Brake pads and DEs

[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

[ekam]

Originally Posted by pcs5978

Ultimately, the trick to going fast around a track is to not use the brakes!

LOL!!!! Comedy gold right there.

[thstone]

**UPDATE #2**

Ran the second DE in two weeks at the Streets of Willow yesterday. Tons of track time with only two run groups so I got 3-4 hours of total track time and was exhausted!. How do I explain to my boss that I'm too tired from track driving to want to come to work on Monday's? (but I made it in anyway).

The Cquence drilled rotors and EBC Redstuff brake pads still performed flawlessly. Definitely got the brakes hot as I was working on braking later without engaging ABS (its a fine line!). Overall, I had outstanding braking with no fade even after two back to back 25 min sessions (with a 5 min pit). Dust level still very low.

With about 2,000 street miles and two DE's, this setup appears to be working well for both street and DE track use.

Will pull a few brake pads and do a close inspection of the rotors and report back on wear this weekend when I planned to work on the car anyway (oil change, etc.)

[thstone]

** UPDATE **

After 2 DE's and about 2,000 street miles, the Cquence rotors and RBC Redstuff pads work and look fine. Firm initial bite, no fade, and very low dust. Wear looks very good.

I have three more DE days planned over the next few weeks so I'll inspect and post an update in about a month.

BTW, these are the standard '99 calipers which were painted by the PO.

[jb92563]

I'm looking at my Brake Pads this weekend to see if I need new ones before my Performance driving school event in mid October.

They say you need 50% wear or less.

I have no frame of reference though since I do not know how thick new pads are on the 2001 Boxster S. I assume it has OEM pads on it.

I used my fiber optic scope (harbor Freight) to take a look and it looks like at least 2 times the thickness of the backing plate.

Can anyone help me out with a measurement of new OEM pads or some way of judging the wear?