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Repco Deluxes on the Track

To Jay B and everyone else--  (Carl B, by the time I read your post earlier
in the spring on trying this, it was too late, you had already gone-- sorry.)

    I would recommend Deluxes on the track only for a first- or second-timer,
because the brakes would likely not be pushed all that hard.  OTOH, for a
"banzai" novice, Ferodo M or Repco Metal Masters couldn't hurt.  Beyond that
(short of all-out racing conditions) I would strongly recommend MMs or Ferodo
M-compound pads.  

    Brake pads employ chemical "binders", to hold the material together.
 When new, and they heat up, these binders give off a gas, which isn't too
much problem on your father's Oldsmobile, but when applied too hard too soon,
the gas gets trapped between the pad and rotor.  Green fade.  Gas-o-planing.
 Whatever pads you use for the track, make sure you heat-cycle them properly,
to purge the pads of these gases.  Presumably gas-slotted rotors reduce this
effect.

    Deluxes are great *street* pads; I recently switched from MMs for street
use because after 10+ years I finally got concerned about their "cold"
non-performance after a couple of too-near misses I didn't anticipate.  (Yup,
pilot error.  The other indicator I had:  the 325is was the first car I drove
with ABS.  With Yok 509s and the MMs on a cold, hard stop, dry *or wet!*, I
couldn't get the ABS to kick in, so I knew the brakes weren't doing their
max.  But the hot stops were great!)  Deluxes feel much "lighter", more
secure and more responsive-- it took me a week or so to get used to them.
 They don't squeal (I use anti-squeal goop, fwiw) and they put out *much*
less dust than MMs, stock pads (ugh!), or even the Ferodos.  Just don't go
howling down mountains; if you expect to, just swap pads.  I haven't yet
tried to find the Deluxes fade limits.

    I began to presume (I'll find out one of these years!) Deluxes would be
better than MMs in short autocrosses, because the heavy braking is done in a
short-burst, *relatively* low-speed scenario.  One a-x I ran with MMs allowed
me to drag the brakes up to the line to pre-warm them.  The rest were "hang
on and hope".

    MMs have a "schizoid" feel-- sluggish when cold, much more responsive
when warm, as one would expect of high performance pads.  I used to just put
up with it on the street, because I was tracking and a-xing much more often.

    The other factor to keep in mind-- it's much harder to find HP rear
*drum* brake linings, so most drivers just keep the stock ones.  In hard
driving, they fade easily, which taxes the front pads that much more,
whatever they are.  Conversely, running MM fronts on the street may well have
the rears locking up prematurely because they work better cold, before the
MMs have warmed up.  We're talking a matter of 1-2 seconds in a hard stop,
but it might make the difference.

    Ferodo M pads lie between Repco Deluxe and MM; closer to Deluxes for
light pedal effort, wear and quick response, and closer to MM for temp
resistance.  I used Ferodos once on my 2002 on track, felt good, never faded
(banzai braking!!), but only lasted two track days before wearing to the bone
(and the dust-- ack!!).  MMs lasted much longer but required somewhat higher
pedal effort, not really a factor under "red mist" conditions :-)   I also
saw the edge-crumbling effect others have mentioned.  It never happened to me
on the track; even though the stresses on the pad material are different, you
gotta wonder how they can stand up to heavy braking while crumbling under
your thumb...

    To shorten what has become quite a long story, I would recommend Deluxes
for *most* street driving and *most* track novices, and Ferodo M or Repco
Metal Masters for anything short of racing.  While carbon brakes are
technically interesting to me, functionally they are a non-issue-- I can't
afford 'em, nor do my cars or driving venues warrant them, even on the track
:-(   If, however, you have an almost-dead set for an E30 325i, I'd be
interested in saving you the effort of throwing them away.  Email me.

Gimme a "brake"!
Gary T   --Nat'l Capital Chapter--    '87 535i, '88 325is  
    hoping to attend Ofest evening functions, if baby lets go of my moustache
:-{o