding a kit out there, so I just fabbed up something myself and it's worked out ok so far.
Manufacturer: Carbotech
Compound: XP8/XP10
Operating temperature range: up to 1650 for XP10
Coefficient of friction: unknown
Brake system: 2006 OEM
Application: Track
Price paid: 260
Durability: unknown
Rotors friendliness: unknown
Replaced my last set with these. Will have some track impressions on them in a month. Also bedded the pads in with new rotors. Had no problems with fitment. The brackets did not fit over these snuggly but that could be because the brackets are a bit wraped.
Compound: XP8/XP10
Operating temperature range: up to 1650 for XP10
Coefficient of friction: unknown
Brake system: 2006 OEM
Application: Track
Price paid: 260
Durability: unknown
Rotors friendliness: unknown
Replaced my last set with these. Will have some track impressions on them in a month. Also bedded the pads in with new rotors. Had no problems with fitment. The brackets did not fit over these snuggly but that could be because the brackets are a bit wraped.
