Re: HELP! Brake Pad Decision?

[alex.fadeev@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Bart <vladimir@domain.elided> wrote:
> 
> Take a look at the EBC brake pads;
> http://www.ebcbrakesuk.com/Automotive.html
> 
> Tire Rack sells them. They're slightly better than the stock pads 
> that came on my '02 M3. 

Bart,
I have to disagree.
Every person I know who had tried EBC pads either faded them, warped the 
rotors or wore them off in 1/2 day on track. Literary, not a single 
success story. 
I certainly hope you'll be the first, but be prepared.

> They dust somewhat less than the stock pads, but probably more
> than the Hawk pads.

All brake pads dust. Period.
The difference is in the dust color. 
Some, like PBR/Axxis Delux or MetalMasters, Hawk HPS or PF-S pads dust in 
a light grey color that more or less matches the color of the wheels. Thus 
the dust is less visible, but it's still definitely there.
All of the above "light grey" dusting pads are less track worthy than 
stock pads.

On 2/23/03 4:55 PM, "William T. Wallace" <daddy30@domain.elided> wrote:
> Car facts:  95 M3, Stock everything, not a daily driver.  I have done
> searches on brake pads, Axxis, PBR, Hawk...etc,  on all the leading
> forums and it seems every pad is good and every pad is bad to someone.
> Plans for the car:  I plan to do at least one track outing this year.

William,
There is absolutely no such thing as 'track/street' pad. The pad material 
is designed to run in a limited temperature range. 
The range for the street should start at below freezing to accommodate 
cold morning braking. It typically maxes out at around 300-500 F, which is 
where your bad will get after a few laps on track. 
The range for the track pads starts at 200-600 F and goes up to 1000-2000 
F. Track pads are absolutely unbelievable at track temperatures, but 
pretty bad below the minimal operating temps. They also tend to wear off 
the rotors and themselves faster when cold.

> However, when I do take it out on the weekends to play, I would like
> to be able to stop at least as good as the OEM pads do but without the
> dealer cost.  Are there brake pads out there that fit my profile?

Get one set of street pads (stock or light dusting - your call). You can 
go to your first few driving schools with stock Jurid/Textar/Pagid pads. 
Get another set of track pads (Hawk Blue/HT-9/HT-10 or PerformanceFriction 
PF90/93).
Swapping them is amazingly easy. It is both the only safe and long term 
most economical approach to street-track driving.

alex f

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