Sleeper_08

Yesterday I was at a presentation by a brake material supplier representative on their brake pads to an audience primarily of Porsche owners. Their pad materials are used extensively in race cars.

In one of the very first slides he stated in bold red lettering "Brakes don't stop cars, tires do" thus reinforcing what has been said before.

In the presentation and subsequent Q&A a few other things came out that are relevant to our cars

1) DOT 4 fluid is a must for track use and it needs to be changed and/or bled based on your use of the car. Proper pads for your style of driving and brake cooling will improve track performance.

2) if the stock system is capable of kicking in the ABS on the tires then BBK's will not stop you in a shorter distance. They benefits they can provide are more heat absorption capacity, better quality components and a better pedal feel

3) drilled and/or slotted rotors are not required for today's pad materials

3) don't let your pads get too worn as doing so results in more heat being transferred to the calipers and fluid as the pad material acts as a heat insulator. This is more beneficial with ceramic based pads materials than iron based pad materials

4) running track pads on the street is not necessarily a bad thing, if you can live with the squeal. Even though the pads are operating well below their design temps on initial application the combination of their overall performance and the high performance street tires we run means that under panic braking you more more likely to get hit from behind than hitting the person in front. Especially if you are focusing on your driving and leaving enough distance from the car in front, which we all all do Disclaimer - the pad material you choose to run is up to you and you are responsible for your choice.

nemosgt

Thanks for posting Colin. Good reminders.

Cheers.

Argonaut

+1

Its amazing how many "enthusiasts" don't understand the basics of how brakes work. I can't count the number of times I've seen posts on various forums proclaiming how their super bling-bling BBK stops their car so much better than stock. Unfortunately our automotive journals usually reinforce the myths when they do brake testing. When was the last time you read "Tires stop the Car" in Road & Track or Car & Driver? Try never. They usually completely ignore the part sticky tires and weight distribution plays and concentrate instead on how in love they are with big rotors.

You should post this in the main section Colin...it will be funny to watch how many flames you get from guys trying to justify their BBK purchase on a street car.

Sleeper_08

That is why I only post here