124Spider

After killing my OEM pads in 9,000 street miles one autocross and two HDPE events (my first HDPE and autox ever), I put in Cobalt GT Sport pads last fall. Now, 7,000 ordinary (not aggressive) street miles, three HDPE events and perhaps 25 autocross runs later, I find that these are fried. They worked well, but now they're dead. In particular, the track day yesterday really did a number on the pads; they were no more than half worn before it, but pretty dead after it.

That's probably not surprising, but I was surprised to find that the front pads were worn down to about 2.5mm (outside pad) and 3mm (inside pad), while the rear pads had a bit more on them; I was surprised, since, when I changed the OEM pads, the rear pads were down almost to the noise-maker, while the front pads were only about half way down. Also, the front pads were disintegrating a bit at the edges.

Is this normal, or should I be concerned? In any event, should I be planning on getting dedicated track pads? If so, what kind are not too hard on rotors, but will be better than these have been? I certainly am driving much faster on the track now than when I started, and braking much later (and harder). I've put in another set of GTS pads, so I'm fine for now, but I need to decide what the next set is going to be.

CoralDoc

The GTS pad is an excellent choice for multiple use. If you start getting more aggressive with your braking, their Spec VR front compound is the way to go. Since there is no "free lunch", be prepared for more wear on the rotors. Even these race-oriented pads only lasted several track days for me. These match up with Spec C pads in the rear, or you can try to continue using the GTS pads in the rear and see if you like the feel, performance and wear.

I found that I would wear the rear pads faster than the fronts just as you described. The disintegration that you observed is due to the higher heat that the thinner pad material is exposed to and is pretty normal for this type of pad given the use you describe. I consider any track pad to be unusable when it's down to less than 3 mm. There is simply too much heat to be absorbed to risk running pads thinner than that. 7k miles is a lot given the usage you described, and it was good of you to replace them.

Triple-H

The increased wear of the rear pads is no big surprise; in fact the more I track this car the more I realize it seems to be a characteristic. The wear difference from inner to outer on the front is also rather normal, all in all nothing to be concerned about.

You will find the more you push the car, the more the pads and rotors will wear, there are no free lunches... Although I understand your question above, I believe the one you really need to be askig is if you are ready to make pad chages at the track. what ever pads you use on the street are fine for the autox, but when you really want to take your track experience to a new level you need to go with a full blown track pad, and these pads should not be used on the street.

After all this brake talk, what type of brake fluid are you using? Fluid, pads, rotors are all part of the same equasion, and fluid type and frequency of a complete flush should never be overlooked!

124Spider

I put in ATE Super Blue (DOT 4) fluid 7,000 miles ago when I installed the GTS pads. I did a partial flush last night, and it was clean and clear still. I'm on the original OEM rotors, and they are fine still, with no signs of cracking.

Triple-H

Cool, you got good fluid!

I too believe in the OEM rotors, I just wished Honda anodized them so the insides don't rust and make a ess out of my street wheels. I replace them every winter because of heat checks so I hesitate about switching over to some Power Slots.

Ludedude

There are suitable replacements that are OEM style (no slots, no mumbo-jumbo) that are painted on their unswept surfaces to keep that nasty rust at bay.

Have a look at the G3000 rotors in the rotor aisle: http://www.gofastlab.com/s2ki/home.php?cat=16

Mark: Yep, welcome to the world of consumables. Drive hard, wear out parts, replace. Repeat as necessary. If I was you, I'd consider going to the Spec-VR pad up front and either staying with the GT-Sport in the rear or waiting for the new Spec-VX compound for the rear when it's released in a few weeks.

Of course you should be prepared to swap those pads out before track events (you can drive the VRs to and from the track so no need to change them at the track).

J.P.

124Spider

Thanks all for your helpful responses.

J.P., I think changing to the Spec-VR up front makes sense, especially if I can change pads at home and not risk a boo-boo at the track and losing lots of driving time. What's the difference between the Spec-VX and the GTS for the rear; in particular can I drive to the track with Spec-VX on?

mikegarrison

Mark, you definitely need to go to full track pads and give up on this compromise stuff. You will really like the difference. And I'll stop making time on you in the braking zones....

Ludedude

Yes, you can drive to the track with the Spec-VX as well. The Spec-VX is a full-race pad (like the Spec-C we carry as well) and its temperature rating closely matches that of the Spec-VR front. It's a new offering from Cobalt and it's meant to address some of the shortcomings of the Spec-C in the S2000 application.

Another good possibility is something like a Hawk Blue in the rear but I wouldn't drive those on the street for long.

Mike is right. You're going to be much happier at the track with race pads and happier on the street with stree pads. There's a big difference between a race pad and the GT-Sports on the track which will work to your advantage.

124Spider

You talked me into it (and the disintegrated compromise pad helped a bit, also). I've ordered the VR and the VX. I think I'll continue to run the GTS on the street--I like the bite more than the OEM pads, and I suspect it's a bit better for autocross than the OEM.

I notice when bedding my new GTS last night that the bedding instructions for the race pads assume you have a convenient race track for bedding them. How would an ordinary mortal who lives in the suburbs bed a race pad? Also, I assume that once you've bedded your pads, you want to put them back on the same position after you've taken them off; is that correct?