The Cobalt XR-Series Carbon-Ceramic brake pads are based on hybrid sintermetal technology coupled with secondary carbon precursor deposition, making them unlike any other brake pad on the market. The XR-Series is the result of considerable R&D, taking from what we have learned over the years working with race teams in Grand Am Rolex & Cup, World Challenge, and SCCA club racing. The benefits of the new materials are:
(1) much broader temperature range (50F min)
(2) zero-bedding
(3) excellent disc finish and pad wear rates
(4) unsurpassed consistency
The XR-Series materials are resinless and thus do not require outgassing or traditional bedding, providing true "out of the box" race performance. This performance attribute had been supported by/with numerous teams in Grand Am and World Challenge starting races with new discs and pads. Reference teams include Blackforest Motorsports (Grand Am Mustangs in GS and GT classes) and LG Motorsports (World Challenge GT Corvettes), as well as factory supported GM race programs in various series. Resin-based materials, which include all pads from the major manufacturers (as well as Cobalt's previous generation materials), rely on a combination of metallic fibers and resin as a source of primary structure (metallic powders also contribute when used in formulations requiring higher compaction pressures (above 10tsi, generally speaking), but to a lessed extent). As a resin-based material is heat cycled, the resin outgasses and at temperatures approaching and exceeding 1000F, begin to decompose; this is why you will see resin-based materials crumble and chip at the edges after multiple heat cycles. The Cobalt XR-Series materials, being based on hybrid sintermetal technology, are compacted at much higher tonnages (exceeding 20tsi), do not utilize metallic fibers, and achieve structural integrity via controlled atmosphere (nitrogen/hydrogen mix) sintering processed at temperatures exceeding 2000F. Thus, they possess much higher performance consistency over the life of the pad, both during a given session/race, and also when run after multiple heat cycles; e.g. pads that are used 3 weeks after a race still have the same performance characteristics as a new set.
Traditional sintermetallic compounds contain upwards of 50%-V metallic powders or fibers. Cobalt Friction has developed a method of sintering which permits a much lower metallic powder content, with maximum of 30%-V, and allows neck formation between metallic, ceramic, and carbon particles. The result is a material that is 70%-V carbon-ceramic, yet still maintains excellent structural integrity at temperature exceeding 1600F. Similarly, the high carbon-ceramic (5 types of carbonaceous materials, and 4 types of ceramic materials) content lends itself to a much higher specific heat capacity (joules per gram per kelvin) (up to 50% higher than traditional resin-based materials).
Lastly, please note that Cobalt Friction XR-Series materials are intended for track/race applications, meaning that braking performance and related attributes are the primary design considerations; noise and dust are very much secondary. For those looking to find a pad that has very low dust and noise on the street, yet will provide the level of braking performance and temperature resistance required for track/race usage, it is my opinion that this "perfect" combination of performance/aesthetic qualities are not wholly achievable, nor realistic to expect, at least currently. Some customers have noted displeasure with the new GT-Sport in terms of dust and noise, and while we are working on addressing these points, and some improvement has been achieved in the most recent iteration of the GT-Sport, noise and dust will never be completely eliminated, as altering the formulation to this extent will have a negative effect on performance. When our compounds are used for their intended/designed purpose, the results are excellent...trying to use one of our (and any) true race compound (i.e. compounds that can withstand actual race conditions) on the street will be met with some issues.
Regards,
