OldDogmeat

So I bought dixcels all round as the users on here couldnt say enough good things about them..

Plain FCR rotors front and rear with R01 pads rear and the newer RA pad up front.

The car gets used for a lot of spirited drives in the Yorkshire Dales but also sees circuit action so I wanted a braking setup that I could rely on after trying a lot of previous combinations of pads and rotors, cheap and pricey, and having issues with fade and cracks.

First impressions are that the dixcel setup does indeed have great initial bite once fitted but that this eases off after the initial transfer compound has worn through and the pedal then becomes more linear (which I prefer as I find it make modulation during H&T more stable).

Under certain climatic conditions, mostly dry weather, the RA pads squeal like a stuck pig on gentle braking; coming to a gentle halt etc.

Everything above is fine though as this is a circuit oriented setup. Even from cold these RA pads are fine and get up to adequate road performance levels with only a little heat put into them.

The only negative I can find with this setup is the brake dust and specifically from the RA pad.

Normally I dont care about brake dust; in fact I dont care much about what the car looks like at all.. it never gets anything other than a £5 hand wash when it's filthy and the OEM alloys are kerbed and generally look rough but I dont care. however, the dust from the RA pads appears to be perma baking to the Honda OEM alloys and after a jet wash its leaving ugly blackened patches over the surface of the front wheels, whereas the rear wheels (R01 compund pads) the dust power washes off without a problem.

I should just say here, that the places I get the car hand washed, they all use some kind of spray on the wheels before washing the car.. I suspect it's some sort of mild acid based spray designed to help get the crap and dust off easily but it crossed my mind that perhaps this could be reacing with whatever the RA compound is and causing it to react with the alloy of the wheel.. total speculation there but it has crossed my mind.. They use the same spray front and rear and the rears clean up no problem (R01 compound) but the hand wash guys commented last time that they simply couldnt get the fronts to clean up after theyd been trying for 10 minutes.

I believe the RA compound is a newer compound and one that I 'think' Dixon will be selling in place of the R01 compound so this may affect others down the line.. I should just say that this has no bearing on braking performance but it 'appears' to affect the wheel cosmetically and might for all I know be eating the alloy material.

Have any of you Dixcel users had this happen? and what compound are you using at the front?

lovegroova

I've always used Z pads on the front and R-01 on the rear.

I do have some seemingly permanent "dust spots" on the rears but the fronts clean up ok.

I've just ordered some RA pads for the front so will see how it goes, not that I'm really that bothered about wheel cleanliness anyway.

I guess that adding some sort of wax/whatever to protect the wheels before using the RA pads may be a good idea, or just pick up some ratty old wheels/aftermarket jobbies for track work.

Good to hear they work well on track though.

hazzaman

If you want to get the spots off, get yourself some ironx. I have a slight problem with my ds2500's that leave black crud that the normal wheel cleaner can't remove. You spray on and leave a couple of minutes, it turns dark purple and just rinse off.

razzele

Wolf's Deioniser is good also.

Sorry I can't comment on the brakes themselves.

unclefester

Same as the above two - there are some excellent products out there, much better than the old 'douse it in acid and hope it leaves some alloy' type stuff.

OldDogmeat

Brilliant, thanks everyone.

I'll try this IronX stuff (which it says is acid free, which is probably a good thing) and maybe also try Razz's Wolf juice.

As long as it comes off then I'm not that bothered about it staying on there, if that makes sense; I was more concerned that the aluminium alloy was being damaged as I'll be using a nice set of ce28's through the summer track season and wouldn't want them eaten by a brake dust and acid mix.

So, what sort of wax would you put on there Lovegroova? some sort of spray? I couldn't be arsed applying with a cloth and rubbing it on but if its a simple spray I may try that.

I'm totally out of my depth when it comes to car care stuff as I generally dont care what the car looks like; in fact I like it to look dirty and used.. and err, lets leave that one there ..

Cheers,
Dan

lovegroova

Many people will be laughing that you're asking me such questions, as I'm really not known for my car cleaning interests.

Fester???

WinFreak

I use a kitchen sponge on my wheels, the one with a rough side and a soft side and it got all the baked on crap off without doing anything to the wheel

The Loon

Meguaire's wheel cleaner and a wheel brush.

Both have always shifted the stubborn dust left behind from the DS2500s on my car.

unclefester

Heh probably not the best person to ask either of late Simon.

If it's quick protection before a track session you want then mr muscle furniture polish is as good as anything for a wipe on wipe off finish