Best Brake Pads?

[rnr]

Originally Posted by evilfij

Per this website the earlier posted numbers are correct

http://www.braketechnology.com/car.html

2593 and 1682

FWIW I am ordering a set if I can find them in the non-race variety

I checked with Livermore performance and apparently the 2593s are only available in the RS14 compound. If you want RS42 blues you need to stick with U1587 for the fronts.

[Toad]

Originally Posted by codymac

Yup - at least the fronts come with new pins and stuff (not sure about the backs, need to go pick some up this week).

~6k miles out of the stockers before they were on the backing plates.

No issues cleaning the dust off the wheels with regular car washing although the pad material does build up in the rotor's cross drilling and has to be pushed out with a small Allen wrench.

Well at least your set had ALL the pins. Mine was in an open box missing several of the cotter pins/securing pins, so I had to reuse the existing ones on one of the front wheels.

[ZJChaser]

at about 6500 miles now and going to pickup my second set of porterfield R4's today. I think they handle high heat repeated abuse better than the stock pads. The stock pads really are no slouches though. Each set(stock, and the R4's) seemed to last about 3k-3.5k miles. I also replace pads in generaly when they have about about 25% life left, one of my biggest pet peeves is running out of pad at the track.

I was happy with the the porterfield R4 and therefor will stick with them.

I stil lhave the original rear pads in but they are at the VERY end of their life and will be getting replaced with R4's as well.

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by ZJChaser

at about 6500 miles now and going to pickup my second set of porterfield R4's today. I think they handle high heat repeated abuse better than the stock pads. The stock pads really are no slouches though. Each set(stock, and the R4's) seemed to last about 3k-3.5k miles. I also replace pads in generaly when they have about about 25% life left, one of my biggest pet peeves is running out of pad at the track.

I was happy with the the porterfield R4 and therefor will stick with them.

I stil lhave the original rear pads in but they are at the VERY end of their life and will be getting replaced with R4's as well.

AJ,
Have you had any squealing issues with the R4? Or any issues when it's raining? I have the R4S, but my brother asked what I would recommend for him. The one issue I have with mine are when I drive in the rain. The R4S's aren't nearly as good as OEM when they're wet IMO. Shinoo was telling me that the R4 might actually be better for our cars because of how light they are and that when it rains the R4S's may not heat up fast enough. At least that's what I think he was implying. The R4Ss do last a long time, way longer than OEM and half the dust. Anyone else have an opinion?

Jacob

[ZJChaser]

The R4S is the street pad and the R4 is the track pad so I'm not sure if you have them flipped around because I would think the R4S would heat up faster than the R4. I have only driven the car in the rain once when I got stuck in a storm coming home from the track and I honestly don't remember if it was before or after switching to the R4's or if I still had the stockers on it.

The pads do squeal a little bit, more so when they wear past 50% but I don't find it that bad. The pagid orange pads I used to have on the TT w/stoptechs squealed uch more. They were also much worse cold.

I don't find the R4's to feel like full track pads I've felt in the past. As I said Pagid orange pads I had on my TT years ago were downright dangerous cold but once you heated them they were awesome.

The R4's work totally fine when cold to, I never find myself on the street thinking "crap I really need to heat these things up"

[sl8anic]

I take it that your rotors are still Ok?

Originally Posted by ZJChaser

The R4S is the street pad and the R4 is the track pad so I'm not sure if you have them flipped around because I would think the R4S would heat up faster than the R4. I have only driven the car in the rain once when I got stuck in a storm coming home from the track and I honestly don't remember if it was before or after switching to the R4's or if I still had the stockers on it.

The pads do squeal a little bit, more so when they wear past 50% but I don't find it that bad. The pagid orange pads I used to have on the TT w/stoptechs squealed uch more. They were also much worse cold.

I don't find the R4's to feel like full track pads I've felt in the past. As I said Pagid orange pads I had on my TT years ago were downright dangerous cold but once you heated them they were awesome.

The R4's work totally fine when cold to, I never find myself on the street thinking "crap I really need to heat these things up"

[ZJChaser]

They should make it through one more set. I do not have them turned between pads either. Planning on replacing them at about 9-10k.

[neckstrap]

I just saw an ad for the new Hawk Ceramic pads. Less dust and noise, could be good?

Paul

[elise/europa]

I am now at 12000 km, and I just melt the OEM pad last week, they were still breaking, but they were starting melt into the disc. I never see that before... it was an heavy track day for braking... The disc suffered a lot also...

I just ordered EBC Redstuff, because they are easy to find, and easy to find the required part number. I just don't know how they will work. I did not go with Hawk HPS and HP + because I am not fully satisfy on my other car, and the Hawk Blue 9012 is just too much agressive for street, but I liked those pad on track.

I will see soon for the EBC... Wish it was not a very bad call...

[fitfan]

i just put the R4S pads on this weekend - bedded them in... so far they seem to be a little less intial cold bite, a little more hot intial bite. squeek a little more but they only have a 100 miles on them and so did the stock ones for the first 1,000 miles.

so i would say they feel very slightly more agressive than stock, and about 1/3 the price. got them from robert at blackwatch

[sl8anic]

Keep us posted, any feedback one way or another is valuable (in more ways than one).

Originally Posted by fitfan

i just put the R4S pads on this weekend - bedded them in... so far they seem to be a little less intial cold bite, a little more hot intial bite. squeek a little more but they only have a 100 miles on them and so did the stock ones for the first 1,000 miles.

so i would say they feel very slightly more agressive than stock, and about 1/3 the price. got them from robert at blackwatch

[mark.r]

Originally Posted by fitfan

i just put the R4S pads on this weekend - bedded them in... so far they seem to be a little less intial cold bite, a little more hot intial bite. squeek a little more but they only have a 100 miles on them and so did the stock ones for the first 1,000 miles.

so i would say they feel very slightly more agressive than stock, and about 1/3 the price. got them from robert at blackwatch

I believe this is what Funktion is putting on the Exige today as well. I will know by weeks end.

[FlyLo]

Originally Posted by neckstrap

Since a lot of you have responded negatively about certain brands of brake pads. Would you possibly have a set you want to sell cheap? I am building a commuter car that will spend it's life creeping up and down the 405 freeway. The pads are not that critical, as long as they have a lot of life left.

Let me know,
Paul

Autozone pads work well for the street, are cheap, offer lifetime replacement and almost no dust.

[sl8anic]

... for Elise?

Originally Posted by FlyLo

Autozone pads work well for the street, are cheap, offer lifetime replacement and almost no dust.

[cpforyou]

Originally Posted by sl8anic

... for Elise?

First of all, if one does a cross-reference:

Rear Pads for Standard 92-2002 Dodge Viper (not SRT-10) will fit Elise rear.

I forgot that the front pads can cross reference to. Anyone can chime in?

[rwarden]

Originally Posted by mark.r

Could these actually be the real part numbers.

I use the Pagid RS14 pads - yes they squeel, but I don't care as my elise is primarily a track car. The number refers to the pad size/shape, but should be proceeded with the compound type (RS42, RS14) for it to be a complete p/n. I've used:

RS14 2593 (front)
RS14 1682 (rear)

-Rob W

[FlyLo]

Originally Posted by cpforyou

First of all, if one does a cross-reference:

Rear Pads for Standard 92-2002 Dodge Viper (not SRT-10) will fit Elise rear.

I forgot that the front pads can cross reference to. Anyone can chime in?

IRRC the front pads are from the REAR of a 350z.

[srwhitman]

I'd like to hear more about R4 vs. R4S. I too have been thinking about getting the R4S. Powerbookguy got them and didn't like them. I'm willing to give them a try. I do ~ 10 track+auto-x days a year so I want a decent track pad but something that is streetable as well. I have EBC Green stuff on my M100 - I love 'em. They worked well on the street and the track (especially after I upgraded the calipers). I wouldn't have bought the Red stuff for that car - they say its really more of a track only pad.

My plan is to get one type of pad and not change them when I get to the track. Suggestions - R4 vs. R4S?

Scott

[ZJChaser]

as far as I'm concerned the R4's are perfectly streetable. They are NOT a full track pad like so many people seem to think as far as I'm concerned. They are rather far from it. I ran Pagid Orange compound pads on an old car and those were race pads, slick when cold, killer braking when hot. The R4's are just fine when they are cold.even better hot. It seems to me(though I havn't used them) that the R4S pads perform below the stock pads, less bite and less overall braking force.

I run the R4's all around now on street and track with no complaints besides a little squealing and even that is only sometimes.

[Dietrich]

Originally Posted by ZJChaser

as far as I'm concerned the R4's are perfectly streetable. They are NOT a full track pad like so many people seem to think as far as I'm concerned. They are rather far from it. I ran Pagid Orange compound pads on an old car and those were race pads, slick when cold, killer braking when hot. The R4's are just fine when they are cold.even better hot. It seems to me(though I havn't used them) that the R4S pads perform below the stock pads, less bite and less overall braking force.

I run the R4's all around now on street and track with no complaints besides a little squealing and even that is only sometimes.

I agree. I have run both pads and the R4S has less initial bite than stock pads.
I am using R4 pads now, and they are better than stock pads. I have only had them for a little while, so I do not know about rotor wear. There seem to be mixed reviews on rotor friendliness with the R4 pads.