Brake pads and DEs

[Gator Bite]

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]

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]

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

[tamarsha]

Looks like the Yellows are a good way to let them know you are coming! That is a little loud!

Ok, any experience with Pagid RS 4-2-1 Black? They are saying it is street pad for light track duty.

Originally Posted by Gator Bite

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

[Gator Bite]

Originally Posted by tamarsha

Looks like the Yellows are a good way to let them know you are coming! That is a little loud!

Ok, any experience with Pagid RS 4-2-1 Black? They are saying it is street pad for light track duty.

The RS 4-2-1 are the Blues, and I honestly can't think of any situation under which I'd recommend them to a friend. They are only slightly better on the track than the OEs, but inferior in regard to noise and wear.

[tamarsha]

Man... All of these options are getting confusing. Here is the info from pagid on the Black RS 4-2-1 pads.

http://www.pagid-brake-pads.co.uk/products/rs421-black-carbon-based.php


This is from a vendor site.

http://www.imgt3performance.com/products/2000-2004-porsche-boxster-s-986-pagid-rs-4-2-1-black-sport-front-brake-pads/?F_VehicleId=60&F_All=Y

Do you think it is the Blue compound painted black?

[Topless]

Originally Posted by tamarsha

Man... All of these options are getting confusing.

Suggestion:
Call these guys and tell them your driving plans, ask for recommendations. They know brakes and understand customer service. www.porterfield-brakes.com

[Gator Bite]

Forget about the color, and focus on the compound. RS 4-2-1 is what it is. That's what I had, and I didn't like them. Save your money dude. Get another set of stock Textars (made by Pagid), or put the money toward a set of Pagid Oranges (stock pad used on current GT-3 RS).

I'm telling you right now, if you buy these RS 4-2-1s, you're going to be sorry. My experience isn't unique. I have several friends who have also used these pads and they were equally dissapointed. It's not that these are bad pads, it's that the OE pads are so good that there is little to no different between them and the RS 4-2-1, and in some ways the OEs are better (noise control & wear).