Best Brake Pads?

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by 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

What did Powerbookguy not like about the RS4? I'm debating whether or not to switch to the R4s.

Jacob

[Dietrich]

another thing.. the R4 pads will squeal fairly loudly on the street, if that matters to you.

[srwhitman]

I exchanged email with Blackwatch racing. The lowdown I got was that the R4 was not as rotor friendly and squealed more. Hmmm, sounds like a bit of a tradeoff - the R4 is more costly but I'm not out to win races. On the other hand, if the R4S is not as good on the street, I'm not sure thats good either (compared to stock). Still pondering...

[2sporty]

I have the R4. The R4 pads cost significantly less vs Pagid or OEM, but you'll get a bit more rotor eating from the R4 pads when compared to OEM. However, the money you save on the pads probably makes up for the rotor wear. I think you will be able to run multiple sets of R4 pads before you need to change rotors anyhow.

of course, there is the downside of squealing on the street still.

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by srwhitman

I exchanged email with Blackwatch racing. The lowdown I got was that the R4 was not as rotor friendly and squealed more. Hmmm, sounds like a bit of a tradeoff - the R4 is more costly but I'm not out to win races. On the other hand, if the R4S is not as good on the street, I'm not sure thats good either (compared to stock). Still pondering...

FWIW my R4Ss are very streetable. They Rarely squeak if at all (no more than OEM). My only concern is their initial bite when it starts to rain. This may be due to me not bedding them properly. They last a ton longer than OEM and my rotors have shown little to no wear at all. I I blew through my original front rotors with OEM pads.

Jacob

[fitfan]

R4S here

definatly less bite on the street - most the squueks have gone to zero in only a week.

they do feel a little "glassy" on the street - not grabby like the stocks - obvious compromise there. I bed them in good - maybe a little too good?!?!

the upside is it give the impression of the brake pedal feeling firmer because you have to push a little harder and deeper into the pedal to get the same braking force, so you don't get the squishy feel in the pedal like stock when the stock pads grab sooner.

[vasracer]

i am about to replace my porterfield r4s on the back after 4 months and 6 track days (driven only on weekends), 3000miles including 600 highway to infineon and back. The fronts are fine...

On the street I noticed very little difference between stock and r4s, but I never really brake hard on the street (engine braking is loud and fun), no squealing, same brake dust...however on the track, i noticed a lot of brake fade at BW and at streets last weekend. The fluid was changed in feb as well to castrol something or other at bh lotus, ...I unfortunately couldn't tell rotor wear from underwear so I am not much help there. I am on this thread, because I too don't know what to do, probably will go with R4 (not street) next...

Raj

[antinym]

I was just out at the track on my R4S's. And they suck compared to the OEMs. They're not as bitey on the street either. No squeals, though. After one track day I'm looking for something else. I'm probably going with the R4.

Dwight.

[Rei]

Why all the bad press about the RS4's? I have them on my car and they do great even under heavy load?

[kestrel74]

I just put my Porterfield R4S's on today.......AMAZING !! It stops SO quick you almost have to be careful. NO squeaking....

[wrh3]

I run R4S on both of my cars and like them, already on front set #2 on the Lotus.......street and track

[Pileggio]

I just put Porterfield R4-S pad front and rear at the same time, installing new front rotors from Sector111 just prior to a track day. Under heavy braking, they would fade... I almost went through a few corners and almost hit one car (Porsche GT3) coming into the corkscrew! During the 4th session, they started biting down better, but then they started 'grabbing' intermittently. I don't know if it was ABS or the pads/rotors themselves. I only had 75 miles on them before the track day at Laguna Seca, so maybe it's a seating issue? Everyone seems to be pleased with them, so I guess I'll keep running them and hopefully it sorts itself out.

Anyone else experience this with this set up?

[sl8anic]

I think maybe we need another thread titled "brake pads closest to stock"...

[Joetz]

No one here has tried the EBC yellowstuff pads? I have 30K miles on my car and recently replaced my stock pads. I put in the yellowstuff pads and once they seated, I saw an improvement in pedal feel over the OEM pads. The OEM pads are actually pretty good so we are talking about a maginal improvement. The dust is about 50% less than the stock pads, which had me cleaning the wheels every other day. The dust also seems to be easier to wash off. I don't drive on the track and just use the car as a daily driver.
Honestly, I don't think you can notice the difference on a 1900 lbs car that much. When I swapped out the OEM pads of a 2003 Range Rover for some high performance pads, it was the most mind-boggling, night and day transformation I've ever experienced on a vehicle. I think fade is a much bigger issue on a 5500 lbs SUV.

[sl8anic]

Did you notice any additional heat being generated by the new pads or any visible changes to rotors? EBC's site seems to promise a very good alternative to OEM's.

Do you have p/n's and $ info?

Originally Posted by Joetz

No one here has tried the EBC yellowstuff pads? I have 30K miles on my car and recently replaced my stock pads. I put in the yellowstuff pads and once they seated, I saw an improvement in pedal feel over the OEM pads. The OEM pads are actually pretty good so we are talking about a maginal improvement. The dust is about 50% less than the stock pads, which had me cleaning the wheels every other day. The dust also seems to be easier to wash off. I don't drive on the track and just use the car as a daily driver.
Honestly, I don't think you can notice the difference on a 1900 lbs car that much. When I swapped out the OEM pads of a 2003 Range Rover for some high performance pads, it was the most mind-boggling, night and day transformation I've ever experienced on a vehicle. I think fade is a much bigger issue on a 5500 lbs SUV.

[carl]

If you want big bite and no fade raybestos ST43 and they ware like iron. Plus they dont clog the holes in the rotors..Lotus your not buying a car your buying a hobby!carl

[CountTracula]

I ran R4 pads for track duty and I did not really like them. I rode in a car with PFC as well as Pagid pads and the stopping power was absolutely awesome. I am currently running Carbotech XP8s and honestly I am pretty happy with them as they are marginally more expensive than R4 pads but with much more feel and better bite.

[Rennstore]

A local friend has an orange Elise, and said to give ya'll a shout on this forum -"keep it informational and low on Spam"....ok will do -

I am Craig, owner of www.Rennstore.com -

I've sold Pagids for 4+ years now and after 10 special orders for Elise pads, I have been advised to start carrying them regularly. Duh, I'm a slow learner ;-)

So, I will carry what many feel are the ultimate track pad, the Pagid Black RS14 in the correct 2593/1682 sizes.
They should arrive approximately 6/15 or 6/18 -

PLEASE, PLEASE do not run the R4S on the track - I used to sell them and they are 100% NOT a track pad, nada, no-how, no way.

Porterfield specifically says NO TRACK USE -

At any rate, thanks for the time and hope this helps a little.

Craig
www.Rennstore.com

[xtn]

Originally Posted by sl8anic

Did you notice any additional heat being generated by the new pads or any visible changes to rotors? EBC's site seems to promise a very good alternative to OEM's.

Do you have p/n's and $ info?

Additional heat generated by the pad? What do you mean?

A certain mass of vehicle stopping a certain distance on a certain grade will require the exact same amount of energy be converted to heat regardless of what brake pads are used.

The stopping generates the heat. One of the important criteria of a brake pad is how well it HANDLES that heat.

[Rennstore]

......and a higher friction pad will indeed generate more heat than a comparable pad of lesser friction - when used to it's capabilities

Craig
www.Rennstore.com