Brake pad recommendations.

[photo_ed]

Well, with No. 407 currently incarcerated with the talented Mr Pittman at Diamond Motors for a now fairly comprehensive list of jobs, my attention has turned to brakes.



We've just refreshed the rear set-up, keeping it as standard, however the front's I'm wondering about a little tweak, particularly with regards to pads. For the last few years it's run a standard Brembo pad, which truth be told I've never had any issues with. However, I'm deliberating as to whether something like the Mintex M1144 or Ferodo DS2500 might give stronger / better performance. I don't really envision ever tracking the car now, so the focus is exclusively fast road use.

Disc-wise it's going to be either the Brembo HC UV plain or maybe the Xtra drilled items if I'm feeling like pushing the boat out a bit.... (more)

If anyone has any experience of either pad type they'd like to share, that would be great! Thanks!

 

[Paul Morris]

Standard Brembos are fine for fast road use but don’t hold up on track. Red/green/yellow stuff pads are a waste of money.

I’ve found the PBS pads are a good compromise. They’re a little more focused on track use so need a little heat but work really well.


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[Peter O'connor]

I had mintex 1144 and used them everyday and for sprinting my clio trophy at places like Coombe, landow etc and they never missed a beat. But some people say they are rubbish but my experience was a good one

 

[photo_ed]

Standard Brembos are fine for fast road use but don’t hold up on track. Red/green/yellow stuff pads are a waste of money.

I’ve found the PBS pads are a good compromise. They’re a little more focused on track use so need a little heat but work really well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! The PBS are not an option I've considered, I'll take a look.

 

[photo_ed]

I had mintex 1144 and used them everyday and for sprinting my clio trophy at places like Coombe, landow etc and they never missed a beat. But some people say they are rubbish but my experience was a good one

Thanks Peter, I've heard such mixed reports about the Mintex, but in theory they look like the best pad suited to my requirements.

 

[SharkyUK]

Ed, sorry to hear about the woes with 407. I've asked Mick to take extra good care! He loves a Trophy on display beside his Biffa bin!

As for brakes... I have always used Brembo HC plain discs (track and fast road) and never had an issue. I don't think the Trophy really needs the drilled / grooved / J-hook types unless you value the aesthetics of said items (which is a perfectly valid reason to be fair). As for pads, I started using DS2500s some time ago and thought they worked well on the road and track (although pushing 8- or 9-tenths could result in fade from time to time). My experience with the DS2500s is that they do require a bit of respect as they don't work as well as some others from a cold start. They are far from dangerous in my opinion and I have happily used them for years. They can squeal like a pig though... (On a side note, the DS2500s work a treat with the 4-pot Megane Brembos). I did try the Mintex 1144s on the Type-R and was really disappointed. We swapped them to another pad after a few weeks. However, I know other folks who have used them just fine.

At the end of the day, even the standard / OEM pads hold-up well as you mention. They can even take a bit of hammering on track as long as you judge your time and driving sensibly so as not to overburden the compound.

 

[SharkyUK]

(I should add that when I mentioned pushing at 8- or 9-tenths, I was referring purely to track use!)

 

[photo_ed]

Ed, sorry to hear about the woes with 407. I've asked Mick to take extra good care! He loves a Trophy on display beside his Biffa bin!

As for brakes...

Haha! Thanks Andy, I had visions of a Trophy inside his Biffa bin at points last week...

Thanks for the brake input, I'm really drawn to the DS2500's and if you advocate them for road work that's a big tick. And as you mention, the plain discs are more than up to the task, I just like the aesthetic of the drilled really, but it's a big premium to pay to look at some holes. On a side note, do you find the Brembo 4-pots give a bit of a long pedal? They seem to on my 200 Cup, but that's how they've always been.

(I should add that when I mentioned pushing at 8- or 9-tenths, I was referring purely to track use!)

...of course.

 

[SharkyUK]

Thanks for the brake input, I'm really drawn to the DS2500's and if you advocate them for road work that's a big tick. And as you mention, the plain discs are more than up to the task, I just like the aesthetic of the drilled really, but it's a big premium to pay to look at some holes. On a side note, do you find the Brembo 4-pots give a bit of a long pedal? They seem to on my 200 Cup, but that's how they've always been.

I'm probably similar to you Ed (and many others here I expect) whereby I won't give a car too many revs (or too much loud pedal) until components, oil, fluids, etc. are up to operating temperature. It's during that time I tend to just get a feel for how the brakes are performing that day, and before I decide to start leaning on them further should a spirited driving opportunity present itself. As I mentioned previously, I do feel the DS2500s lack a bit of cold bite but are otherwise a decent upgrade option.

With regards to the Brembo 4-pots, quite a few people have mentioned that the pedal can feel a little longer than perhaps expected. Particularly people who have taken Brembos and put them on their Mk2 Clio as I have done here. I was warned that the pedal may be slightly longer as a result of the upgrade (but not dangerously so I hasten to add!) but I am hard-pushed to notice any difference. With that in mind though, I have to confess that I cannot recall if Mick changed the brake cylinder setup to better suit the 4-pots. There have been so many changes and so much work that it has all become a blur. I am 75% certain(!) that I'm still on the standard brake cylinder setup. Helpful? No? Sorry about that... To summarise, my understanding is that a longer pedal on the Brembo 4-pots is not uncommon. Now why didn't I say that in the first place?

 

[frayz]

Pads are such a subjective topic and really comes down to vehicle use, driving style and application.
DS2500s are usually the "go to" pad for anyone asking for a basic upgrade for a street car. Personally i hate them having tried them in many cars over many years years. Everything from 180bhp Clio, 250bhp Mini and 600bhp Impreza, ive never gotten on with them.
No bite, fade easily and smear all sorts of horrid crap on the friction faces of the discs. Thats not to say they're junk, they just dont work for me.
My personal go to pad has become the Pagid RS29, having used these in all 3 cars mentioned and also used on my Cayman R. However they too wont suit all needs as many will find them noisy and too aggressive. They are silent if bedded in a used properly however. They're an endurance pad and high ceramic based so dust quite heavily but are very very kind to discs due to being low metallic. Theyre an old pad now though so have been vastly improved upon with some of the newer Pagid compounds.

Anything carbon metallic such as a PFC, Carbone Lorraine, CarboTech, DSUNO, DS1.11 etc will offer huge initial bite, but will be to aggressive on the road and also very aggressive on discs. Mostly because on the road they are not taken up to their correct working temperature, so will spark up at low temps like a grinding discs on a metal face. This will ultimately burn into your clearcoat on your wheels and paintwork, however you will have a significant increase in bite!

Where do you feel the brakes are lacking? Bite, fade, wear, modulation?

Reading from what it sounds like you're after, you'll probably be happy with a DS2500, PBS pro race, Mintex 1155 as all should provide a bit more temperature range than an OEM pad. Want a bit more, perhaps try a Pagid RS4-2, these were standard equipment on the series 2 Elise/Exige i believe. I run them in the rear on the Clio.

Sorry for a barrage of useless information

 

[photo_ed]

Pads are such a subjective topic and really comes down to vehicle use, driving style and application.

Thanks for the very comprehensive reply! Very much appreciated, I hadn't considered the Pagid for the Trophy for some reason despite me researching them in the past for my 200 Cup, another option to add to the shortlist.

I can see what's probably going to happen though, it's going to be a 'better the devil you know' scenario and I'll possibly end up just sticking with the standard Brembo's...

 

[frayz]

Well its not like you're tattooing your face, so you could take a punt on some to try and see how you get on.
Worst ways you go back to stock and flog the others on, its a 20 min job changing a set of pads so worth a play.
Unfortunately its one of those things you really need to try a few and see how you get on.

If the budget allows, id try out the Pagid RS4-2, bit less budget the PBS and less again the 1155 Mintex. I've deliberately skipped the 1144 as i think they're pretty much an OEM feeling pad. I also skipped the DS2500 as i dont like them, but many do, and you'll always flog em on