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      09-10-2015, 12:59 PM   #1
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Question So who here has actually bought the Project Mu HC+ pads?

There are plenty of posts in here over the last year or two about Project Mu's HC+800 pad, but I don't recall seeing anyone having actually purchased them.

For those not familiar:
http://www.project-mu.co.jp/en/products/pad_hcplus.html

EAS stocks them for $300/axle:
https://europeanautosource.com/proje...ads-front.html


So who's running them on their M3? I don't want to hear about how they worked on an Evo or whatever else. The M3 is a heavy FR car with decent power.

Curious to get some anecdotal info on streetability, dusting, noise, and track performance. The compound looks quite impressive. I will need new pads in the spring and am starting to do some research -- so far these are the frontrunner for a do-everything pad.
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      09-10-2015, 01:17 PM   #2
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I run them on my M3. I gave some quick reviews in other threads.

They are special order only for the M3. I've been getting it through EAS.. they have a hard time getting it from their distributor and usually takes them 6 months or so to get an order though with numerous delays. I believe they wait for a shipping container to fill up before they send it over. Really crazy to wait this long for something that is so small and easily airmailed.

For background info, I had a great experience with them on the Evo. They were completely silent, great on track with a super high heat rating for a hybrid pad and DD friendly.

On the M3, they still have the great high temp ability as before but they squeal. I broke them in as usual and use high temp anti squeal as usual but they still squeak. Perhaps it is due to caliper/rotor design. The Evo has a more rigid Brembo 4 piston caliper. The single piston sliding caliper design of the M3 may be more prone to vibrations and noise. Brake dust is about the same as with stock pads. Cold bite is great. It never gets below 50F here in San Francisco so no comment on freezing temp performance.

On track, they perform very well. High torque throughout the temp range and the best streetable track pad I've run. People who have ridden with me comment that it feels like they're going to fly through the windshield when I step on the brake. It really has very high braking torque at track speeds. I have to be careful not to step too heavily on the brake pedal as it can lock the tires sometimes.

I'm waiting for my next set of pads from EAS (been waiting a long time). The old set I have run 7 track days on and are worn out. They worked just as well when worn down as when new. The characteristics didn't change as it wore down. I've attached a pic of the pad when I removed it.

Overall on the M3 - great on track, ok on street with some squeal. It is not a full on track pad. You're better off with PMU Club Racer pads if that's the case. Maybe ok as a track/race pad for a lighter car - not for the heavy M3. Great as a cheaper BBK alternative. You get great bite and track heat handling in a pad that is still streetable.

I've replaced it with Cool Carbon pads for mainly street use and I don't like them. Waiting for my replacement set whenever EAS can actually get them to me...
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      09-10-2015, 02:15 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
I run them on my M3. I gave some quick reviews in other threads.

They are special order only for the M3. I've been getting it through EAS.. they have a hard time getting it from their distributor and usually takes them 6 months or so to get an order though with numerous delays. I believe they wait for a shipping container to fill up before they send it over. Really crazy to wait this long for something that is so small and easily airmailed.

Mackin is the official importer, according to Project Mu's website. Did you ever try going through them?

Thanks for the info. I don't drive my car in the winter so "cold" performance is going to be in the 50s for brief periods...and at low speed since I live in downtown Chicago.
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      09-10-2015, 03:23 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dparm View Post
Mackin is the official importer, according to Project Mu's website. Did you ever try going through them?

Thanks for the info. I don't drive my car in the winter so "cold" performance is going to be in the 50s for brief periods...and at low speed since I live in downtown Chicago.
Mackin is the distributor. You can not purchase from them directly. It really has been a PITA to get the brake pads. I've custom ordered other things from Mackin and it's the same deal. You're at the mercy of their shipping schedule - whenever they have enough orders to fill a container.

It's good on the street, just expect some squealing. I've been swapping the pads out in between track days when I don't expect to go to the track for a while.
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      09-10-2015, 04:01 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
Mackin is the distributor. You can not purchase from them directly. It really has been a PITA to get the brake pads. I've custom ordered other things from Mackin and it's the same deal. You're at the mercy of their shipping schedule - whenever they have enough orders to fill a container.

It's good on the street, just expect some squealing. I've been swapping the pads out in between track days when I don't expect to go to the track for a while.

Mackin just got back to me and said "go talk to our distributors". Fortunately I have two good ones locally: AMS and IND. Already reached out to them in addition to EAS.

Would really like to get the HC+ but I may have to settle for the MX72 or RS19s simply due to availability. Good thing is that I'm not in a hurry and won't need them until Spring.
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      09-10-2015, 04:19 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dparm View Post
Mackin just got back to me and said "go talk to our distributors". Fortunately I have two good ones locally: AMS and IND. Already reached out to them in addition to EAS.

Would really like to get the HC+ but I may have to settle for the MX72 or RS19s simply due to availability. Good thing is that I'm not in a hurry and won't need them until Spring.
MX72 looks like a good one as well. It's more expensive and has a lower heat range but looks to be a more street friendly pad.

I ran the Endless CC-Rg before on my Evo and it was way more aggressive than the HC+. Felt great on track (50-800C temp rated). It was also less street friendly so I went with the HC+. https://endlessdirect.wordpress.com/...amada-gtr-r32/

The RS19 doesn't look like it handles as much heat as the other two. There is no mention of street use in the info I see on it. I don't know how street friendly it will be.

It really depends what you're looking for and willing to trade off for track/street.
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      09-10-2015, 04:44 PM   #7
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So IND just got back to me that Mackin has said 8-10 weeks for the HC+. That's not too bad, actually.

RS19 is streetable but not for cold climates. It's the OEM pad on the Ferrari 360/430/458 Challenge models. Endurance focus.

Sadly, Endless MXRS is not sold for our cars. The MX-72 is an aggressive street pad that can handle light track duty, from what I read. Sounds very similar to the Ferodo DS2500, a pad I had on my Audi S4 and really liked.

Not really sure what sort of temperature maximums I'll encounter on a stock M3 with street tires. Some of these pads are claimed to be good to 800C and beyond. My car is predominantly street driven but it is NOT a DD (definitely not in the winter). I do autocross and track it when I can. Otherwise it spends most of its time at low speed in downtown Chicago traffic. I can deal with a bit of noise. Rotor & pad life aren't terribly important to me since I only drive about 6-7k a year, most of which is low-speed stuff or driving to the track/autocross event.
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      09-14-2015, 09:19 AM   #8
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I run them on stock brakes for a while:
* they squeal a lot!
* I was not impressed with them on the track
* The brakes overheated almost as fast as stock pads !?
* Front pads lasted me 2 track days and 3000 miles

I will never buy them again...
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      09-17-2015, 01:11 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by krx927 View Post
I run them on stock brakes for a while:
* they squeal a lot!
* I was not impressed with them on the track
* The brakes overheated almost as fast as stock pads !?
* Front pads lasted me 2 track days and 3000 miles

I will never buy them again...
Are you sure you got HC+ pads? Did you bed it in before using? I had 7 track days on them and a lot of street driving.

They do squeal but it shouldn't be a constant squeal. Only some light squealing. Did you apply brake anti-squeal paste?
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      09-23-2015, 10:13 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
Are you sure you got HC+ pads? Did you bed it in before using? I had 7 track days on them and a lot of street driving.

They do squeal but it shouldn't be a constant squeal. Only some light squealing. Did you apply brake anti-squeal paste?
yes, no, no

perhaps I brake harder than you

But those 2 track days were on tracks that are extremely hard on brakes...
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      09-29-2015, 03:22 PM   #11
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Anti-noise brake paste is a must for any pads. I use the super high temp stuff and usually re-apply after a track day because it sometimes burns off.

An update on the pads I ordered from EAS. Still waiting on them. I originally ordered in April. I may have to go with another pad as this wait is getting crazy. 1/2 year wait on a box of brake pads no larger than a hardcover book. They should just air mail them!
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      01-08-2018, 02:48 PM   #12
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A little update on the HC+ pads. I've bypassed the American distributors and are now buying directly through friends in Japan. The prices are much lower and usually shipped to my place in a few weeks (week to their house in Japan, week to USA). I'm on my 2nd set of pads and happy with them.

Mackin needs to get their shit together.

Also ran MX72 once... they sucked and coated my rotors with pad deposits on track. Definitely avoid these for track use.
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      03-30-2018, 09:24 AM   #13
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We have a lot of HC+ users here in Japan. Typically, it shows similar performance to that of Endless MX-72, slightly better under threshold braking but not by much. That being said, you will still lock your tyres if it's not a slick compound HC+ will eat through your rotors much faster than Mx-72 though, so there's the trade off.

Hardcore track users go for Pro-mu 777 or Endless ME20. These seriously bite.
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      03-30-2018, 09:30 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Z K View Post
A little update on the HC+ pads. I've bypassed the American distributors and are now buying directly through friends in Japan. The prices are much lower and usually shipped to my place in a few weeks (week to their house in Japan, week to USA). I'm on my 2nd set of pads and happy with them.

Mackin needs to get their shit together.

Also ran MX72 once... they sucked and coated my rotors with pad deposits on track. Definitely avoid these for track use.
Interesting. Which part of Mx72 did you find not satisfactory?

It has slightly less initial bite than stock pads but stop much quicker at every hard braking. Also easier to modulate because bite is very linear.

HC+ does have harder initial bite from the memory, so maybe that's your preference.
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      03-30-2018, 11:12 AM   #15
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Tried MX-72 for track, managed to fade them. Now on HC+, love em! Endless CCRg is better than HC+ but very harsh on discs.
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      09-16-2018, 01:13 AM   #16
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So.... recently upgraded my Rotora BBK to run Project Mu HC+ pads. First track day with them at Thunderhill East (3-mile cyclone CCW) I think I've worn ~3/8 of the front pads already. Rears look like I wore down ~2/8. Scary.

What are these pads comparable to? Carbotech XP8? I am going to try Rotora's "endurance" pads, I can't seem to find pads that can last longer than 2-3 track days with the pace I'm going at recently.
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      09-16-2018, 08:34 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kpewpew View Post
So.... recently upgraded my Rotora BBK to run Project Mu HC+ pads. First track day with them at Thunderhill East (3-mile cyclone CCW) I think I've worn ~3/8 of the front pads already. Rears look like I wore down ~2/8. Scary.

What are these pads comparable to? Carbotech XP8? I am going to try Rotora's "endurance" pads, I can't seem to find pads that can last longer than 2-3 track days with the pace I'm going at recently.


What sort of temps are you seeing? I would suggest getting thermographic paint for the rotors and/or a sticker for the caliper.

Might be time for something like a Hawk DTC-60 (or even 70 if you're on really sticky tires or R comps).
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      09-17-2018, 05:26 PM   #18
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dparm I haven't tried checking temps - good idea, will look some up to use before my next day out! Not running R comps, but have been running RE71R and RS4. Probably switching out to NT01 later

I am getting recs to try the Endless N05u. Will have to see if I can get it to fit my kit.

Update: Getting another level up in pad, spoke with Rotora over the phone and their H9 pad should be similar to DTC-70

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      03-02-2022, 09:45 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kyrix1st View Post
Interesting. Which part of Mx72 did you find not satisfactory?

It has slightly less initial bite than stock pads but stop much quicker at every hard braking. Also easier to modulate because bite is very linear.

HC+ does have harder initial bite from the memory, so maybe that's your preference.
Forgot about this thread!

MX72 melted and coated the rotors with pad deposits. I tried it a few times on a few different cars. The pad compound disintegrates when it overheats. HC+ definitely holds up better on track. MX72 is great for a predominately street driven car though.

I've changed to the newer HC-CS pads from Project Mu. They have less braking torque but hold up longer than HC+ to high heat and zero squeal on street driving. On my 3rd set of HC-CS already. Usually get 3-4 track days on a set. For track days and occasional street driving, I love these pads.
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      03-02-2022, 11:21 PM   #20
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MX72 is more expensive and not as good as Pmu HC+. I've used HC+ exclusively on my previous car and the M3. Both are daily driven, run in the hills and tracked occasionally. It's probably the best all around brake pad out there.
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      03-03-2022, 01:21 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Redd View Post
MX72 is more expensive and not as good as Pmu HC+. I've used HC+ exclusively on my previous car and the M3. Both are daily driven, run in the hills and tracked occasionally. It's probably the best all around brake pad out there.
I agree, MX72 is not in the same category. It is more for street driving than track. Endless makes a MX72 Plus which is supposed to be better for performance but I haven't tried it.

You should try HC-CS if you track a lot. It can handle more heat on track and makes less noise on the street than HC+.
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