Source for Track Brake Pads?

[earlyapex]

Anybody found any yet? I've looked around to no avail.

[man02195]

Originally Posted by earlyapex

Anybody found any yet? I've looked around to no avail.

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...&subcat_id=153

haven't used them, just saw them online

[earlyapex]

Thank you very much. I used to use pagids on my old 930, fantastic pads.

Ought to be for $175 per wheel...

[JAJ]

Originally Posted by man02195

http://www.turnermotorsport.com/html...&subcat_id=153

haven't used them, just saw them online

I've used the RS19 Yellows. Once the paint burns off, they work.

[sayemthree]

stock replacements are free for 50k?

[Dascamel]

Originally Posted by sayemthree

stock replacements are free for 50k?

Should be, even rotors.

[Gearhead999s]

Originally Posted by Dascamel

Should be, even rotors.

Not in Canada

[GT3 Tim]

Originally Posted by JAJ

I've used the RS19 Yellows. Once the paint burns off, they work.

Same here. Ran them on my GT3 and loved them.

Disclaimer: These are "endurance race" pads. They operate best when up to operating tempurature. They worked fine for me when cold, BUT they squeal like a garbage truck when they are.....just an FYI.

[Feffman]

Call Dany Puskar at Carbotech (www.CTBrakes.com) for assistance with great, rotor friendly brake pads for street and track.

Feff

[lucid]

I'm looking for some first hand reports on track pads before making a decision on what brand I should go with. There must be people who have used track pads on an E9X M3 by now. Reports please? BTW, the Pagids will run $750 for a set. I believe that is cheaper than the BMW track pads, right? How would they compare in performance?

[sfbimmer13]

just used the Pagid RS19 yellow at Laguna Seca today...wow what a difference to stock pads...all I can say is bite bite bite...somebody said boat anchors...I can second that. They are noisy like hell on regular streets, but I am willing to live with it. It also seems that they wear 10 times better than the street pads and they also don't overheat.

The close to $800 was definitely worth it, at least if you are serious about tracking your car

[lucid]

Originally Posted by sfbimmer13

just used the Pagid RS19 yellow at Laguna Seca today...wow what a difference to stock pads...all I can say is bite bite bite...somebody said boat anchors...I can second that. They are noisy like hell on regular streets, but I am willing to live with it. It also seems that they wear 10 times better than the street pads and they also don't overheat.

The close to $800 was definitely worth it, at least if you are serious about tracking your car

Thanks for the report. I don't want the pads melting onto my rotors yet another time. I'll go for the Pagids as well I think.

[sfbimmer13]

Originally Posted by lucid

Thanks for the report. I don't want the pads melting onto my rotors yet another time. I'll go for the Pagids as well I think.

that's exactly what happened to me with the stock pads - second set gone now at 5900 miles and 5 track days later...stock pads are way to soft and can't take heat at all

[JAJ]

Originally Posted by sfbimmer13

just used the Pagid RS19 yellow at Laguna Seca today...wow what a difference to stock pads...all I can say is bite bite bite...somebody said boat anchors...I can second that. They are noisy like hell on regular streets, but I am willing to live with it. It also seems that they wear 10 times better than the street pads and they also don't overheat.

The close to $800 was definitely worth it, at least if you are serious about tracking your car

I agree completely - if you don't mind the "schoolbus" sound effects on the street, the RS19's are awesome. They stop great until they get hot, then they REALLY stop.

Installing Stoptech stainless brake lines really improves the pedal feel, by the way. My brake pedal tended to sink a bit and make heel-and-toe a little dicey, but the new pads, new flexible lines and Castrol SRF have made the whole setup rock solid.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by JAJ

I agree completely - if you don't mind the "schoolbus" sound effects on the street, the RS19's are awesome. They stop great until they get hot, then they REALLY stop.

I don't mind driving around like a schoolbus in a fancy car.

Do you guys not swap the pads out after the track day?

[JAJ]

Originally Posted by lucid

Do you guys not swap the pads out after the track day?

I don't any more - I used to spend a full day getting my M5 ready for track days (adjusting the suspension height, dampers, and camber plates, changing pads, etc) and I got tired of doing it over and over.

With the M3 and the minor brake mods I outlined above, my plan is to put the RS19's in at the start of the season and take them out after the last track day. Other than that, I can just drive it, school bus sound effects and all. I don't commute in the car, so it's not a big deal.

I did find myself thinking about Stoptechs the other day. When I got the car, my plan had been to put them on as early as possible. I had them on my E39 M5 and they were super. However, I eventually concluded that marketing overcame common sense in their product design for the E9x, forcing me to stay with the stock brakes. Not a bad choice, really - they're working fine so far.

The problem I have with the design of Stoptech E9x fronts is that they have 380mm rotors and 6-piston calipers. From my 400 pounds heavier M5, I know that 355mm rotors and 4-piston calipers will stop this lighter car just fine. Stoptech's choice of the big rotors and calipers force you to use 19" rims, sharply restricting your available track tire choices. The few really good extreme-summer and R-comp choices available in 19" will set you back between $400 to $600 more than 18's at every tire change. The sad part is that there's no performance benefit from the larger tires, larger wheels or larger brakes - they reduce your options for tires and brake pads and they make driving more expensive - that's it.

The perfect track-rat package for the E9x brakes would be 355x32 rotors all around with ST-40 calipers. The range of available pad materials is vast, they're a breeze to change, 18" tires and wheels will fit, and nobody will ever miss the two-tenths of an inch in rotor diameter.

Sigh. How hard can this be?

[Radiation Joe]

Originally Posted by JAJ

...

The perfect track-rat package for the E9x brakes would be 355x32 rotors all around with ST-40 calipers. The range of available pad materials is vast, they're a breeze to change, 18" tires and wheels will fit, and nobody will ever miss the two-tenths of an inch in rotor diameter.

Sigh. How hard can this be?

Many good points there. Remember, a brake set-up needs to consider a number of car specific parameters. You can't just slap on a particular size rotor, then mix and match calipers. Brake bias needs to be considered and that has to consider differing pressures from the master cylinder, swept area, rotor diameter and tire loading under braking. Many kits out there have failed to take this into consideration. Stoptech has always made it a point to try to balance the system. In your example above I would assume significantly smaller pistons would be provided for the rear calipers in order to maintain proper balance.

[JAJ]

Originally Posted by Radiation Joe

Many good points there. Remember, a brake set-up needs to consider a number of car specific parameters. You can't just slap on a particular size rotor, then mix and match calipers. Brake bias needs to be considered and that has to consider differing pressures from the master cylinder, swept area, rotor diameter and tire loading under braking. Many kits out there have failed to take this into consideration. Stoptech has always made it a point to try to balance the system. In your example above I would assume significantly smaller pistons would be provided for the rear calipers in order to maintain proper balance.

Getting the brake balance right is a core competence at Stoptech - it's a big reason why I really like their products. The front and rear sets they already make for the new M3 are balanced to the stock brakes - you can replace either the front or the rear axle by itself without upsetting the overall brake balance of the car.

You're absolutely right that they'd have to engineer a front setup that was properly balanced based on the smaller rotor, but if anybody can get that right, they can!

[CinciE92M3]

I'm looking for pads too, but I don't think I can stomach the price tag for the RS19's. Turner tells me they've got a bunch of Hawk products on order, but no ETA yet. I may have to do October's school with stock pads, then keep an eye on the suppliers over the winter.

[CinciE92M3]

Following up, I just got off the phone with Hawk. They said that they are making Blue compound pads for the M3 on an as-needed basis. Apparently there is a 7-10 day lead time, and you need to order through a distributor. I've sent messages to a couple of them, so hopefully I'll hear back soon.

FYI, the part number (front pads only) is HB551E748.

[sayemthree]

Originally Posted by CinciE92M3

Following up, I just got off the phone with Hawk. They said that they are making Blue compound pads for the M3 on an as-needed basis. Apparently there is a 7-10 day lead time, and you need to order through a distributor. I've sent messages to a couple of them, so hopefully I'll hear back soon.

FYI, the part number (front pads only) is HB551E748.

what about HP+?

how much are the Blues?

[Radiation Joe]

spend the extra money for Pagids or Performance Friction. I ran Hawk blues on my race car and had them fail. Now admittedly, this was 8 years ago, but I wasn't the only one. At some point in their life they start to crumble. When they do, you lose your brakes and scatter corner workers. Ask me how I know.

At least ask the Hawk rep about this issue with Hawk Blues. If he says he's never heard of the problem, pass. If he says they worked that out, give 'em a try. But inspect them regularly for cracking.