All,

I know this varies from driver to driver, but lets say you have a full day HPDE/PDX coming up (4 20 minute sessions). This is your 5th full day PDX. I looked at my front pads and they appear to have ~50% life left. This is of course what is left after 4 full day PDX/HPDEs (~20 20minute sessions) previous. I know I am getting faster, and braking points are getting shorter, but it would seem like a big waste to replace front pads at 50% however I do want to be safe so my over-paranoia kicks in and I question myself.

Suggestions? I do have a full set of F&R pads on hand so this is not a monetary issue, but call it ignorance as I have never been through a set of pads that were strictly race pads so I dont know what the rule of thumb is on replacement life.

Edit:

More info: pads are Ferodo DS2500 on a 2003 Z with OEM calipers, motul fluid, and SS lines.

Neil

 

I went out to a track with less pad than that once. Lame outcome, but not too bad. The pads wore too thin after the third heat and the piston in the front right caliper over-exteneded and broke the seal. Leaked brake fluid out, but would still brake. (read: Limped car home) Cost me a 5$ caliper seal kit from a local parts house, and like 10 minutes to put it in.

I'd say go for it. You'll be able to see/hear/feel/smell if something goes wrong.

 

Since you have the base model brakes, check the rear wear. On the smaller 03 brakes, the rears tend to wear faster than the fronts.

To answer your question, if you have time between sessions, then I would wear them to ~1/8" pad before swapping them.

If you go with Carbotech, you can wear them down to the rivots without worries. T he rivots are brass and wont hurt the rotor, you can hear the difference tho and you kno wit is time to come in.

 

I actually have Carbotechs going on next. The rears looked like they had equal amounts left. I will just take them with me to the track and inspect after every session. If I have to change at lunch so be it, better bring the gloves.

 

Perhaps the largest factor to consider is to what extent the heat sink capacity of your used race pads will be reduced. If your pad material started at 15 mm and the remaining material is at 7.5 mm or less, the heat build up will increase exponentially. Depending on how fast the track you'll be driving on and how hard you'll be using the brakes, this may not be a good idea. Lomg straights with slow turns are good for passing zones, but deadly for brake pad life. Last thing you want is brake fade (or loss) in an area you have no way out of...

 

yeah that is your best bet, to check after each session, at least until you start putting down consistent laps and then you can start judging wear better.

my suggestion see if you can pick up set of 06 or better binders. Most folkd are just dumping them and they are almost as big as my OE brembos. Just a thought, trying to help out

 

I'd be concerned about heat capacity on thinner brakes as well. My non-Brembo rears last about 3 events, but that's with a special-cut ST43 pad from Porterfield. I usually replace mine at 25-30%, and always have spare pads. I learned the hard way by cracking a rear rotor trying to get more pad life from the rear.

 

Buy new pads before the event and take them with you. Check your old pads after each session and replace them with new if they get too thin. Pretty simple and should take you a 1/2 hour for all four wheels.

 

This is exactly what I do so that I have some piece of mind knowing I have fresh pads ready to go as well as getting full use out of my current pads...

 

dont forget to bed the new pads before you get on track

 

A couple quick track pad bedding tips:

1. If you're using the same pad material, you don't need to bed the pads.

2. If you're switching pad materials (like from a street pad to a track pad) - Using Garnette (not Aluminum Oxide) sandpaper, scuff both sides of the rotor before installing the new pads. Remove all the old pad material that's on the rotor surface. Scuff the new pads surface too before installing them. Although its not as good a proper bedding process, it gets you 75% of the way there and lets you get right out on the track with new pads.

 

Good tips - thanks, but why garnet and not alumina (aluminum oxide)? The alumina is a lot harder, so I'd think it would remove the pad material easier than garnet (which is a lot softer). Is the alumina too hard for the iron even with gentle pressure?

 

I'm not instigating anything, but since we have a fairly new guy asking questions, I think it is imperative to state "always follow friction material supplier’s recommendations on bedding and seasoning"

Different pad makers have different bedding suggestions, and sometimes different compounds have really odd effects on the pad deposits on the rotors.

Beta I'm not disagreeing with you at all, just trying to help out the OP.

 

I appreciate the input on what would probably be a no brainer to a seasoned track vet. Only 5 track days in I am still learning a lot.

This weekend I will be putting on the carbotechs and then bedding them in per their instructions. I will just run those at the track and save my ferodo pads for street use.

 

The aluminum oxide leaves a little bit of the oxide behind which affects pad bedding.

 

Carbotechs and Ferrodo have substantially different compounds. You might want to think about a spare set of rotors. it is faster to swap a rotor than it is to sand or re-surface a rotor. I think I have a spare seto front base model rotors that I was using to test a fitment. You can have them for shipping.