Opinions please.
Discussion
By saying the brakes are in hand, does that mean you're putting new OEM ones on, or you're using proper pads?
Brand new or no, standard road pads are hopeless on track in almost every single application. At the very least, get some performance-oriented pads like Mintex 1155, EBC Redstuff, Ferodo DS2500 or similar. They'll be worth their weight in gold.
Brand new or no, standard road pads are hopeless on track in almost every single application. At the very least, get some performance-oriented pads like Mintex 1155, EBC Redstuff, Ferodo DS2500 or similar. They'll be worth their weight in gold.
andyiley said:
^^^^ Wot 'e said minus the ebc redstuff bit, anything but ime.
I hesitated to put those, as they're certainly the poorest of the three mentioned, but they're still an enormous step up from normal road compounds and they're really easy to get hold of, so I thought worth mentioning.I know some have had nightmares with them, I actually found them OK on my E36 328i, but not as good as the Mintex 1155 in there now.
When I said that the brakes were in hand, what I meant was; I'm a mechanic, the 306 doesn't currently have an MOT so I'll be going over it to make sure it's all up together.
Also it's been sat for a couple of years. The disks are quite badly corroded, so I'm changing the disks and pads as a matter of course.
It'll have a thorough service including cam-belt, as I have no history for it, and I don't fancy doing a top-end rebuild!
The tyres, although they have a good amount of tread, are knackered. They've been sat for 2 years and have a lot of cracking to the sidewalls, so they'll be changed before MOT too.
Still. Not a bad buy for 150 quid!
Thanks for the advice so far.
Also it's been sat for a couple of years. The disks are quite badly corroded, so I'm changing the disks and pads as a matter of course.
It'll have a thorough service including cam-belt, as I have no history for it, and I don't fancy doing a top-end rebuild!
The tyres, although they have a good amount of tread, are knackered. They've been sat for 2 years and have a lot of cracking to the sidewalls, so they'll be changed before MOT too.
Still. Not a bad buy for 150 quid!
Thanks for the advice so far.
McSam said:
andyiley said:
^^^^ Wot 'e said minus the ebc redstuff bit, anything but ime.
I hesitated to put those, as they're certainly the poorest of the three mentioned, but they're still an enormous step up from normal road compounds and they're really easy to get hold of, so I thought worth mentioning.I know some have had nightmares with them, I actually found them OK on my E36 328i, but not as good as the Mintex 1155 in there now.
I'd heard of this bonding problem. No such worries with mine, and my front ones were pretty good, but there are issues keeping the rears cool on E36s and it turns out they didn't tolerate the temperatures very well. No real fade, but the rears disappeared over twice as fast as the fronts!
They were my first port of call when starting to develop the car, since if you just throw full-on endurance racing pads at it straight away, you're never going to know what else might have been perfectly fine. That being said, so far I've found that the more you spend on a pad, the longer it lasts - so apart from better performance being good on the day, it doesn't even cost you any more over the year.
OP: That's all good to hear, but please do take on board the advice about using specialist pads rather than just standard replacements as you normally would for MOT. Discs aren't such a big deal.
They were my first port of call when starting to develop the car, since if you just throw full-on endurance racing pads at it straight away, you're never going to know what else might have been perfectly fine. That being said, so far I've found that the more you spend on a pad, the longer it lasts - so apart from better performance being good on the day, it doesn't even cost you any more over the year.
OP: That's all good to hear, but please do take on board the advice about using specialist pads rather than just standard replacements as you normally would for MOT. Discs aren't such a big deal.
andyiley said:
I used to think they were ok until I graduated to good pads on my e36 328.
Get him to try Pagid RS 16 or 29, or Ferodo DS Uno, he will suddenly think very differently.
Fluid becomes an issue once pads are sorted - currently Racing Blue fits the bill under 90% of conditions and 'long pedal' crops up only when REALLY pressed. Cost of pads can be a problem when two trackdays sees off a set.Get him to try Pagid RS 16 or 29, or Ferodo DS Uno, he will suddenly think very differently.
McSam said:
I'd heard of this bonding problem. No such worries with mine, and my front ones were pretty good, but there are issues keeping the rears cool on E36s and it turns out they didn't tolerate the temperatures very well. No real fade, but the rears disappeared over twice as fast as the fronts!
They were my first port of call when starting to develop the car, since if you just throw full-on endurance racing pads at it straight away, you're never going to know what else might have been perfectly fine. That being said, so far I've found that the more you spend on a pad, the longer it lasts - so apart from better performance being good on the day, it doesn't even cost you any more over the year.
Never had that problem with the rears on my 328, a set of 1144s normally lasts me 2 years.They were my first port of call when starting to develop the car, since if you just throw full-on endurance racing pads at it straight away, you're never going to know what else might have been perfectly fine. That being said, so far I've found that the more you spend on a pad, the longer it lasts - so apart from better performance being good on the day, it doesn't even cost you any more over the year.
Using Ferodo DS Uno/RS 29 Pagids I always said the one set cost the same as lesser pads which I used several sets of in a year, but performed much better and meant a few hours less under the car each year, no brainer.
andyiley said:
Never had that problem with the rears on my 328, a set of 1144s normally lasts me 2 years.
Indeed, I have 1144s in there now and they're great. I have an infrared gun to check temperatures and the rears are consistently hotter than the fronts, even after a cooldown lap, for a variety of reasons that I don't want to clog this thread with - it seems that difference puts Redstuff out of their operating window, whereas the Mintex are still fine.Gassing Station | Track Days | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff