Brake glaze
 

On my first track day, I noticed I was getting some significant glazing on the front rotors. I am running stock Brembo pads. I felt a little loss of braking at very slow speeds, at speed, the braking felt fine but towards the end of the day, I was getting some very slight vibration in high speed braking. After driving around on the street a feww days, he glaze is gone and no vibration.

Its a street car, I don't want to go to a super aggresive, loud, dusty pad, but what are the recommendations for a step up, something that doesn't glaze?

What are the symptoms of glazing?

Porterfield R4S

Never had this glazing effect or vibrations..........I get a lot of vibrations from my tires as I have marbles melted in my tread...for the long drive home

Was the vibration in the pedal??

I have seen plenty of pad deposits on the rotors cause pedal vibration.



B

Yeah, it was vibration in the pedal and a bit in the wheel. The rotors were fairly gunked up, I guess I was cooking the pads pretty good. I'm just going to go with track pads next time I go to the track.

Newbies.. always.. always over use the brakes until they trust the car :)

Throw on a set of Pagid pads.. blacks.. you have a local distributor in your area.



B

Slippery slope..

He is looking closely at the "Track Pipe".. he took his first hit recently :)



B

Or use the brakes less.

You will probably find (if you are like most of us) that, in your early learning days, you will overbrake - on them too long and too soft. After a while you will learn to enter faster and use less brakes - on them less time but still too soft. Later again you will learn to approach everything a lot faster and brake in the shortest possible distance using the firmest peddle you can apply smoothly - at that time you might start worrying about brake pads. Till then I would save yourself the issues and costs associated with racing pads unless you have money to burn and have the time to change pads in and out between events.

I would bet that by your 2nd or 3rd event you are no longer be heating your brakes up nearly as much despite the fact that you will be circulating much quicker.

Laurie

Sorry to be repetitive. Brad was typing his reply the same time I was.

Not to brag, but, I raced motorcycles on this track several times so I knew the course fairly well and I was up to pace since I was rarely passed and was pointed by by several Vettes and Mustangs. I was getting into the corners fast. I was braking hard, just not at the last second to give myself a cushion and not get in too deep. The pads just weren't up to it.

Then "newbie" doesn't apply.. and.. you already owned a "track pipe" :)

Lose the junk stock pads designed for "merican" drivers. You'll be fine.



B

Yeah, I thought I kicked the habit, but I said to myself, just one little hit, can't hurt, right?

Yes, I've relapsed.

Sir, please step away from the track pipe..

Pagid blacks like Brad said. Maybe even orange.

I thought about having him run Orange, but the initial bite they have is a little much for stock shocks/stock springs :)

I know the owner of Hawk, I'll be trying their pads again soon... they have some new compounds out.



B

I did some searches and I saw some good reviews on the Hawk HT 10, not super aggressive, but a step up, like you said Brad, I don't want to overload my bone stock suspension.

Jittls, changing out pads before and after a track day wouldn't be a big deal, but will I have to go through a long bedding in routine before I go on the track?

The only other mods I may do is change the alignment to get as much negative camber front and rear as possible stock.

I think my tire pressures were OK. On Bridgstone So 2A I was going from 30 PSI cold to 38 hot. I had to let out some air since I started at 34 and after a couple of sessions, I was above 40. Any thoughts on pressure?

Bedding process takes 15min on the freeway. Accelerate to 80, stand on the binders down to 45, back up to 80, back down to 45, one more time... And then drive without touching the brakes for 10min to let them cool. I do this.. And smoke is rolling out the fenders... Now they are properly bed :)

Most of the time we are bedding race car brakes on the "out" lap, which is fine too.

My specBoxster is a track only car so that's what I do. One lap with some hard usage (of the style discussed by Brad's freeway example) followed by one lap with as little usage as possible and your on your way. Once new pads are bedded you will probably find them to be immediately usable on subsequent refits - the disc's pattern will not change much from street usage inbetween. My guess would be that the bedding of your boxster's brakes would be identical to that of your race bikes. What is your local track and what did you race there?

Just for the record, I use Pagid oranges in my GT3 which is primarily a street and occasional DE car and do not change them out in between. The noise drives some people (my wife) crazy but I do not give it a second thought.

Laurie

Have you guys tried carbotech pads? I have run them over here and have been very impressed