Taz2000

New to S2000's. I am going to a HPDE in a couple of month at a local track. I have read here that stock brakes won't hold up on the track, so I started looking for a set of pads for dedicated track use, I will not be using them on the street. It appears that most brake pad mfg's state that their pads must be used on new or freshly turned rotors. How much of this is marketing hype? How much braking effeciency will be lost by using the same rotors with street pads and track pads? In short, how many of you swap rotors when you swap pads and how many of you swap pads only?

Kim Walker

nichigo

Whoever told you stock brakes won't hold up

The OEM brakes are awesome...i've been to a couple track days with stock U'll find alot of ppl here just stick with OEM.

mikegarrison

No, you won't.

You will find most people here use OEM rotors, OEM calipers, OEM brake hoses. But they don't use OEM pads or OEM fluid, because those won't stand up to track use -- except if you've only been to a couple of track days.

Don't worry about swapping pads on the same rotor until you actually have a problem. Yes, it can be an issue, but usually it won't be.

However, when I was dual-using the car, I swapped rotors. The track rotors would get all heat-checked. I wanted to keep a set of nice, clean, consistant rotors for the street. The fact that that allowed me to no have to worry about incompatible pads was a bonus. The fact that I had to swap rotoes a lot was an inconvenience.

crash

The big thing with using the same rotors for a street and then a race pad is the build-up of pad compound on the rotors that can only be removed properly with resurfacing the rotors.

the pulsation people talk about is build-up and that is the biggest problem of switching pads on the same rotor.

I would say do what Mike does and have a seperate set of pads and rotors for track and street.

And change the fluid to something with a high temp rating like Motul racing or ATE Super Blue.

mikegarrison

That's what I used to do. Now I just don't street drive the car at all.

cthree

If it's your first track event you can probably get by with stock brakes. I'd just go with that. Changing the fluid will keep your pedal from getting long (Motul RBF600 or ATE). If you've been on the track before then maybe some race pads would keep you from burning them off. It really depends on the track and your track experience.

trump26901

please please please change at least your pads + fluid.

I took my car to the track 100% stock (stock pads + fluid too) the first time I tracked my car and I ended up going through all my pads and cracked/scored my rotors.

I figured the pads might not hold up, but didn't think they wouldn't last a day. My next HPDE day I'm going to change out my pads and fluid and still thinking about buying a new set of OEM rotors just for the track, just not sure if it is worth the hastle of changing them out (though on the other hand, having a set of spares is always a good thing to have).


Please don't do what I did and take your oem pads to the track, you will regret it.

Taz2000

Thanks for all the great responses. I have already purchased some ATE Super Blue brake fluid and based on all the feedback here, I intend to go ahead and get track pads and another set of OEM rotors.
Thanks again for the help.

gomarlins3

I agree with the pad and fluid change.

falcorider

Just to clarify, the folks who are advocating changing pads and rotors, are you changing rotors and pads at all wheels or just the fronts? I'm thinking of doing a track day this fall....