I am going to Sebring On Saturday and my wife has to work so I won't have a car to throw my tools/equipement in so I won't be able to change my pads at the track. I want to know what it will be like driving my Hawk DT-70 pads on the street to the track. Is it out of the question? Completely unsafe? I never drove on track pads before.

 

I did it no problem, they are just a lot more abrasive on the rotors till they heat up. I wouldn't suggest doing it on a daily basis, but fine for a trip to the track.
Oh ya they squeel like hell too.

 

The "track pad" is formulated for thermal management more than anything else. While they may have more aggressive "bite", they really don't start doing their thing until they are heated up. This is why they are not generally recommended for street driving, where the rotor tends to be quite cool, and then you may encounter a need for a sudden panic stop or full pressure emergency braking....and you need a cold pad/rotor combination to slow you or bring you to a stop as quickly as possible. In that situation a "track" pad will often perform less well than the street pad.

However, under repeated braking demand in a short period of time, the rotor and pad will gain substantial heat, and there will be gasses expelled from the interface of pad and rotor, which can cause reduction in friction, the deposit of particulates and glazing of the rotors etc. A street pad will lose its friction coefficient and stopping distances will increase. A track pad compound is able to resist those negatives and continue to perform hard braking without fade for a longer period of time, indeed its optimal performance is only after it is "heated up". It also tends to be a noise maker, as mentioned, when cold. It is not a danger to drive on the street particularly, just be aware that you should take into consideration its performance limitations when cold, and don't make it a habit. They are too hard on the rotors for daily driving, and perform less effectively in that environment. It is not like running with scissors, but not recommended either.

 

There's also the issue of prematurely wearing out the track pads ...

 

What Eagle1 said. Also, they will wear your rotors down more than a street pad will. It won't be a problem driving to the track, it's just not something you would want to do on a regular basis.

 

Drop by my RV on Saturday morning and we can change your pads real quick at the track. Won't take 15 minutes to get it done.

 

Eagle 1 provided an excellent explanation. But I'd like to emphasize how much rotor wear you get with certain race pads. A few years ago, I drove my ITA class 200SX Se-R to a race in New Mexico. I changed over to Hawk Blues upon arrival and had powerful, fade-free braking for two races over the weekend. Rather than change them out Sunday night, I elected to leave them on and just drive them back home to Colorado. Braking when cold was OK, but you needed a light touch to keep from locking them up.

When I went to swap the pads out, I was amazed at how dished the OEM rotors were! They had been nicely burnished waaay past the wear limits by those Hawk Blues. A new set of rotors and a healthy respect for the appetite of Hawk Blues in cold conditions were my reward.

On the other hand, I've used Cobalt Friction's GT-Sport compound for years now as a combo street/track pad on my Brembo-equipped Z. There's more braking torque (and some dust) with little rotor wear, hot or cold. Their new XR2 race pad also seems very rotor-friendly as well, but I have no data on Hawk's DT-70 compound to contribute.

 

Thanks Gary. I will take you up on that offer! I'll look for you Sat morning.

 

Not sure where I will be in the paddock. Just look for a white RV, dark blue Spec Miata and a black 350Z. I'll be changing the pads on my Z also.

I'm staying through Sunday so we can change them back to street before you leave either Sat or Sun.

 

Will you be there Friday afternoon? I will be there for 3PM check in. If I don't see you Fri I will look for you Sat morning. Thanks alot!

 

I won't make it there until later Friday night, probably around 7. I'll be camping on the entry road between the Chateau Elan and the track. There should be enough light left, so I will actually be changing my pads Friday night. If you are staying at the Chateau and it works out, we could get your changed then also. I'll PM you my cell number.

 

I purposely put my track pads in a few days before my events to clean off the rotors. Otherwise my pads don't get bedded right and I get a shimmy.
I think stoptech as a white paper on this on their website.