Porterfield R4-S Pads

[jmp]

I have reviewed a few brake pad threads/posts and have not seen much on these pads. Someone in the NSX community I respect very much highly recommended them for my type of driving -- CTSC'd, but a daily driver streetcar, with a 1-2 time per year track day. I want something that has limited dust and squeal but hopefully somewhat improved street condition performance over oem.

OEM's are awesome for my purposes but before I just go out and put them on, wanted opinions on this one pad.

Comments are appreciated!

 

[L8apex32]

I used to use and be pretty familiar with Porterfield pads. I tried to make the R4-s work for my use which was daily driver plus many track events a year. I'm an aggressive driver on the track and the R4-S pads aren't up to the task. Their failure mode is pad material buildup which results in thump-thump-thump after so much time of use. The buildup does not wear off on the street and it becomes very annoying.

Now, you may not drive as aggressively as I do in the brake zones - and you might go to tracks that don't require as much torture of the brakes - so they may be fine for you. They are quiet and they don't squeal enough for me to notice or remember. I've always had good service from Porterfield.

The R4 (race compound) kicks butt and I can't over drive them But, I wouldn't recommend them on the street.

I'm currently enjoying Carbotech Panther Plus pads for track use and some street use (say a day per week). I don't care about dust and wouldn't notice but they haven't squeaked for me yet. I'm on my first set which are 3/4 worn down after 6 track days, including one double-duty with my wife, many students riders and a fair amount of street use. So far so good.

Hope this helps.

 

[nsxtasy]

I do not recommend the R4-S. I had a set on my other car and the backing plates softened enough with track use that they bent around the piston. 'nuff said.

I also don't recommend the Panther Plus for street-track use. They work well on the track, but mine SQUEALED WAY TOO LOUD on the street.

I really liked the old formulation of the Cobalt GT Sport pads, but the new formulation is reported to be worse for noise.

Right now I've gone back to the Hawk HP Plus which seem to be working very well for me as a street-track pad.

 

[docjohn]

I'm not a fan of the r4-s.I used up one new set in a day at the glen.There are many better alternatives.

 

[jmp]

Thanks for the replies thus far. For my use as a hi-perf streetcar, I may stick to oem.

 

[nsxtasy]

The OEM pads are actually very good. No noise, low dust, etc. I tracked my NSX with them for many events and many years with no problems before I started using other brands.

 

[L8apex32]

Um, my experience does not say that the OEM pads are usable at the track. I vaporized a set in 1/2 a day at Hallett. Whatever holds them together let go and I was left with something less than a brake pad.

The R4-s pads are a performace pad. They will work better at the track than OEM, in my opinion. But, they aren't ideal, as many of us have said.

I guess what I'm saying is - if the R4-s pads aren't good enough for you at the track, it would be a step the other direction to go with OEM.

Hope this helps.

 

[nsxtasy]

My personal experience is quite the opposite. I have used the stock brake pads for the first 5,000 actual track miles on my car (eight sets of front pads, five sets of rears). I have never had any kind of failure whatsoever, other than fading the first (and, sometimes, second) session that the pads got hot - and that fading is the same as with virtually any set of good street-track pads. In fact, there's a name for it among trackers - "green pad syndrome". Beyond that, the pads have worked great, with no other fading, no problems whatsoever.

However, I have used only a couple of sets of Porterfield R4-S pads, and I had the failure described above. I should have taken a photo of the bent R4-S pads, the way they bent around the caliper. I would never, ever, ever recommend using those on the track. And given that behavior, I wouldn't use them on the street on a high-performance car like an NSX, either.

With over 12,000 actual track miles on my NSX, using 26 different sets of front pads and 15 sets of rears, of various brands, I have a lot of experience with brakes on the NSX. I have roughly the same amount of track experience with brakes on other cars. The stock NSX brake pads are very good; I've liked a few aftermarket types as well. The R4-S is the only pad that has failed for me when it has had a reasonable thickness of pad material on it. Based on that experience, the stock pads are fine; the R4-S isn't.