Ferodo DS Performance / DS2500

[qooqiiu]

How much brake fluid did you have to use for a full flush. I was told 2 litres would be sufficient???

[nonuts]

The system holds around a litre from what I understand, but the Audi specalist that did mine wanted to run the ABS pump to ensure everything was changed and said if I wanted it to be done with non standard fluid they'd want me to have 3 litres of it.

I don't believe they're lying, if you're doing it yourself or getting a garage that's doing it all by hand 2 litres should be more than enough.

[qooqiiu]

Thanks mate. I have an Audi specialist to do the work. IL report back in couple of months and give you my marks out of 10. Did you do both front and rear?

[nonuts]

My rear pads and discs weren't more than a few months old so just the fronts, didn't even bother with the stainless hoses at the back as they don't actually replace all the flexible sections!

[qooqiiu]

OK

[burton]

Vixpy1 said:

Have DS2500's on the M5 and they have been great

I found that mine crumbled so got rid, will be going with RS29's.

[qooqiiu]

burton said:

Vixpy1 said:

Have DS2500's on the M5 and they have been great

I found that mine crumbled so got rid, will be going with RS29's.

Its interesting you should say "crumbled"... Mine look like they might do just that! They have an almost 'chipboard' construction.

[Mroad]

burton said:

Vixpy1 said:

Have DS2500's on the M5 and they have been great

I found that mine crumbled so got rid, will be going with RS29's.

I've run DS2500 on pretty much all my old track cars and thay have been great BUT they are only really suitable for lighter cars, 1300-1400kg is probably around the limit (depends on pad size though, larger areas are more forgiving).
They were not great on my E34 M5 and yes they did crumble a bit (overheated).

For heavy cars try Pagid RS29, they have been superb on my M3 although probably more dusty than DS2500 (if that worries you).

[qooqiiu]

So these have been on now for about a month and 1000miles.

From cold they are NOT as good as OEM brakes, by about 20% id say.

When hot they are no better either. I feel like ive spent 4 times more than OEM for no reason. VERY Disappointed!

[nonuts]

I feel quite the opposite, the bite from cold is no worse for me. They give more feel, seem to wear slower and when hot have serious stopping power. Not had chance on a track day yet but on my car they're a great pad.

How heavy is your car, just out of interest?

[qooqiiu]

Approximately 1350kg

Couldn't fit the goodridge brake lines at the same time because they were not a proper fit so a bit pissed off about that too.

[Busa_Rush]

qooqiiu said:

So these have been on now for about a month and 1000miles.

From cold they are NOT as good as OEM brakes, by about 20% id say.

When hot they are no better either. I feel like ive spent 4 times more than OEM for no reason. VERY Disappointed!

The DS2500 won't offer much more friction than a standard road pad but they will cope much better with high temperature. They will resist melting and smoking for much longer.

You're right, they are not as good at low temperatures, that's even stated by Ferrodo themselves so not sure how other people here think they are as good . . . they aren't.

But, on a track day, on a modest car, they are a good pad, once they have warmeed up they will work really well and are not too aggressive on the disc either.

The braided lines will only offer marginally better feel at the pedal, they won't make you stop better.

Try DS3000's or Pagid pads if you want higher friction levels, Pagid so some nice pads which can be OKish on the road but they're not cheap.

[900T-R]

Busa_Rush said:

You're right, they are not as good at low temperatures, that's even stated by Ferrodo themselves so not sure how other people here think they are as good . . . they aren't.

Ferodo states a working temperature range from zero upwards for the DS2500s.

[qooqiiu]

[quote=Busa_RushThe braided lines will only offer marginally better feel at the pedal, they won't make you stop better.

[/quote]

I know they won't make me stop better. What i was looking for was a firmer feeling pedal. The TT has about 3" of dead travel at the top of the pedal and past that point is pretty numb too. They are producing a LOT more dust as well. down to the drilled and grooved discs i suppose ..

[Busa_Rush]

900T-R said:

Busa_Rush said:

You're right, they are not as good at low temperatures, that's even stated by Ferrodo themselves so not sure how other people here think they are as good . . . they aren't.

Ferodo states a working temperature range from zero upwards for the DS2500s.

Yep, they work at zero, they'll work at -50 if necessary but their friction level drops off significantly.

Ferrodo sell them as a race brake pad, they are not part of the road pad range so I wouldn't expect them to work at low temperature. If you think about it, there has to be a trade off . . . or OEM pads wouldn't need to be changed for race pads for a track day.

There's a good graph here: http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/guides/fero...

Shows the working temp range starting at 200C . . . the text says "good cold braking" which isn't the same as having the same coefficient of friction at 10C as it does at 400C.

Bike pads are the same, I have Bendix MMR pads on my track bike and they are not nice on the road until I've stopped a few times and warmed them up. Once hot they stop like having your teeth pulled by a bulldozer and will never fade, at least not unless your name is Rossi or Stoner.

In my kit car I've had DS2500, DS3000 and now have Pagid. Pagid are best but for track days the DS's were fine. For pure road use I'd stick to either an OEM pad for a light car or maybe one of the Ferrodo pads they sell as a road pad for a heavier car.

[Busa_Rush]

qooqiiu said:

[quote=Busa_RushThe braided lines will only offer marginally better feel at the pedal, they won't make you stop better.

qooqiiu said:

I know they won't make me stop better. What i was looking for was a firmer feeling pedal. The TT has about 3" of dead travel at the top of the pedal and past that point is pretty numb too. They are producing a LOT more dust as well. down to the drilled and grooved discs i suppose ..

Grooved discs are sh*te if I may say so . . .

On my TT (had a 225 in 2000) the brakes were st and the only solution was to upgrade to bigger discs and calipers, Movit were popular back then, seemed to do the job.

I remember a track day at Bruntingthorpe with the TT club and the pedal went to the floor after only a couple of laps. The fluid was overheating and the pads were smoking.

Try Motul RBF600 brake fluid and Pagid pads with Brembo drilled discs. Or this: http://www.thettshop.com/latest.asp?cat=2008&p...

Edited by Busa_Rush on Tuesday 27th October 15:54

[nonuts]

Depends on the track, I wasn't getting brake fade in my S3 last year around Spa, which had standard pads and discs at the time. Yes the pads were very hot as were the discs, however it wasn't causing any issues, the tyres getting very hot was a bigger issue.

Most people with S3s / TTs critisise the brakes, however with good fluid and decent pads (like the DS2500s) you don't actually NEED better even for most track days in my opinion.

DS2500s for me seem the best compromise I've found without spending a lot of money, I don't drive like a nutter from cold so their cold performance (which I can't say I've noticed being bad) isn't an issue. There performance along with the braided hoses when hot (very fast b road / mountain pass for example) is brilliant, I also find I have better control over the braking near the limit than I did with stock pads.

I've yet to get on track however I doubt I'll have any issues unless it's a circuit that's very hard on the brakes and they have no time at all to cool down.

[ToothbrushMan]

thread revival after doing a search (like you should before starting another thread on the same topic). lots of talk about ds2500 and 3000. is anybody using the DS "performance" race spec for road use pads? not branded ds2500 or 3000 which I believe are the hard core pads for use on track.

be interested in hearing if anybody has the DS PF pads and what they think of them.

[GreenV8S]

No experience with the PF but I use the 2500 on road and track.

[E-bmw]

They aren't really race pads as they are homologated for road use, they are more of a "fast road" pad.

With a friction coefficient average of 0.46 they sit right between DS Uno & DS1.11.

https://www.ferodoracing.com/products/car-tuning/d...

https://www.kamracing.co.uk/mage-images/ferodo-cha...

I have used both before on a track day car with good results, what are you wanting to use them for? (don't say stopping )