Brake discs and pads

Evob · Jul 30, 2017

probably been asked a million times but....

What is the best combo ? (There seems to be several variants of the Brembo HC ones) and which pad??

Also where is the best place to purchase???

Fast road only. No track use.

Cheers

Ben

Claude · Jul 30, 2017

That depends what 'best' means.

I'd get in touch with George Snee on Facebook, Cliosport.net or via his website (RoadTrackRaceParts).

Let him know your needs and budget and go for his recommendation.

I imagine it might be Ferodo DS2500 pads with Brembo HC discs, or even an OEM-spec pad.

You can go for more aggressive pads and the Max discs (grooved) but that's OTT for the road.

Evob · Jul 30, 2017

Cheers Claude. I'll give him a message. Thanks.

SharkyUK · Jul 30, 2017

Totally agree with Claude - i.e. have a word with George at RTR.

For fast road I went for the common Ferodo DS2500 pads with plain Brembo HC discs. As long as you remember that they need a bit of heat in them to work optimally then they are a good combo in my opinion. I'll say again though... people have made comment about their cold performance. They ARE a performance pad that need heat to work well. That said, driving sensibly (as we all do, right?) should see you just fine.

Evob · Jul 30, 2017

Ha ha. Cheers for this. Yeah I have a set of performance friction .11 for my evo. Brilliant when warm. Evil when cold, I nearly plowed into a fence when I first fit them. Lesson learnt.

Kelv · Jul 30, 2017

On one of my Trophy's I have an Alcon 4 Pot setup, arguably overkill for many people, and possibly a waste of wonga, but the braking ability is absolutely f*cking immense.

On the other Trophy, this will soon be wearing a set of HC discs with DS2500 pads, more so as I have a spare set tucked in a box at the back of the shed.
But even so, probably still more than ample for occasionally Road use

hoolio · Jul 30, 2017

i would definitely upgrade from OEM their cold wet stopping ability was woeful. I didn't go the DS2500 because there were are a fair few reports of them breaking up and as above, poor cold performance. Instead I went for the pagid rs4-2 and the HC grooved (they're pretty) great stopping hot or cold, they have a tendency to glaze and then squeak if used gently and are quite expensive for just road but well worth it, they burn through discs but are still going strong after many years and smiles.

Big Dave · Jul 31, 2017

Personally i fitted the Brembo HC discs with a set of Mintex 1144,s. This was what George had reccomended...
The previous owner had the ds 2500,s on but i didnt get on with them...
Ive found this combination just right for my use...

Peter O'connor · Jul 31, 2017

Agree with dave - brembo hd and mintex 1144 pads are spot on. I run standard renault discs and mintex pads on the rear, but standard pads would be fine..

I have used mine for B road thrashing and then on various msa sprints. They are spot on and the wear rate is very low..

Ferodo's take a while to heat up so unless you are going hard in them on the road get some mintex and you will be fine!

Evob · Jul 31, 2017

Cheers for the responses. I'll give mintex a try.

Tom Clarke · Aug 23, 2017

Does anybody have any experience with the Brembo HC's for track use? The one's I'm seeing on Euro Car Parts aren't a drilled or grooved rotor, just makes me wonder about cooling and fade.

If anyone has any brake advice for track use at all it'd be greatly appreciated.

Standard vs Brembo on track?

Drilled/grooved options, are there any available and is there a tangible benefit?

Many thanks for any replies in advance!

andy tims · Aug 23, 2017

Tom Clarke said:
Does anybody have any experience with the Brembo HC's for track use? The one's I'm seeing on Euro Car Parts aren't a drilled or grooved rotor, just makes me wonder about cooling and fade.

If anyone has any brake advice for track use at all it'd be greatly appreciated.

Standard vs Brembo on track?

Drilled/grooved options, are there any available and is there a tangible benefit?

Many thanks for any replies in advance!

Have a look on Road Track Race Parts website, they have all the Brembo options.

Not sure how effective grooved are, but drilled certainly reduces heat build up. It's definitely beneficial to to clean out the holes after each track day.

Kelv · Aug 23, 2017

The Brembo HC are a good disc.
Don't worry about cooling or fade as long as you have decent fluid and a decent pad choice.

Drilled... don't do it.
Grooved... at your discretion if its what you fancy.

andy tims · Aug 23, 2017

Why not drilled?

Kelv · Aug 23, 2017

They cause hot spots around the hole, which in turn will eventually suffer from hairline cracks from these holes towards the outer edge of the discs.

My suggestion, would be just go for a grooved (if you really want them) of a style or pattern that appeals to you.
There is no real proven argument that 8, 12, 40 or even J hook discs have a superiority over each other.
Although, I normally opt for J hook as I like the look of them.

Claude · Aug 23, 2017

I believe Brembo Max are the same as HC but grooved, and twice the price.

Worth chatting to George at RTR when he returns from his holiday.

Tom Clarke · Aug 23, 2017

Thanks very much for the advice gents, very much appreciated.

I'm taking it to Donington over the bank holiday, going to try the non drilled and grooved standard HC's. In terms of pads I guess it's maybe worth trying the Ferodo's but being mindful of getting them up to temp'.

Thanks again!

Kelv · Aug 23, 2017

I have a friend who runs ITB's, gripper box, AST's, correction hubs etc etc.

It goes without saying a car with those treats is used pretty hard on track, and all he runs is the Brembo HC discs and decent pads, he's never once complained of any form of braking issue with them.

andy tims · Aug 23, 2017

Kelv said:
They cause hot spots around the hole, which in turn will eventually suffer from hairline cracks from these holes towards the outer edge of the discs.
.

Of course you will get cracks radiating from the holes eventually, but unless you let the holes get clogged up with brake dust and / or you're on the brakes too long causing excessive heat build up it's not that much of a big deal. I can get 10 + days out of a pair of OE drilled front pads on my 996 GT3 which is obviously heavier, much faster and therefore harder on brakes than any Clio. Drilled discs are standard on any high performance Porsche unless they have ceramics and what Porsche don't know about brakes isn't worth knowing IMHO.

Kelv · Aug 23, 2017

And I'd imagine the material used on a 996 GT3 for the discs is somewhat superior than a set of £50 Brembo discs for a clio.

I used to run a water cooled set of AP 6 pots on an old escos, 378mm with floating discs, and like yourself probably achieved an equal amount of hard track days before they started for fail, eventually I gave up and went for non drilled.

But using a car for dedicated track work, you expect to be replacing items such as discs and pads fairly regularly.
The OP has mentioned zero track time, so for a small hatch on spirited road use, I'd pass on drilled.

Just my opinion tho, everyone's will differ.