Brake pads and DEs

[thstone]

I installed cross-drilled rotors (Cquence) and EBC Redstuff pads about two weeks ago. So far, its been all break in with lots of dust and some brake squealing - as expected and as described in the EBC info that comes with the pads.

The pads seem to be quieting down now (~200 city miles) and the rotors have a bluish-grey color. I'll do a final bedding session this weekend per the EBC instructions.

Thus far, impossible (way too early) to really say how they compare to the stock pads. I'll post an update later this month after the break-in period is done and another post after my first DE on March 5th.

[thstone]

Ok, EBC Redstuff pads and Cquence drilled rotors are bedded in and working great.

Break-in period was almost 300 miles of city driving. Lots of squeal and dust during that time.

No sqeal at all now and dust is only about 1/4 of factory pads. That means that I'll get the same dust in a month that I used to get in week. Its a huge improvement in terms of dust.

Braking performance feels excellent with much more grip during a hard stop from freeway speeds. No problems on cool mornings when pads are cold.

Will report back again after my first DE at Streets of Willow on 2/26.

[jmatta]

Did you do some multiple high speed stops to bed the pads properly? It is important to coat the rotors with pad material so you don't get pulsations or severe wear, as you use the brakes harder. Driving on the street does not allow the pad material to get hot enough to properly bed the pads. I'm not sure what instructions EBC supply, but a simple search will give you good bedding guidelines.

[thstone]

Yes, I followed the EBC instructions to repeat 5 hard stops from 60mph to 20mph and then drove around without using the brakes to let them cool.

Thanks for the reminder.

[911_lurker]

Quote: "Yes, I followed the EBC instructions to repeat 5 hard stops from 60mph to 20mph and then drove around without using the brakes to let them cool. "

If you use your pads on the street, you need to rebed them before the track. The abrasive properties of the pads erases the transfer layer on the rotor under street use.

To the OP, what tires are you using? This will point to how much pad you can get away with. With R-comps, you can use just about any track pad. With street tires, you need to balance stopping power with tire grip. You don't want to hit ABS every time. Similarly, you don't want to run R-comps with OEM pads - you'll chew the pads away and likely boil your fluid. It's a system, so you need to match components as best you can.

That being said, rotors and fluid are the easy part of the system. Get any high temp fluid [Motul, SRF, etc] and you're good for street and track. Rotors are mostly a non-issue - even if you use OEM. You'll burn through a set of cross-drilled OEM/Zimmerman rotors pretty quick [cracks between holes], but they are cheap. Upgrading to slotted or dimpled will cost you more money, but last longer before they crack out. Once you start tracking more, you probably won't ever wear a set of rotors under the minimum thickness.

PFC and Pagid endurance pads work well for street and track use. If you don't like squealing, just swap to OEM pads after each event. It's quick once you get the hang of it. If you have a backup set of wheels with track tires, this is a really good solution.

If brake cooling becomes an issue (which is unlikely), post another thread, there are a few things you can do.

-td

[thstone]

**UPDATE**

Ran my first DE at the Streets of Willow last Saturday. The Cquence drilled rotors and EBC Redstuff brake pads performed flawlessly. Outstanding braking with no fade at all. Dust level still very low.

Will drive the car daily to work this week and have another DE this coming Sunday at SoW. Thus far, couldn't be happier with this setup for both street and DE track use.

Will run Sunday and then take a look at the pad wear next week and report back with how they are look after a few thousand street miles and two track days.

[pcs5978]

The best OEM performance element of a Boxster, on the track, is the brakes. This is particularly true if you have the "S" version. You can out brake any other car.

The weak link is the rotors - particularly on the front. With heat cycling, the OEM cross-drilled rotors develop cracks from hole to hole. When this occurs, they need to be replaced. The Performance Friction, two-piece, dimpled, front rotors are a good alternative. Cracks aren't a problem with these rotors, and when the rotor wears down, you can keep the top hat and simply replace the rotor element.

OEM street pads will not hold up under track conditions - even DE events. Pagid, PFC, and Hawk all make track-worthy alternatives. My current preference is Hawk DTC 70's on the front and DTC 60's on the rear. Replacing the pads is a simple procedure. You need a jack, an 18 mm socket, a needle nose pliers, and a vice grips. If you drive your car on the street, put the OEM pads in the calipers. Replace them with "track pads" when you go to the track.

If you're on the track with your car, you need to have a high-temp brake fluid. There are many options. I currently use Motul 600, but there are others. High performance brake fluid is hydroscopic, and needs to be changed periodically.

If you do a number of track events each year, you'll need to have the calipers rebuilt. How often, depends on how many miles you do on the track, and how much you use the brakes.

If you have a 986 or 987 with PSM, the computer will use the rear brakes to stabilize the car - of course this depends on how you drive on track. If you're finding that the rear pads are wearing out and the calipers are turning "purple", this is your problem. Turn the PSM off, or slow down. Of note - If you've turned off the PSM, when you activate the ABS, the computer will turn the PSM back on.

Ultimately, the trick to going fast around a track is to not use the brakes! Boxsters (and Caymans) are wonderfully balanced cars. If you can learn how to do it, you can get around a track using the brakes sparingly.

I'm still learning.


PCS5978
www.M96infosource.com