Brake pads

[Davey Bee]

I am about to change my pads and as always looking for better performance. The pads that I'm thinking of are EBC red/green stuff or Padgits. I have Caterham 4 pots on the front which I believe to be AP, and standard rears. Can anyone advise on the advantage/disadvantage of these pads. Also what would be best on the rears or are they alright with standard pad.

I use the car for touring, trackdays, sprint (hopefully) and blating

Thanks Dave

[Jam Mad]

i hear that ebc green stuff is good... a lot of people use 'em.

 

j

[Peter Carmichael]

Naah.

 

Green stuff not good. Will overheat with track use.

 

For ultimate brakes, try:

 

Pagid RS14 is an excellent pad for track use, but expensive.

Front pads part no - U1265 RS14 £167.59

 

Some recommend the Carbon Metallic part no RK2 for the rear standard calipers. Again expensive at £112.60

 

Prices as of June last year via Hyperion, I think.

 

I use Mintex 1155 which are more reasonable on price, but don't really bite when cold. Mintex 1144 are rubbish in the Green Stuff mould - the rears crumble from the heat.

[1400rs_0of30]

I have a 1400cc roadsport and just fitted new mintex race 1144 front and back, my overall opinion is that they are a very good safe option, and for a light car not used in racing, then they are ideal. I was impressed by the stopping power.

 

I do lots of track days and they work a dream and have lots of wear.

 

Obviously red stuff are apparently only for race or heavy cars, green stuff are said to be good/ok, or not any better than the mintex.

 

Sean

 

The original 1400 K Series Roadsport Prototype

 

My Caterham Website

[Chelspeed]

Green stuff are OK for road use and sprinting. I faded them after 5 laps at Combe 2 up so for regular track days they're no good. Red stuff will probably be OK for the trackdays and they're cheap.

 

I spoke to the Pagid guy at Autosport show he recommended Pagid RS14-2 I think (the blue ones). I asked him why his £180 pagids were better for me than £40 green stuff. The best he could do was that a set had lasted the whole season on one of the SLR racers. As I only want them to last for 4 runs of a 1 mile sprint course I was pretty unimpressed.

 

Steve at SBD uses Hawk blacks on his Westie (from Rallye Design) and says they're the dogs whatsits, loads of bite from cold and can take high temps too. Dave at BG Developments says Hawk are cr*p 'cos they'll eat the discs after two events.

 

So ask five people and get five answers.

 

All I can say is that green stuff and Mintex M1122 are good for sprints as they're all I've tried.

[EFA]

Red Stuff and AP600 fluid stops my car better than anything else I've tried. (Inc Mintex 1144/55/66)

 

Pagid is good but expensive, and carbon metallic pads are nothing special except their appetite for discs (I briefly had them on my RX-7)

 

 

 

Fat Arn

The NOW PROVEN R500 Eaterid=red>

See the Lotus Seven Club 4 Counties Area Website hereid=green>

 

[1400rs_0of30]

I understand the 2 main variables for choosing your pads are:

1. The weight of your car (light like a k, or heavy like a Vx)

2. If you race or not, not including track driving

 

Sean

[Ade Ray]

Surely having the best brake pads in the world is all for nothing if your tyres are pants. I was talking to the puffmeister and he (seemed)to say that I should be more bothered about getting the right tyres when it came to sprinting.

 

if I have mis-quoted you puffy just let me know!

 

Ade biggrin.gif

 

Make the world a better place, hug an estate agent

[Peter Carmichael]

The rear brakes don't get any cooling air and have overheating problems that show up on track usage (trackdays and racing - not sprinting).

 

You mentioned a usage of touring, trackdays, sprint and blatting. Of these, "trackdays" are significantly different to the others. Blatting will not get your brake temps up, nor sprints, nor touring. Trackdays can wreck a set of inappropriate pads at the rear very quickly.

 

AFA your brakes are concerned, there is no signifcant weight difference between a K and a VX. If the pads aren't up to a VX, then they are marginal on a K.

 

Touring and sprints, you might want the pads to bite at first application. Blatting, the chances are you will get enough heat into them that you won't notice after the first corner. It is reasonably easy to work around a pad that doesn't bite from cold on the road. If you want one set of pads that does it all, go for the spec that will cope with the track usage rather than the other way round. Red Stuff, Mintex 1155, Pagid. Not Green stuff, not Mintex 1144 not Mintex 1122.