Dibsen

I overheated my brakes at Road Atlanta last month. Coming into turn 10a on the second session of the night, car was hot, track was hot, and I was trying to push my braking zone a little further. I took a couple cool down laps and 3rd session was fine.

what I had been noticing since is my brake don’t have the same bite as they used to. I installed the OEM pads late last year and did a couple auto cross events and a driving school.

I’ll measure the thickness this weekend when I swap my wheels over.

Is there anything I can do to try to get the initial bite back? I might try rebeding them to see if that helps.

B serious

You did Road Atlanta with factory AP1 brake pads?

engifineer

You very much need to get some track pads for the track. I recommend just getting another set of rotors and some decent track pads (carbotechs, g-loc, etc) and bedding them. Then just swap them out when not on the track and run whatever you want on the street. If you have much more than your first track day behind you, you are going to overheat stock pads on the track.

There are plenty of discussions around here on what people run on the track where you can get more info. I run Carbotech XP10/XP8 on F/R on mine and it works well but there are plenty of opinions and options.

I should also confirm, you are also running different brake fluid than OEM spec, correct? If not you really need to change your fluid to a higher temp rating for track use. If not, you will boil it and then ... no brakes. Many of us use the Motul RBF 600 which is affordable and works well. If you do track days throughout the year, change that fluid yearly and bleed between track days.

B serious

Definitely need some additional info to post anything helpful

Did the pedal go soft when your brakes overheated, or did the pads just go into wooden mode and stop making grip, despite having good pedal feel?

What pads and fluid are currently on the car?

Are you OK with using dedicated track pads that should not be used on the street?

Or do you want a "do it all" pad, which compromises some street and some track characteristics to find a happy medium?

Dibsen

ap2

Dibsen

yes, I do have plans for track day pads and rotors.

While not as high of a boil point of Motul 600, I had fresh ATE fluid.

I have read TONS on brake ducts (future mod plans) rear rotor upgrades (less likely) and full on BBK upgrades.

what I wanted to know was, is there a way to get back some of my brake performance because it feels like it has decreased some since I cooked them. Also, noticed my fluid is down a little so I am assuming the pads I can’t see (inside front) has a good bit more wear than the one I can see (outside front). Either way, I will throughly inspect both when I swap wheels this weekend and install new SS lines. Plus fresh fluid.

wish I had the cash for track day rotors and pads now but that is something I’m planning for next year.

Dibsen

pedal went soft (boiled) and the pads “smeared” on the rotors. I had a really nice bed/transfer on the rotors before but now I have some “streaking” on the rotors and the color isn’t quite as dark and uniform as it was before.

should I try to rebed? Couldn’t hurt right?

Ap2 pads, ATE fluid

B serious

A rebed won't do anything since the pads are metallic. Besides...they're not un-bedded...they're glazed.

Time and normal braking should bring them back slowly. Or sanding off the glaze.

You shouldn't use the stock pads for track use. You can just about almost maybe get away with it with AP2 pads...but that's not smart.

How old was the fluid? I tend to flush mine every 1 to 4 track days depending on a few factors.

Track, or high performance street pads are obviously something you need.

Options from mild to spicy for brake pads:

Street/Track pads: I havent found a pad that can bridge the gap better than Stoptech Sport 309's, if you want a one pad/one set of rotors situation with an emphasis on streetability, go here. No corrosive dust, not a lot of dust, fairly long life, good street bite, quiet, and cheap. And yet, they can take an impressive amount of heat. They will, however, wear out *really* fast at the track.

Track/street pads: Powerstop Trackday PSA. This is probably where you wanna be, TBH. Everything else I type will likely be noise. Not ideal for the street, but they still work just fine. The dust is corrosive..so...wash your wheels often. Not much noise, but some noise. They are also cheap on Rockauto. This is the ragged edge of the "one pad for everything" solution. On the street, they feel a little wooden until you get a little heat in them. So...don't expect them to be grabby on the 1st stop of the morning.

Track or race pads: Carbotech XP(x), Hawk DTC, G-Loc R(x), Raybestos ST(x) etc. You really should get a dedicated set of rotors to mate to any of these pads. You'll also want to do some research into which brand or compound you want and why.
These are absolutely not pads which you leave on the car for any extended street use. So...plan to do a rotor and pad swap between track days. Sure, you can ride around with these on the street, but there are massive drawbacks.

Your existing rotors are likely no longer wise to use. I recommend buying new rotors when you buy whatever pad you go with.

If you go with a track/race pad, buy 2 sets of rotors. One set for track pads. One set for your street pads.

Dibsen

fluid was fresh, changed just a couple days before.

B, where do you like to order your pads from?

Car Analogy

As mentioned briefly, you need to sand the glazed pads. Sand glazed layer off.

Also buy a brake rotor hone (Amazon), which just uses a standard drill, and scuff the rotor surfaces.

Then do a rebed procedure. Braking will return to normal.