Brake Pads

[ck]

Hey All!

I am about to change the brake pads on my 97 and was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on what pads to use. Stock or aftermarket? If aftermarket, why and what brand is good? For mostly street driving. Less dust is better!

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Yellow Rose]

Porterfield R4S or Carbotech Panther Plus.

The Porterfield dusts less; however, the Carbotech grabs better.

 

[NSX 3.0]

The Carbotechs grab much better than my stock pads but toss off a ton of Brake dust.

Steven 91 Blk/Ivory

 

[DanO]

If you're doing street driving only, then I'd suggest OEM pads. They will dust less and squeal less than the street/track pads like the R4s and the panther. They will also be easier on the rotors and stop better when cold.

DanO

 

[erobbins]

I used OEM pads for a while and found them to be quite durable, but only average with stopping power. I put 8000 miles on them and had four track weekends on them between my wife and I before going to Porterfield R4S pads and still had 50% pad life left. Yes, I am very easy on brakes on the track because I subscribe to the theory that you need to preserve your equipment... I dont' care how fast you go or stop, you have to finish the race to win.

As far as the R4S pads go compared to OEM, it's like night and day. They are about the same on the street, but as soon as they get heated up, they are fantastic. They stop the car about as well it can be stopped considering the other weaknesses in the braking system. Understand that a Porsche 996 is my other track car, which has arguably the best brakes on the market.

I have not tried other pads yet, but don't really have a need to. I am very happy with the R4S pads for my level of track driving and will only move to a "big brake upgrade" after all other things are upgraded on the car.

EDR

 

[DocL]

I have used the stock, RM Racing, Porterfields, and Carbotech pads. The best performance and wear has been with the Carbotech Panther Plus. Carbotech makes different compounds so you can get the appropriate pad for your needs.

 

[Hrant]

Originally posted by Dr.Lane:
I have used the stock, RM Racing, Porterfields, and Carbotech pads. The best performance and wear has been with the Carbotech Panther Plus. Carbotech makes different compounds so you can get the appropriate pad for your needs.

Which of the these squeals the least? And dusts the least? And performs the best? I know these may be mutually exclusive scenarios.

I moved to RM Racing pads after 7 track events and 14K on OEM (fronts still had 4-5mm back pads were down to 2mm). Choice of RM pad was based on winning a raffle. It took me 1000 miles for the squealing to be minimized (very annoying in the beginning).... and they do dust more than OEM but do wash away. I drove about 300 easy miles on then then did the 40/60 mph hard braking to embed them ..... there was a difference on the track but marginal. I do have Motul and Dali Air deflectors but keep the dust shield (97+ have aerodynamic openings on the shiled). But then I am easy on the brakes so perhaps they are better when they get really hot?

 

[DocL]

Originally posted by Hrant:
Which of the these squeals the least? And dusts the least? And performs the best? I know these may be mutually exclusive scenarios...

Least squeal and dust= stock pads.
Medium squeal and dust= RM Racing and Carbotech pads.
Most Squeal and dust= Porterfeilds.

Best performance with least squeal and dust= Carbotech.

Best performance without squeal and dust= Stock.

This is also dependent on how aggressive you are with the brakes. I've gone through a set of Porterfields in one day with track only driving. I've also gone thrpough a set of RM Racing pads with one day of track driving and three months of street driving. I only used the stock pads once on the track and they had significant fade. The last time I was at the track, I used the Carbotech Panther Plus for a two day event and they showed virtually no wear, but they do squeal until they get warmed up. They had the same bite (maybe a little better) than the Porterfields, and for once I didn't ruin a set of rotors.

So, here's my final analysis on the pad thing. I've decided that since it gets expensive running my NSX at the track and going through a set of front rotors and pads each time, not to mention the cost of Hoosiers, that I've gone out an bought a Miata. I'm in the process of converting it into a Miata Spec racer which I'm going to run in the SCCA with. Furthermore, I'll probably spend in one year with the Miata what I used to spend in one day with the NSX.

I hope this has helped.

Happy Holidays!

 

[nsxtasy]

I've used the stock pads, the RM Racing pads, Porterfield R4, and Porterfield R4S. I have not yet used the Carbotech Panther Plus (although I used their older Carbotech Panther formula - not good).

The ONLY one of these pads which squealed is the Porterfield R4, which is their full race pad, and I don't use it for this reason (I don't want to switch pads every time I go to the track). I have had zero squealing from the other pads.

Dusting was moderate from all of these, and none of them faded. I've liked the RM Racing pads the best, because they have a nice "bite" to them. I got a set of Porterfield R4S pads hot and the backing plates softened enough for them to bend around the piston, so I don't use them. I had brake shudder with the stock pad, not with the RM pad.

HTH