Brake pads and DEs - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

tamarsha · 01-14-2011, 08:49 AM

I am planning to do my second DE in April. Part of the tech inspection is to make sure the brakes have at least half the pad remaining. My front pads are looking like they are about 60-70% worn so I need to do something about them.

So the question is, do I get a set of track pads that might get used once or twice a year, or do I get some new street pads? I was looking at the Hawk HPS for street pads. Not sure about track pads.

If I do get track pads I should probably replace both front and rear sets. But if I go with street pads, can I get away with just changing the front pads?

If I go with street pads, should I put the new ones in just for the track day and then swap them back out with the warn OEM pads that still have some life on them and hold onto the newer pads till the OEMs are worn out completely?

Any thoughts?

Todd

Topless · 01-14-2011, 09:16 AM

Lots of different ideas on this. I run 20 track days a year and do some joyrides and canyon carving on the weekends. For me, leaving the track pads on all the time make sense. I keep a spare set of partially worn stock pads in my spares kit just in case. If I am 300 miles from home competing for a TT championship on a Sunday and one of my pads develops issues, I have a backup set at the ready. your mileage may vary depending on how you intend to use your car.

thstone · 01-14-2011, 09:44 AM

I am in the same situation - I have three DE's planned this year at the Streets of Willow - the first in March, then another in May, and the last in Sept. My car is also my daily driver (only about 8K miles per year total since I live really close to my work).

After reading as much as I could, I've decided to put on new rotors and new EBC Redstuff pads (all four wheels) in the next week, break them in between now and March, and then see how well this setup works for both occasional track duty and daily driving through the rest of the year.

insite · 01-14-2011, 11:03 AM

you will be tempted to 'save money' and buy street pads. avoid this; it's a false economy.

street pads get destroyed on the track and race pads destroy rotors on the street. get a dedicated set of track pads; it is most certainly cheaper in the long run.

example: my first year of driving events, i went through 5 sets of street pads and HATED the brakes at the track. ($500/yr)

my second year, i bought dedicated sets of race pads & street pads. they lasted TWO YEARS ($200/yr) even though i did more events.

that having been said, race pads will also give you a lot more confidence; the pedal will stay hard & the pads won't fade. MUCH safer.

finally, some recommendations: i like Hawk HT-10

944boy · 01-14-2011, 07:16 PM

I run Porterfield R4s. I boiled them within 2 laps at a DE. I had just been in my 944 race car and was driving the snot out of it.

So for the next DE at Fontana that I was going to, I got a pair of HT10's for the front. AMAZING difference! I even drove all the way from San Diego back to Seattle on the HT10's. A bit (OK a LOT!!!) of squeel but the performance was great.

I would say to get a pair of race pads for the front and trade them out. Makes the day so much better when you don't have to worry about fade.

jmatta · 01-15-2011, 04:53 AM

I also agree to purchase a set of dedicated race pads, but be sure to purchase a set for all four wheels. Leaving street pads on the rear, with front race pads, gives a terrible imbalance in bite and could cause you to loose control of the car in heavy braking conditions. I've seen actual situations where the car has swapped ends and in speaking to the driver after the incident, it was determined pads were mismatched with no brake bias to compensate for the difference in grip level.

I've used Pagid Orange for years, with great results on my various 911s; I don't track the Boxster, other than to perform exhibition runs.

Gator Bite · 01-26-2011, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamarsha

I am planning to do my second DE in April. Part of the tech inspection is to make sure the brakes have at least half the pad remaining. My front pads are looking like they are about 60-70% worn so I need to do something about them.

So the question is, do I get a set of track pads that might get used once or twice a year, or do I get some new street pads? I was looking at the Hawk HPS for street pads. Not sure about track pads.

If I do get track pads I should probably replace both front and rear sets. But if I go with street pads, can I get away with just changing the front pads?

If I go with street pads, should I put the new ones in just for the track day and then swap them back out with the warn OEM pads that still have some life on them and hold onto the newer pads till the OEMs are worn out completely?

Any thoughts?

Todd

I have to agree with a lot of the other replies here, and I'd like to share my experience too.

I have a 987 Boxster Coupe, sometimes referred to as a Cayman S.

Anyway, I found that the answer to your question depends very much on your experience on the track. When I was a Green level driver, a beginner, I was able to get 25,000 miles including 12 track days out of my front pads. They were two years old. This past July I dropped in a set of Pagid Blues, hoping they would be a good compromise, somewhere between track and street. Well, my driving improved drastically this past summwer, thanks lots of seat time. I burned through those Blues in 3 months, less than 5,000 miles, about 6 track days....!!!

I was pounding these brakes, and in many cases gassing them off (over heating them). When you super heat a pad past its maximum working temperature, they lose grip and just wear out. I would have saved a pile of money if I had stepped up to the Pagid Yellows, which is what I replaced the Blues with. These pads don't gas off or fade like the Blues or the OEs, and because of that they are likely to last very long. The jury is still out. Check back with me later this summer.

How many track days have you done? What group are you in? If you're in the beginner group, the OE pads are fine. If your in the intermediate group or higher, step up and get a good track pad. It will save you money in the long run.

In regard to changing the brakes on just one axle, don't do it. The new pads are going to have a different coeficient of friction, which is going to change your brake bias. If you want the same balanced braking that you have now, don't mix and match pads front to back.

tamarsha · 01-26-2011, 01:13 PM

The track day in April will only be my second DE. I do not plan on over driving the brakes... I hope.

Looking at my rear pads I am thinking that they could probably be replaced. My plan right now is to replace both the front and rear sets with an OEM / street performance pad. I will also do a brake flush and heck, while the wheels are off, add some GT3 brake ducts.

So, any recommendations on a set of pads? I was thinking Textar, Padgid Blue (4-2 or 5?), Hawk HPS, or EBC red stuff.

I like the idea of lower dust, but I do not want anything that will perform less than the OEM pads I have on there now. The car gets driven about 2 days a week now and even more in warmer weather so I don't want to lose my street drive-ability.

Gator Bite · 01-26-2011, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamarsha

The track day in April will only be my second DE. I do not plan on over driving the brakes... I hope.

Looking at my rear pads I am thinking that they could probably be replaced. My plan right now is to replace both the front and rear sets with an OEM / street performance pad. I will also do a brake flush and heck, while the wheels are off, add some GT3 brake ducts.

So, any recommendations on a set of pads? I was thinking Textar, Padgid Blue (4-2 or 5?), Hawk HPS, or EBC red stuff.

I like the idea of lower dust, but I do not want anything that will perform less than the OEM pads I have on there now. The car gets driven about 2 days a week now and even more in warmer weather so I don't want to lose my street drive-ability.

Honestly, if this is your second track day, stick with the OE Textar pads. They will be more than enough for a long time. They are great on the street, even in the hardest braking situations. When you get to the point where on the track you start feeling a long semi soft pedal when braking hard, then it's time to think about track pads. (That's not your fluid boiling, it's friction loss on the pad.)

Stay away from the Pagid Blues. In my opinion, they are junk. I was not at all satisfied with them. They bit only marginally better than the OEs, but made a lot of noise and wore out really fast.

Pagid Orange and Yellows are awesome, but they squeel like a stuck pig on the street (and on the track too).

For track use, you should flush at least once every 2 years. I recommend once a year for track use.

Gator Bite · 01-26-2011, 02:20 PM

Thsi is why I was dissapointed with the Pagid Blues.

This is what they looked like on July 17th.

And this is what they looked like on October 18th, after 4,825 miles, 6 track days and only 3 months:

Gator Bite · 01-26-2011, 02:23 PM

So why not just get a set of super bad *** track pads and leave them in there? I'll tell you why, no - better I'll show you. Take a short ride on the street in my Cayman S with Pagid Yellows in the car (right after a track event).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckwxPwwhCoY