Brake pad light came on. I'm on my 2nd set of pads with these rotors so it's time to do both. What should I put on there? I do maybe 2-3 DEs a year, so I need something that can stand up to hard use. Already flushed with RB600.
What rotors and pads are best? OEM? Or other? And where's the best place to get it?
Thanks!!
I use stock pads for the street and Pagid Yellows for the track. I wipe the rotors down with paper towels and windex when changing. Pagid Yellows are endurance pads. They really hold up well and don't seem to wreck the rotors.
I might switch to a ceramic street pad, maybe Hawk or Carbotech 1521 to stop dust on the street.
I don't care about dust, I have black wheels. I care about noise, power and fade-resistance. And when I say noise, I mean they can't squeak like full-race pads.
Best thing to do is swap to track pads for track duty. You aren't likely to find anything much better than OEM pads for the street which ok for occasional track duty.
The stock parts are hard to beat for street use, and if you need something more for DE applications the parts will usually tell you. Are you having issues with the current setup, or are the parts just worn out? If you are not having issues, I would probably stay with stock as the best performance/cost/livability compromise:
Pads
: OEM pads are tough to beat on the street, but if really pushed on the track they will lose effectiveness when they get really hot (towards the end of track sessions). Whether this happens will depend on your driving style, the tracks you drive on, and how hard you push. If it deoes, you can always buy a set of track pads and just swap them for DE's. [Changing pads is shockingly easy on the Cayman so don't let the thought of changing them scare you off....]
Rotors
: Stock rotors are robust except that they will crack with track use. If use is hard and frequent enough, cracking will eventually join the holes or crack to the edge of the rotors before the rotors wear out. Drilled rotors look good, but aren't really the best design for hard track use. If you're doing 2-3 DE's a year, stock rotors probably will be fine. [Are your current rotors severly cracked??]
:cheers:
wgn and all:
Agree, if you're not concerned with dust, stock pads work about as good as any pads that don't require warm up. I've found that stock German compounds tend to get hotter than good track pads under hard use. That heat makes the rotors crack, especially drilled rotors. So if you drive on a track that's hard on brakes, you should have race brakes for track days no matter how often you do it. I'm still on my first set of stock rotors with over 40K on the car and several track days. No signs of cracking at all.
I just do what I said in the post above. Yellows for track and stock for street with windex wipe-downs between pad materials.
There are many pad compounds with higher torque than yellows, but yellows are easy on rotors and last a very long time. I used Pagid orange on my M3 and they were higher torque, but you had to be very careful with the rotor cleaning or you would get sticky globs of stuff on your rotors that made them act like the brakes were severely warped.
Some people use yellow in front and black on the rears. I don't see the point of that. I'm not racing. I'm an instructor and just like to get out for some fast laps a few times a year. I'm not looking for the last 3%, just keeping my skills sharp.
Where's the best price on these? Getting quotes of $150 per rotor--yikes!!
Which "these" are you inquiring about? Rotor prices are all over the place. Pagids are pretty close no matter where you buy them. Stock rotors are probably the most expensive except for those oversized ones with the caliper mounts included.
I'm still using the original rotors on my car. Just completed a full track day at Autobahn (full course) in Joliet, IL with MVP. It was near 100F in the afternoon. I didn't hold back with PASM, TPC bars and NT-01s on the car. My first time at this track and I over-braked near every turn. The car was flawless and my rotors still look good. No cracks in my rotors and no agricultural excursions, so I'm pretty satisfied with the day and with my Yellows.
I was outclassed in the Advanced Group. The field was full of Vipers and new V-8 M3s, race prepared Mustangs and other V8 cars. My inexperience with the track a lack of cubic inches had me watching my mirrors most of the day, but I learned the right way around by the last session. Next time, I'll need to execute better and brake a bit less.
NT-01s just get better as you wear them down...until they start to cord. When that happens, your track day is done, but you can still drive home on them. Just clip off the flapping bits and drive like it's snowing.
:cheers:
I hate the dust that stock pads create, German factory pads are noted for stopping well but dusting horribly. I switched to Akebono ceramic pads, which stop about as well and dust much less. I used them on my M3 prior to the Cayman too.
I used these on an A6 I had. Great pads for street use. They don't stop as well, however. A bit higher pedal effort. Never ever use them on a track. They get hotter than stock pads which get hotter than race pads. Akebono are stock on a lot of Japanese cars. Not much dust and it's a light grey color that doesn't show on alloy wheels. No noise. Easy on rotors too.
