Hey guys

My OEM rear pads are about done so I'm looking at options for rear brake pads. My car is setup for STR and it sees the track maybe once a year. I'm currently running Ferodo DS2500 front pads. I have a set of HP+ rear pads that I got for free at a Chumpcar race. Do you guys think that will be too aggressive of a pad for the rear? Sell those and get another set of OEM pads?

I haven't had any problems with the OEM rear brake pads, but the HP+ are the easy button for me.

Thanks!

Patrick

 

I've been using autozone specials for the rears for 2+ years now. I've traded in four sets of pads because of their lifetime warranty.

Now, there are definitely trade offs, such as less braking potential, forward brake bias, and possibly accelerated rear hub wear, but I'm ok with those potential downsides, considering I've spent $40 on four sets of rear pads, vs. $800 ($190/set + shipping).

Front pads, completely different story.

 

I had hp+ on the rear and it deff through the brake bias off and did get a little squirrely under braking so I went with a less aggressive pad in the rear.

 

I've personally found that running matched compounds front and rear best suits my driving style. I'm currently using CL RC6s, but for autocross use I'd recommend the RC5+, as it has much better cold bite. They're a sintered metal pad, and in my experience they dust and squeak less than Carbotechs or Hawks, while giving a particularly solid pedal feel. They will machine your rotors to kingdom come, though, and when they get thin they'll go from strong braking to boiled fluid without much warning (the pad itself is good to 2000F, so unless you're really beating on them with fresh fluid, the fluid will blink first).

 

HP+ have so much more initial bite vs. other pads I run (Carbotech XP8, XP10) that I'd be a careful running them in back only, could get rearward brake bias!
That said, I'll try anything once, so from that standpoint, no reason not to try it, if you have OEMs or another option handy to swap them out with at the track.

 

Would not recommend running HP+ in the rear only. They have such a different braking curve than the DS2500.

Personally for autocross I run DS2500 front and rear and I love it. I don't track this car though and don't know how the DS2500 would hold up to the track.

 

I have HP+ in the rear as well but I'm also running HT-10 in the front. Not sure how you're DS2500 compound compares to the HT-10, but I believe the operating temperatures do vary somewhat. I say give the HP+ a try and if you don't like them, just swap em out.

 

Copied from SOS:

frequently asked questions

Question: What is the best brake pad for my application?
Answer: There are a number of brake pad manufactures in the market. ScienceofSpeed has tested over 16 different compounds from various manufactures both on the street and on the track. Based on this testing, we have identified 4 specific compounds that work the best for their specific applications.
Hawk HPS - street use - minimal dust/noise with improved performance over stock. Our most popular pad for most street driven vehicles.
Hawk HP+ - street/track/autocross use - slight dust/noise over HPS but better thermal resistance. Can be used easily on the street and track.
Carbotech Panther Plus - Excellent choice for track use such as HPDE/driver's ed / time attack / open lapping days. Tremendous brake torque available in cold and hot operating conditions. More versatile operating temperatures than XP which should be used for dedicated track cars running endurance type events. Increased dust and noise but very rotor friendly. Can be used on the street for customers not minding the dust/noise.
Carbotech XP - Recommended for dedicated track cars running in endurance type track events. Peak operating conditions biased towards consistent high rotor temps found in endurance events. Rotor friendly but not recommended for street use due to the limited brake power in cold conditions.

Please see the individual product pages for more specific information and ratings.




http://www.scienceofspeed.com/produc...ccessories.asp

 

Thanks for the input! I went ahead and picked up a set of OEM pads since I know they work well enough for what I do and the dust/noise is acceptable. I intended in pairing the HP+ pads with Hawk Blues, but I do too much normal driving and ate through the Blues (and rotors) pretty quickly. Not to mention the dust. Holy crap!

 

Be careful on oem pads. I have heard many people say they are ok for track noobs but I completely disintegrated all 4 corners my first track day ever.