Front Brake Pads..

mossaidis

New member
I have been using blues, would like to move onto something better and not have to install new rotors every 3rd track day. I hear the Blue technology is dated as the 1970's and like (fill in blank... I was thinking Funk or Amy but I should be nice to them) ... John Travolta.

Hawk DTC 60 or Raybestos ST-45 or ST-47? Something else ole wise thread contributors of constructive posts?

I run stock pads in the rear and don't get me started on the 94 EG ABS brake package upgrade (update) that I should be working on... :)

Thanks,
Mickey
 
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I've tried Hawk, Porterfield, then Carbotech. I've liked the Carbotech pads the most by far. They last quite a while, are rotor friendly unlike the other pads I tried, and work great. They also came out with a new brake pad bedding process that they can complete for a few extra bucks which I like since it saves me wasting a session at the track. http://www.ctbrakes.com
 
ST-43's are some serious good shizzle... definitely worth a try but they run some high temps. Make sure you've got good ducting.
 
After using a test day for nothing but brake compound testing and related data analysis, I decided to switch from the Carbotech XP9's that I had been using to the Hawk DTC-70. The DTC's have much more initial bite either the Carbotechs and the Cobalt XR3's, but not nearly the levels of the Blues (thank god). I didn't test the Raybestos.

That lower initial bite on the CT and Cobalt compounds lead to a longer pedal, higher necessary pedal pressure and more frequent rear lockup (even with my adjustable prop valve for the rear) in some braking zones that really unweight the rear of my CRX (like T5 at Summit Point). Since you're carrying more weight in the rear it might not be an issue.

I also did some testing w/ crappy AutoZone pads and Cobalt XR5 in the rear and could never really dial out enough bite from the rear via the prop valve with the Cobalts.

BTW--we decided to go with the DTC-70's vs. the DTC-60's after my teammate had experienced some issues getting through a race w/ the 60's. They apparently don't hold up to the extended periods of high heat (let's just say that the CRX is a bit challenged when it comes to front brake cooling...even w/ good ducting).
 
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