AyJay

Which model?

The R4 has a decent track reputation but the R4S doesn't appear to be durable on heavy cars.

There are a few other R4 models that i'm not that familiar with.

I think I'm gonna give the EBC Yellow Stuff a try. They are the most affordable ones I can find with a decent rep and I somewhat trust not to disintegrate and eat my rear rotors on the track.

CASTRO

I forgot which model, but also tried EBC red and worked great. Only complaint was it melted like butter so it wont last too long. Dunno about yellow though

AyJay

The yellow is supposed to be a streetable track pad ... we'll see how well that works out.

I have no doubt that the EBC red will suffer the same problems as my Hawk HPS did. I won't go there.

freescopesdad

Ayjay, how hard is it to swap pads? Harder than the S? I would go with dedicated track pads and just swap them out before and when you get home. I think ANY semi-track pad will just cause you problems. Just my .02...

AyJay

It's fairly easy to swap pads and I imagine i'll probably end up doing this as i get more events under my belt.

However, for right now, I wanna play around a little bit with the semi-track pads to see how they will hold up. I kinda wanna get an idea of what the semi track pads feel like. It'll give me a good point of reference when selecting a track pad. I don't want to jump straight from crap pads to track pads without knowing what is in the middle. I might change my tune pretty quick tho if i end up destroying another set of rotors or 2.

Additionally, I've talked to other owners of my car who made recommendations for some semi-track pads that they've used for multiple events. We'll see if i come to the same conclusion.

AyJay

Ron, I think you said you have been using Cobalt pads. How do you feel about those? Are you using the GT-S? XR2?

Have you had any issues with pad durability?

I ask because I've seen from a few different sources that its possible for the Cobalt pads to crumble away after they reach a certain wear point. Something to do with the brass pins that cobalt uses to attach the meat of the pad to the backing. I think i've even seen this before on S2ki and recently convo'd with a Z owner who had this experience.

freescopesdad

I have the Cobalt GT Sport pads and I like them a lot. They are long-wearing, easy to modulate, and warm up fairly quickly on the track. I scare the s**t out of everyone on the way home however, as they are noisy when cold.

AyJay

I see.

Perhaps i will put the GTS on my "to try" list.

Do you swap pads when you get home or do you use them all the time?

freescopesdad

They are pretty hardcore. I swap them as oon as I get home. Like I said above, they would freak out everyone around me in traffic, as they are very noisy until they get hot. I can swap my wheels and pads in about 30-40 minutes so its not a big deal.

AyJay

Do those GTS pads bite right away or do you find you need to heat them first to optimize the bite?