AM Vantage 4.3 V8 pads... Porterfield vs. Brembo

[cradock]

Hello, after a quick scan of the forum on OEM vs. AM branded parts, I asked my new pal Claude to "take a poke through the Pistonheads AM forum and give me the top two choices to change my worn pads"...

So, it came up with:
1. Porterfield R4-S pads (SKU AP 1165 front / 1166 rear) - pricier but reduce brake dust and feel sharp. very quiet if set up with decent ceramic paste and anti squeal shims.
2. Brembo OEM pads (SKU P02002 front/ P02003 rear) - cheaper but dirty, use the original Pagid RS4-2-2 compound that is designed for the car, but throws of brake dust like confetti at a wedding.

Has anyone on here used either of these? I need to change pads on my 2008 Vantage 4.3 convertible and don't fancy AM parts prices when I have a local Indy who has proven very good on previous cars

Welcome any thoughts!
John

[Gassmi]

I’ve used Porterfield R4-S on a similar heavy car. Low dust is real, bite is good from cold, no noise. Brembo OEM dust is awful but pedal feel is perfect. For a daily, Porterfield. For track days or hard use, stick with Brembo. Your indie will fit either easily.

[TheRainMaker]

I have the Porterfield R4-S on the rear of mine.

All good so far, no noise etc.

[V8VS]

You could buy the Pagid RS4-2-2 from any decent brake retailer, avoiding the AM tax. Cambridge Motorsport are great. You might have to call them if they are not listed on the website. I d expect to pay c.£300 for a set of fronts.

I ve always found they are really good pads, provided you have a decent racing fluid.

That said, if you re not happy with them, Cambridge would talk to you about their recommendations. They really are a great company to buy from in my experience.

Edited by V8VS on Saturday 23 May 17:53

[bogie]

Have used OE Brembo, Pagid and Porterfield over the years, and the Porterfield were my favourite, just from a wheel cleaning perspective. The outright performance and feel of the pad was hard to tell the difference once bedded in. All options are plenty good enough for road use.

[Nigel_O]

I’ve been running Porterfield for 3+ years.

They aren’t ’dust-free’, but they are a lot cleaner that the Pagids I used to run on my Fiat Coupe.

Bite is excellent (although I’m running a 380mm big brake kit with two-piece floating discs, so they ought to be decent)

The car is unlikely to see a track day, so I’m not concerned with performance on the limited.

[cradock]

Thanks to everyone for the replies and advice!

For my purposes (Sussex B-roads mostly) it sounds like the Porterfield are the way to go. I had noticed that prior cars hadn’t gotten their wheels as grubby as quickly as the AM, so hopefully this will also spare me a little time with the scrubbing brush too!

Thanks again, John

[Handyman2009]

I also have been running Porterfield for 10 yrs and not dust free but much better than Brembo and squeal free for me

[TheRainMaker]

Nigel_O said:

Bite is excellent (although I m running a 380mm big brake kit with two-piece floating discs, so they ought to be decent)

Was that the setup from DAE?

I'm thinking of going down that route.

[Nigel_O]

TheRainMaker said:

Nigel_O said:

Bite is excellent (although I m running a 380mm big brake kit with two-piece floating discs, so they ought to be decent)

Was that the setup from DAE?

I'm thinking of going down that route.

No - I used RB Racing Rotors - front discs (380x32) were £850 and come with caliper spacers and extra-length bolts (billet spacers are available at extra cost)

Rears are the standard 330x32 and were £600

This was a couple of years ago, so prices may have changed

[V8VS]

I was going to suggest Reyland Motorsport for disc replacement and / or bigger discs and brackets but thought I d check they have a kit listed (they can do most regardless though).

www.reyland.co.uk/aston-martin/

Then I noticed it s also been discussed here before, as have RB. Discussion thread here:

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...