[ruski]

These are the things I am looking for from a track pad:

1. Will not eat rotors
2. Will not wear super fast
3. Noise does not matter
4. Dust does not matter
5. Don't cost to much, but can be offset by # 1 and 2.
6. I want them to last a minimum of 10 track days. A track day consists of 4 20min sessions.
7. Compirable to EBC Yellowstuffs in fade resistance

My STi is ending up mostly sitting untill I do a track day or AutoX. First I started with EBC Redstuff Ceramics, I destroyed them in three track days with about 1500 street miles and they also damaged my rotors from the pad cracking from heat from track days.
So I decided to get EBC YellowStuff Ceramics, well they didn't fade like the Redstuffs, great, but they are cracking from heat and damaging my rotors, though not as bad as the redstuffs, yet.

I would describe myself as a midrange skill driver, progressing quickly. Right now I am averaging about a track day a month, but this will have to slow soon as it is starting to cost a fortune in gas/tires/pads. I'm trying to find a pad which will last a while and not destroy my rotors to help reduce the cost a little.

[CGMDan]

Pagid yellows. They are an endurance pad and will last a long time. I ran them on new rotors and had hardly no wear on either the pad or rotor. They hardly dust and won't fade. They cost close to $500 for the set, so they're a little spendy but because they last they're cheaper in the long run.

To make any pad last longer at least take off the dust shield off the rotors, and let them get a lot more air. When you get pad fade it's because they are too hot and they'll also wear faster.

[evilSTi7]

if you dont want 1 and 2 to happen then you dont want a dedicated track pad. my ferodo 2500's didnt fade at all at my track day in Limerock (hard braking from 125mph about every minute and a half for 25 minutes) and they work fine on the street. pagid yellows are supposed to be good too but very expensive.

[Upstate_Great]

Originally Posted by evilSTi7

if you dont want 1 and 2 to happen then you dont want a dedicated track pad. my ferodo 2500's didnt fade at all at my track day in Limerock (hard braking from 125mph about every minute and a half for 25 minutes) and they work fine on the street. pagid yellows are supposed to be good too but very expensive.

Nice, I'll be at Limerock this summer

[STI_VT]

I will be trying the Ferodo DS3000 pads shortly. I have been using the DS2500 pads. So far I have used them at Lime Rock twice and Watkins Glen, and NHIS, also a few times at a smaller track and many autoX. My rotors still look good and there is still lots of life left in the pads. Although I would like a little more bite on the track and according to VT sports car (who told me to try the DS2500) the DS3000 pads are suppose to be a lot like the DS2500 with more bite, but not as good on the street (no surprise there).

[BoostJunkie]

+1 for the Pagid Yellows. They are more expensive than some other options out there but they are, in my opinion, one of the best track pads available, period. They also have a very long life and won't eat rotors like some of the less expensive pads. I have used mine for a total of four track days so far and they still have 2/3 or maybe even 3/4 of their life left. Not to mention they pretty much don't fade at all. The noise they make when cold is ear-shattering though

[rev_happy_sti]

Are the pagids drivable to the track, or do you have to switch them out when you get there?

[stretch]

So both Pagids and Ferodo's are easy on the rotors? I'm unfortunately not familiar with either brand. Carbotech sells a slew of track pads, how do they compare? I was told anything less than their XP10 wasn't going to be sufficient for track days, and it makes me wonder if Pagid's DS2500, which seems to be comperable to Carbotech's Panther Plus pads, will really be sufficient. Some people on this site have recommended the Panther Plus and I wonder if they simply don't drive as aggressively as the ones recommending XP10's or higher. XP10's are not streetable pads whereas the Panther Plus's are compromised street/track pads.

For the price of the Pagid's, wouldn't it make more sense to get Ferodo's and RCE's Kool Brake Kit?

[evilSTi7]

lol, its the Ferodo 2500 and Pagid Yellow

is the track day coming up going to be your first track day?

[stretch]

Whoops, ha. Like I said, I'm unfamiliar with the brands- they didn't make pads for my last vehicle. I'm going to have my first track day coming sometime soon, but I'm an avid autocrosser. I have been told by everybody that I won't be braking much my first day because I'll crap myself prior to being able to really push the car. If autocrossing is any clue, I'll probably drive the car too aggressively and get black flagged. Who knows. The last thing I want is unreliable pads, but price is a very strong secondary motivation. Of course the price of the pads is but one factor, their longevity and the longevity of the rotors comes into play too. I'm willing to concede that once I go to the track once, it'll be an addiction (one reason I've been trying not to go- can't afford it!)

Anyway, I guess my real question is: what makes any one pad so much better than another? I thought they were all fundamentally made the same ways from the same materials, which vary from street to track pads but rarely from track to track pads. Overheating the pad accelerates wear, but higher temp pads generally have a higher coefficient of friction, and doesn't that accelerate wear too? I see no opportunity for a free lunch. It seems to me the real question is how aggressive a pad the individual wants, and brand would be relatively inconsequential. Yet, everyone seems to have a strong opinion on a favorite pad. What's the deal?

[RaceComp Engineering]

In theory, a more aggressive compound will accelerate wear on both the pads and rotors. However, a high quality pad like the Pagid is designed to be more forgiving on rotors than say a Hawk HP+ or Carbotech XP10. Plus the Yellows were originally designed for endurance racing so they have an unusually long life under heavy use. Yes, you can use them to drive to and from the track but like I mentioned, the sound is excruciating Also, a Kool Brake Kit will definitely help keep temps down, which will not only resist fade, but increase pad and rotor life as well.

-Dan

[evilSTi7]

if you auto-x then i think you'll be braking as much as you need to. i took my car to the track and found it's limits on the 3rd session of the day. you might find it on the first session or not even during the first day, everyone is different. i still stand by my thinking that the ferodo 2500 or the pagid yellows are for you. if you have the cash (and also dont care about noise) go with the pagids and if not go with the ferodo's (which i used and did not get any fade from).

[MTR]

I have used Carbotech X10s with good results.

[soulberg]

driving HARD, i think youd toast the pads in just a few sessions. maybe 1 or 2 days..

Racing is an expensive hobby.

i know this is semi OT but ive had Project MU MaxLevel900s..by far the best brake pad ive ever had.. save for the accelerated rotor wear.
This was all ok though, as good connections within the community can get you discarded NEW rotors.
i found a set with only 190mi on them for $100 or so.

[stretch]

Originally Posted by RaceComp Engineering

However, a high quality pad like the Pagid is designed to be more forgiving on rotors than say a Hawk HP+ or Carbotech XP10.

I understand this is what many claim, but I'd like to know (if anybody knows) why a Pagid lasts longer. Are the materials that different? I think like an engineer; I'm not happy knowing what the results are unless they can be explained and rationalized.

The Pagid Yellows are rated to 1100 degrees which is not that high; perhaps that is why the rotors last so long. Carbotech's Panther Plus's (their comparable street/track compromise pad, rated to 1250 degrees) are going to wear slower at the expense of heat capacity and bite than their own pure track pads (such as the XP10, rated to > 1600F) too. Again I ask- is there no free lunch?