Discussion
I drove my pals r400 the other day and was gobsmaked at how good his breaks were, same discs and suspension, only difference being he had a break bias. He doesn't know what pads he's running but did recall they were a bit pricey.
So my question is does anyone have preference or knowledge of 'the mutts nuts'in the pad world?
The car is never used on the road by the way.
Here's hoping
So my question is does anyone have preference or knowledge of 'the mutts nuts'in the pad world?
The car is never used on the road by the way.
Here's hoping
Ya, that makes sense.
I used Ferodo 2500 on my subie STi, and they were worse than the stock brembo pads. I changed to RS-14 and it almost pulled the axles off the car! Amazing brake pads, and can even survive some very hard laps on a track. They squeal a tiny bit on the subie, but it isn't an annoying squeal.
Caterham's being non-assisted brakes, having a very high co-efficient of friction brake pad, can help with feel and the amount of force you have to use in everyday driving. As long as they don't need a lot of heat to start working at a reasonable level.
I am using Performance Friction PF-01 pads on my caterham with AP 4 pots up front, and they are better than the ancient Mintex I had. They were pre-cursers to the Mintex 1144 and not as sticky as the 1144. The PF pads are quiet and smooth and not grabby, but much better than the old pads. I wouldn't mind a bit more stickiness.
Many people like the Mintex 1144, but I haven't tried them and I don't think the friction level is nearly as high as the RS-14.
If you want to experiment, EBC reds are moderately high friction, and EBC yellows are quite high and supposedly still good for low heat levels. They are also much less expensive so not too much of a commitment to experiemnt with. What one reads about those pads in forums varies immensely, partly due to possible spotty quality at times, and a lot of changes to the pads in the last 5 yrs.
Anyway, the classic pads to use as upgrades are mintex 1144, Ferodo 2500 (but not that sticky), and RS-14 for those more serious drivers. (Lotus also use the RS-14 as trackday upgrades for their cars). Ferodo 3000 are sticky, but may need too much heat to start working.. Same may apply for Mintex 1155(?).
I used Ferodo 2500 on my subie STi, and they were worse than the stock brembo pads. I changed to RS-14 and it almost pulled the axles off the car! Amazing brake pads, and can even survive some very hard laps on a track. They squeal a tiny bit on the subie, but it isn't an annoying squeal.
Caterham's being non-assisted brakes, having a very high co-efficient of friction brake pad, can help with feel and the amount of force you have to use in everyday driving. As long as they don't need a lot of heat to start working at a reasonable level.
I am using Performance Friction PF-01 pads on my caterham with AP 4 pots up front, and they are better than the ancient Mintex I had. They were pre-cursers to the Mintex 1144 and not as sticky as the 1144. The PF pads are quiet and smooth and not grabby, but much better than the old pads. I wouldn't mind a bit more stickiness.
Many people like the Mintex 1144, but I haven't tried them and I don't think the friction level is nearly as high as the RS-14.
If you want to experiment, EBC reds are moderately high friction, and EBC yellows are quite high and supposedly still good for low heat levels. They are also much less expensive so not too much of a commitment to experiemnt with. What one reads about those pads in forums varies immensely, partly due to possible spotty quality at times, and a lot of changes to the pads in the last 5 yrs.
Anyway, the classic pads to use as upgrades are mintex 1144, Ferodo 2500 (but not that sticky), and RS-14 for those more serious drivers. (Lotus also use the RS-14 as trackday upgrades for their cars). Ferodo 3000 are sticky, but may need too much heat to start working.. Same may apply for Mintex 1155(?).
We have tested just about every pad in the caterhams race car, and by far the Carbon Lorraine RC6 gives the hardest bite from cold, doesn't go off, hardly ever wears down and doesn't squeal like a banshee.
If you need a contact for them pm me,
And they are cheaper than most others as well.
If you need a contact for them pm me,
And they are cheaper than most others as well.
Ah, many people like Carbone Lorraine pads for track work. I didn't know they had some for sevens, nice!
A number of subie people, (who are probably clueless about installing brake pads from what they post), have some squealing issues with the RC6. How do you find them for noise on the caterham?
It seems pads 5038W46T16 work for AP 4 pot fronts, and 4035 work for the sierra style rear caliper.
A number of subie people, (who are probably clueless about installing brake pads from what they post), have some squealing issues with the RC6. How do you find them for noise on the caterham?
It seems pads 5038W46T16 work for AP 4 pot fronts, and 4035 work for the sierra style rear caliper.
Canuck7 said:
Ah, many people like Carbone Lorraine pads for track work. I didn't know they had some for sevens, nice!
A number of subie people, (who are probably clueless about installing brake pads from what they post), have some squealing issues with the RC6. How do you find them for noise on the caterham?
It seems pads 5038W46T16 work for AP 4 pot fronts, and 4035 work for the sierra style rear caliper.
They don't squeal in ours, none of the pads have squealed in the caterham come to think about it.A number of subie people, (who are probably clueless about installing brake pads from what they post), have some squealing issues with the RC6. How do you find them for noise on the caterham?
It seems pads 5038W46T16 work for AP 4 pot fronts, and 4035 work for the sierra style rear caliper.
Great! Thanks for the feedback!!
I guess to be precise, as far as Pagid goes, it seems only Pagid RS-15 are readily available for AP 4 pot front brakes, and the RS-14 for the back brakes. I thought I found some RS-14 pads that would work for the AP front brakes, but no one seems to list those as fitting a caterham in a search. You can find them in some detailed catalogues as an option for the AP 7600 caliper.
Friction coefficients seem to be similar for RS-15 and RC-6, but RC-6 will have better friction cold. The Carbone Lorraine have a very flat torque curve vs. heat. Bonus.
RC-6 = 0.50 - to maybe 0.54? (different info source than from below)
RS-15 = 0.50 - 0.62 at best temp
RS-14 = 0.44 - 0.54 at best temp
I doubt Caterhams on a street will ever hit the best temps for a Pagid. Many have found the RS-15 too track oriented for street use - ie. they take a lot of pressure to stop when cold. Others have found them just fine or even awesome. Makes one wonder about changes in pad design over time, or perhaps people glazed them... or something. Info on the Internet is so reliable. ;-) ...and it also depends which brake master cylinder you have, and brake pedal leverage ratio, tire friction levels, yadda yadda...
All I can say is at least Carbone Lorraine, Pagid, and Performance Friction are the real deal, and will work for the cars better than stock, and survive some track time..
Anyway, I think I will consider some CL RC-6 pads as my next brake pad experiment. Nice to get a matched set, that works cold. Thanks for the info!
I guess to be precise, as far as Pagid goes, it seems only Pagid RS-15 are readily available for AP 4 pot front brakes, and the RS-14 for the back brakes. I thought I found some RS-14 pads that would work for the AP front brakes, but no one seems to list those as fitting a caterham in a search. You can find them in some detailed catalogues as an option for the AP 7600 caliper.
Friction coefficients seem to be similar for RS-15 and RC-6, but RC-6 will have better friction cold. The Carbone Lorraine have a very flat torque curve vs. heat. Bonus.
RC-6 = 0.50 - to maybe 0.54? (different info source than from below)
RS-15 = 0.50 - 0.62 at best temp
RS-14 = 0.44 - 0.54 at best temp
I doubt Caterhams on a street will ever hit the best temps for a Pagid. Many have found the RS-15 too track oriented for street use - ie. they take a lot of pressure to stop when cold. Others have found them just fine or even awesome. Makes one wonder about changes in pad design over time, or perhaps people glazed them... or something. Info on the Internet is so reliable. ;-) ...and it also depends which brake master cylinder you have, and brake pedal leverage ratio, tire friction levels, yadda yadda...
All I can say is at least Carbone Lorraine, Pagid, and Performance Friction are the real deal, and will work for the cars better than stock, and survive some track time..
Anyway, I think I will consider some CL RC-6 pads as my next brake pad experiment. Nice to get a matched set, that works cold. Thanks for the info!
Bear in mind that brake efficiency and therefore an element of bite/feel is about tyre grip as wellGassing Station | Caterham | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff