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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
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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.