Kona5OH

Hey guys, I have a 2011 GT with brembo brakes that I will be taking to a few road courses this year for HPDE's and open track days. I already ordered some Steeda SS lines and have Motul RBF600 ready to go in. I also have Ford Racing brake cooling ducts but I'm really not sure what brake pads to get. I'm going to New Jersey Motorsports Park Lightning track on April 2nd and I'm looking for pads that I can install at my house or job and drive to there, on the track and back home with them on then take them off after I get back home. I live on Long Island, the track is 4 hours away from where I live and I have to go through the New York City area so chances are I will need the brakes to work pretty good on the street. I probably could change the pads at the track but I'd rather not if there's another option. I was thinking about getting Hawk HP Plus pads but I haven't heard too many good things about them. Do you guys have any suggestions?

Ansibe

Hi there Kona,

I also have a 2011 GT which will go to the track, so I'm interested in the feedback, but...

I've been to lots of track days at several tracks in many different cars, and never really had any trouble with stock brakes. I did solo2 in a stock focus and managed just fine (that car was so slow, I din't need brakes). There's a HUGE difference between tracking and racing, so don't forget why you're at the track. If the pedal goes soft, slow down for a while. If you are regularly overheating the brakes at track days, I suggest you invest in a roll cage and some number plates!

At the days I attend it's tough to get in a clean fast lap, so the brakes have time to cool. I brake harder than most people at the track, but not nearly as hard as when I was actively racing. My cars rarely get into ABS on purpose, and I use max performance tires like the pirellis on the GT. Sometimes I misjudge my braking point and hit them too hard, or leave them on too deep into corners, but those are driving errors not brake problems.

R comps can certainly stress the brakes more than my tires. All seasons will get into ABS more often, and may cause uneven deposits on your brakes, which sucks.

I am also very careful to let the brakes cool before I stop by doing a cool down lap, or driving around the pits for a while. I never use my parking brake. Ever.

Argonaut

April 2nd? According to the calender on the NJMSP website some outfit called Run the North Shore has the track rented. Who are they?

Here is the Pad Thread to read: https://mustangforums.com/forum/s197...the-track.html

I've driven Lightning several times. I'd say its about medium on brakes, there are two hard brake zones in roughly a 1:20 second lap. Thunderbolt is much tougher on them.

Do you have previous track experience? If not, then you can get away with 'less' pad. Also, I'm assuming you will be on street tires? Which ones. The grippier the tire the more pad you need. If you are new to this and you are on all seasons then HP+ should work fine. If you are experienced or real aggressive or on super sticky tires then you will want more pad.

I've tried quite a few track pads on the street and all of them stop the car just fine when cold, so there really isn't a worry there regardless of which ones you select. The problems using track pads on the street are: they squeal like an old dump truck, they are dusty as heck and they eat rotors quickly.

Sleeper_08

Are you planning on changing both the front and rear pads for use on the track?

I run Carbotech XP10 front and XP 8 rear all season from the first track day to the end of the season. They squeal like a stuck pig on the street but stop the car well even when cold.

Do a search in this forum on Carbotech and you should find a few threads discussing pads.

Kona5OH

Im going to a pro-touring event, heres the info http://www.pro-touring.com/showthrea...n-here-please! http://www.pro-touring.com/events/rtts/form.php there should still be spots open if anyone is interested
I have only been on a road course once, at Monticello Motor Club with the SCDA. That was in October on a cold and very rainy day so due to my lack of experience and the weather I really wasn't too hard on the brakes that day and had no problems. But in my group(novice), I was pretty much keeping up with the fastest people and my instructor said I was doing great. Then I was on my stock tires, Pirelli PZero's. Those tires really surprised me with the amount of grip they had in the rain. But since those tires are so expensive I'm going to be getting a separate set of wheels and tires for the track any day now, I'm just trying to decide on a tire. I was thinking about getting Nitto NT01's, but I thought about it, and since I have no way of bringing a second set of wheels just in case it rains and it's probably more tire than I need, I'm pretty much set on getting Nitto NT05 275/40-18's on Steeda Ultralight 18x10's. I am planning on changing both front and rear pads. I guess another factor compared to the last time I was on the track is that my car has a lot more power now that I have a CAI and a dyno tune so I will have the ability to get quite a bit faster. The main reason I'm looking into a set of pads is just to be safe on the track and to have fun without having to deal with brake fade.

Sleeper_08

Starting last season I carry my track wheels and tire and tools in the car to the track and change them at the track. The trick is to put one tire into the spare tire well.

I ran Nitto NT01s on Enkei PF01 18 x 9.5 rims. The NT01s are not the ultimate grip tire but last a lot longer than those that are, e.g. Hossier A6 or R6. When the NT01s are new you can drive them to the track but once they get worn down to just the two longitudinal grooves it is not a good idea in case it rains.

Norm Peterson

The "Run to the Shore" is an event that's coming from the "Pro-Touring" segment. The guys who are serious about the performance, not the guys who stop at just getting "the look".

Here's the e-mail on it. Probably more on it over on www.protouring.com .

SteedaGus

If you are just starting out HP PLUS pads might work ok at first, but as you get faster and more experienced you will quickly reach the limits of those pads.

You really need to have a more dedicated track pad. Hawk has around 3 different compounds that will all probably work well for what you are doing.

Give us a call if you are interested and we can discuss the tracks that you run to help narrow down a pad choice for you.

Gus

joenmina1

I am doing my first HPDE next weekend and will switch to Hawk HPS at the track and switch back after the event. I talked to a few folks who are in the American Iron racing series and they all concurred that even in the novice classes, heavy cars like the Mustang with so much HP will just eat through the stock pads.
I will let you know how the HPS did after the event. I was thinking of the track only HP Plus but heard that they screw up your rotors quickly.

Ansibe

Never forget about transfer material when switching pads. Transfer occurs when hot pads "transfer" pad material to the disc. A well functioning brake system uses this transfer layer to develop a high coefficient of friction. Good transfer not only helps braking, it will help your discs last longer. Google "brake pad transfer" for loads more about this. Stop tech has a great explanation here: http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

Dedicated metallic track pads are so abrasive when cold (i.e., on the street) that they clean off any previous transfer material. If you run track pads for long on the street, they will eat through the disc and quickly destroy it.

I learned this the hard way when I switched my BMW M from stock pads to cool carbons for track use. The cool carbon transfer to the stock disc was uneven and the resulting vibration made the car un-driveable on the track. I ended up buying new Performance Friction discs and pads at a cost of $2k. I was not happy. I probably should have bought something like the Hawk HPS plus to clean them off, and then used them for track days. But I was too stupid.

A smart man learns from his mistakes. A really smart man learns from the mistakes of others. Here's your chance to learn from my mistake.