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track day pads

R

rkneeshaw

CEG'er
Joined
Dec 6, 2001
Messages
471
Location
Petoskey, Michigan
Its been since like 2003 that good reviews/opinions have been given. Whats the latest consensous?

Hawk HPS, Mintex 1144, or KVR's (ugh, really?)???

Or something new I dont know about?
 
I use Carbotech AX6 pads on the track (front and rear), and actually use them on the street too.

They are great on the track, and have never let me down. I am running SVT Focus fronts and R compound tires, so it is hard to say what they would be like on stock Contour SVT brakes and street tires. They have a fairly aggressive initial bite and have good modulation. I have nothing but good things to say about them.

The are obviously not meant for 100% street driving, so there are some drawbacks there. They are very noisy on the street in the summer (sounds like a school bus) - but are very amusing to run on the street as you can stop very fast with them. You do get used to the noise after a while :). They do of course wear out the rotors faster, and do put out a lot of brake dust. They also perform better than I would have expected when they are cold. They do wear quite well on the street too.

I guess it all depends on how hard you run your car on the track, and how long you stay out at a time.
 
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well track day for me is springzing, so maybe twice a year tops, and I hope to stay out for about 30 minutes at a time. I know I dont need full on race pads, but I want something that will perform well and am willing to sacrifice some streetability for that. I like my bendix pads but they just didnt bite well when brought up to temp. They werent bad, I'm just sure theres something better. Those carbotechs dont sound too bad, they might be what I want but I would like to hear some feed back on the others I mentioned. Can anyone offer a comparison?

The other one I forgot to mention was EBC redstuffs. But I've heard some people swear they will never touch EBC stuff anymore...
 
i dont know about the EBCs, ive never heard anything bad about them. and as for the mintex pads, they are a pretty solid pad. i had them on my CSVT for a while and they were pretty decent for street use and had a pretty good bite. on track they would start to fade at high temp, not nearly as much as a street pad but more than those carbotechs would.. however, stay away from the Hawk pads. i have heard nothing but bad news from friends that have used them. they fade really bad even at moderate temps, dont bite well, and give poor pedal feel..
 
thats wierd. do you know what model of hawk pads they were using?

I've heard mostly good things through my research on this site. Hawk seems to think the HPS will be a perfect fit for my application; mostly street use with the occasional track day. I was trying to find the HP+ but they dont make them for our cars, only the HPS

I'll look more into the carbotechs, they look pretty good
 
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Be careful - if you go to more of a full on track pad the braking is crappy if they're cold. I had a set of Hawk blacks once and they were great for the track but bad running around town.
 
i dont remember what model Hawks they were, its been a couple years so probably a set of the older ones. From what i hear, Hawk is usually pretty decent. I was just sharing my experiences.:shrug:
 
I use my Carbotechs in below freezing temps for months at a time and they have never let me down. There are actually quiet in the winter too (unlike the summer). They are a blast to use on the street and they have kept me out of trouble many times when I had to stop in a hurry.
 
Where are you picking up your carbotech's at? Also, which series are you using - Bobcat, panther, panther+ - ?
 
I went with the Carbotech XP10's on the front and they've been great. I went out to punish them a few times before SZ and they bite real hard and didn't fade after 8 hard laps at Gingerman.

I have the Warmonger front kit with E0 calipers. I went with the E0 calipers/pads because they cover the FSVT rotor better. Just my opinion.
 
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