Just had a track day few days ago, and I was surprised that how hot my pads/rotors were getting

I got DBA4000 front slotted rotors and Ferodo DS2500 pads for stock brembo's.

The track was 45sec per lap short track, and I gave my car some hard braking every corners that need brakes.

I was only doing 5 laps per session, and when I pulled into the pit I found the front pads were SMOKING. I did not get any fades though. I was told that DS2500 holds upto 550deg c (1020deg f), apparently the temp went over it. I did the same run again after the rotor was cold to touch, and tried it again - same result, it smoked again. From there on I eased on the brake a bit because I didnt want my pads to catch fire

The DBA rotors have three thermo-graphic paint strips on the edge of the rotor for temp monitoring, so you can tell if the rotor temp has reached 458/550/630deg c. And apparently the rotor temp was well over 458 and 550deg c

I wonder if this is because it was a short track with repeated corners which doesnt give much time for the rotors to cool down or it just cant handle the heat and I need better pads.

Anyone having similar issue?


Cheers

 

That's probably one of the main reason.

Did you do a good bed-in ? 5, 45sec laps is not very long. (It takes me 4-5 laps at MidO to bed mine in, and that a 2:00 min track. You might have been braking on green pads all week-end. So, longer braking distance, thus more heat.

Plus, these slots aren't the best thing to be using if you wan't your pads to live long.

What track was that? More importantly, do you have pictures? Videos?

 

I don't understand what you mean by 'green pads' ?

I did not take any specific step to bed in the pads.. i just gave it some hard braking when I just fitted the pads/rotors let the pads bite the rotor flat to each other.

I dont have any 'interesting' pic of my car.. should've taken someone who can take photos :P

 

Rotor temperature rise calculations are just simple math.
The weight of rotors vs weight of vehicle times velocity changes [converted to lb/ft of energy].

If you double the weights of all 4 rotors the temp rise will be cut in half in exactly the same situations.

You control pad temp rise by the larger mass of rotor sinking the pad heat into itself..................all this assumes no air flow to aid cooling since this is after the fact of peak heating.

Important to calculate the heat flows into wheels and hubs to avoid damaging the wheel bearings and ABS ring and sensors.

Use IR gun or thermal imaging to map the heat flows.

 

Green fade is a type of pad fade we encounter during a bed-in session. Basically, as the new layer of pad material is deposited on the rotor and heat sets in, you’ll get to a point where brake torque no longer increases with added pedal pressure. The pedal is still firm, but the car doesn’t slow down more.

This is the sign to let go, take one (or two on short tracks) cool down lap and pit to let the brake system cool down to ambient temperature. Now your brakes are properly bedded.

The next session, get the brake back up to temperature and you should feel a difference in the feel and modulation capabilities of the brakes. Don’t be shy to brake really really hard (I didn’t brake properly for a long time…).

The brakes will perform like that as long as they get warm enough to reach their operating range. Below that range, you’ll be wearing your pads/rotors pretty quickly as the pads will be generating their torque be mechanical abrasion (bad) vs electronic adhesion (good).

If, like me, you swap pads all the time, driving on the track pads for a day or two before and after track events will help “clean” the rotor to accept the different pad material.

I went a bit farther than just answering your question. Hope you found some of that helpful.

 

i was braking pretty hard.. and more the pressure i put, more the stopping power it was giving me.

the car was stopping ok, i was not getting any form of fade but the pads were smoking

i rang up the supplier and was told that i probably need proper race pads than semi race pads becuz if it was smoking that means it was going over 550deg range which is the limit of ds2500..

 

DS2500 may not have the temperature range you need at your track since they really arent a true race pad. That being said, new pads will tend to smoke as they get hot the first few times as they go through green fade and cook out uncured manufacturing materials. There is also the paint on the backing plates which will smoke as it gets hot. Really nothing to worry about in the short term but be on the look out for vibrations due to uneven pad deposits which can occer when the pads are overheated or not bed-in properly.

Those temperatures you were seieng really werent outrageous for brakes by the way. For example, the Hawk DTC70, HT10 and HT14 are all rated for 1500+ degrees F while PFC01 and PFC97 work up to 2000 degrees F

 

now it makes me think.. it couldve been the copper paste burning that i applied on the back plates? i wonder how much of heat they handle.

 

That could be the case. On a pad like the DS2500 which will pretty much make noise no matter what you do to it so there is no reason to put any kind of anti squeal paste on there.

 

well my ds2500 are noise-free. so far at least. will see if the pads smoke again at the next track session.. if they do, i will take the pads out and clean them to see if it makes any difference

 

mine too...proper break in is the absolute key with the 2500 - if they squal, they are not broken in (in my experience)

my recommendation...more throttle, less brake

Or, try ducting to the calipers

 

I've crumbled a set of DS2500 on a track with street tires (Kumho MX). Although they're marginal for the street AND (light) lapping, they seem to be one of the best for that kind of dual role.

For street only (or Solo2), they don't have enough initial bite like HP+ of Axxis Ultimates IMO.

The fact is that you'll have to swap pads for lapping. The key is to find a track pad which can handle some street driving to-from the track (change pads the night before etc...). I've been quite pleased with the Porterfield R4, and they offer a non-Brembo rear to if required.

 

just goes to show you how subjective brake pads are, as it's got alot to do with car setup and driving style, as well as the brake setup you use them in.

I actually switched (AP 4 pot bbk with stainless lines) this year from the Porterfield R4 to the Ferodo DS2500 because the R4 ate a $700 set of rotors (AP). I was rewarded (at least on my car) with much better rotor life, less dust overall (by about 25%) and no fade during events (using SRF fluid).

Brakes are like tires in many ways - very subjective, and it takes a bit of trial and error to find a set that matches your driving style well. Prior to doing alot of road race events (we run ITS with 2 non Z's), I would cook pads quickly (Hawk Blues on 2400 lbs BMW's) because I was a "fast in the corner and mash the pedal" type of guy. But through various driving schools, and having our team driver take me on countless laps that certain small changes in my overal style would lead to less abuse on the car.