[Conan]

I just got my pads off after last weekend's event at Brainerd Raceway. From the look of things (see images) I'd say the Elise's brake system really isn't very good from a total system standpoint. Yes, they stop the car very well. However, with the uneven wear I think it could be a lot better -- especially after my experience with the StopTech kit I had on my 350Z.

Notice that the front pads are completely gone while the rear pads have 99% material left. Also note that the pads wear very unevenly at each wheel. Without exception, the inside pads wear much more than the outside pads at every caliper. I expected that behavior for the floating calipers on the back, but was dissapointed with the level of inbalance I saw in the front calipers.

The pic showing the pad down to the backing plate is the drivers side, front inside pad. Notice the outside pad still has material -- which is why I thought I was ok. It must have run down sometime during my last session since I noticed no scraping sounds when I went out.

The image showing the new rear pads (Porterfield R4-S) compared with the old pads is a bit misleading. The new pads are too thick and do not fit. I tried everything short of milling them down. Then I compared the backing plates between old and new. The old backing plates are actually a little thicker. That means that in order to fit, they must have less pad material, which means they basically are 99% there.

FWIW: I was running race slicks last weekend, but had been running on the stock AD07's up until then.

I really think the car needs a better balanced system. I can't say what it would take, but it can be done.