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Race Brake Pads

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38
17
GA
G-locs from what I hear are basically carbotechs. The Gloc guys are ex-carbotech employees. They even use a similar nomenclature mindset to aid customers which is why I like the carbotechs. They start XP8 go to XP24 and it is easy to go up and down the line to find where you want to be. I've been running CT's clubracing for 2 decades. On the s550 GT XP24/XP12 and they work not quite as well as the XP20/XP12 combo on my Ex Racer C5Z06 Vette. Is that pads or brakes on the relative chassis I do not know not running anything else on the mustang.

But CT has gotten crazy expensive. Front PP1 S550 XP24 pads are $350+!!! Lots of people race the Hawk DTC series and those are 1/2 the price! The DTC-70/DTC60 combo is what I'm trying next. The front DTC70 is $180 bucks.

One complaint on the DTC70 is they eat the rotors. For those who run the DTC70 is this true? I'm into my 2nd year of racing on the 2 piece V3 PFC rotors and Carbotech XP24 pads! That's awesome rotor wear considering the mustang is a much heavier car than the vette. Carbotechs have always been kind there. I used to get a year+ of racing out of my Stoptech 2 piece rotors on the vette. If the Hawks eat rotors then the cost saving is not there.

What are you guys seeing in rotor wear vs. pad choice?

I am also curious to know from others what they've discovered on the DTC 70s. I am also considering running DTC 70 (F) and DTC 60 (R).
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
I would think twice about running the Hawk pads... they may be cheap but the will last very little and eat the discs faster then any other pad around. In the end they are an expensive option. I Like the Gloc 18 pads up front, they brake as well as the much more expensive Pagid RST 2 or 3 pads but wont last as long.

Recently saw the Hawk DTC 70 pads destroy a set of discs in 20min.
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
From what I saw... worse... the guy lost a pair of $1000 discs in 20min..... they only had four sessions on them. Was painful to see!

He does have a 635hp supercharged M3 and was chased by a gaggle of cayman Gt4's. So I guess he cooked them, his discs not the gators...
 

Mad Hatter

Gotta go Faster
5,237
4,227
Santiago, Chile
Frankly, eats them for breakfast , lunch and dinner if you don't have ducting on your Ray Sing Kar !
I know!! But I have not the heart to tell him...... he never listens to me anyways, and he is my prime competitor (when I have a car to race)
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,156
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
I tried a lot of different Brake setups, some only lasting two practice days. I finally had a new set of brembo rotors cryogenically frozen and installed Pagid RST2 pads and ran the whole 2021 racing season on them and the pads survived and the rotors still look great.
 
I just tried some Carbotech pads, new to me, XP20 front and XP12 rear. I've been running Raybestos ST45 for many years and love them, but alas, availability has been iffy. My car is a dedicated track car, 2012 GT with 2013 GT500 Brakes (15"/6 piston front and 13" single piston rear). Can't say that I like the Carbotechs much. Takes way more peddle pressure to get the job done. Initial bite is good and so is modulation, but takes 30% more pedal pressure after the initial bite. Not confidence inspiring. The pads were pre-bed from Carbotech, and I installed fresh plain rotors. Finished bedding the brakes on the track. Running Toyo RR tires.

Any comments are really appreciated. And, are G-locs essentially the same - should I expect similar brake response as the Carbotechs?
Update:
Just finished my third track day on the Carbotechs XP20/12s, and won't run those pads again. The friction is just not there, no where near the confidence of the Raybestos ST-45. And, they are wearing 4-5 times faster, in fact the rears are pretty much gone. Very disappointed. Not confident that moving up in CarboTech compound will make much difference. Anyone have experience with Cobalt? From what I can gather, they don't wear long either, and their friction levels don't look like they match the ST-45s.
 
An incredibly happy Raybestos ST-45 customer here. I've been using them on my Mustang for 6+/- years. I just got a set of XP20s from Ken b/c I won't see a set of ST-45 until mid-March at the earliest. I usually keep a set "in inventory", but I haven't been on track since COVID. I tried the Glocs once. I don't remember which compound right now, but I tried them for 1-2 sessions at VIR, left the track, came home to swap in some used ST-45 I had and went back. Horrible pads, IMHO (YMMV). I can't get Hawks (or Pagids or any other brand) for the fronts (AFAIK). I must by the ST-45 from Porterfield (custom cut). I hope the XP20s are better. I forgot about the Glocs I tried a while back when I ordered a set of XP20 from Ken this week....
 
76
115
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Cumming, Georgia
Update:
Just finished my third track day on the Carbotechs XP20/12s, and won't run those pads again. The friction is just not there, no where near the confidence of the Raybestos ST-45. And, they are wearing 4-5 times faster, in fact the rears are pretty much gone. Very disappointed. Not confident that moving up in CarboTech compound will make much difference. Anyone have experience with Cobalt? From what I can gather, they don't wear long either, and their friction levels don't look like they match the ST-45s.
Agreed, I gained close to 0.5 sec at Road Atlanta just by switching from Carbotech XP's to Hawk DTC's. I just ordered a set of Raybestos ST43's I'm curious to see how those will work.
 
141
153
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Arizona
ST45 all around works great on my car. They feel the same cold or hot and I've never been able to get them to fade. Due to supply problems I had to put a set of DTC60s on the front and while they seem adequate for the driving I do, they behave very different from the ST45s. It's almost like they act like they are cold in the beginning of every braking section then increase friction after a second or two. I don't particularly care for them, can't wait to swap them out for another set of ST45 whenever those arrive.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,429
8,357
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Used G-Locs and Carbotech pads for years and one secret seems to be to get them pre-bedded. I also find a balance with a lower temp resistant pad on the rear really balances out the way the car bites and takes less work off the front. With G-Locs I run an R18 in front and a R10 in the rear, and I get plenty of bite, but then I brake deep and hard. It seems that brake pad preference is often not just personal taste but due to how one uses their brakes. I seem to wear every pad I use rather quickly , from PFC to Raybestos to G-Locs. The ones I have failed to use are Hawks as they used to destroy my rotors over a decade ago and I have not tried them since. G-Locs, and Carbotechs, since members of the same family run the two separate companies seem to have good feel for those driving without ABS or it is outlawed in their Class. I know a bunch of guys who switched years back because the progressive feel kept them from flat spotting tires.

The key is TMO members are very good at letting new members or novice drivers the importance of getting really good track pads and quality DOT 4 fluid, as these are two easy items to install for better safety on track, imho.
 
Last edited:
76
115
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Cumming, Georgia
The key here is TMO members are very good at letting new members or novice drivers the importance of getting really good track pads and quality DOT 4 fluid, as these are two easy items to install for better safety on track, imho.
Yep, Funny story: I once set set infield on fire at Carolina Motorsports Park. The whole incident was caused by my calipers shooting 3-4 foot flames and red hot bits of disintegrated pads into the grass near the pavement in the braking zones. The whole session got black flagged as the firemen did their thing.

I had just installed the FRPP 1999 Cobra brake kit and just used the pads that came with it = Wrong answer, especially at CMP.

Jim Pantas was for ever calling me the guy that set the infield on fire... CMP charged me $75.00 for extinguisher fluid, well worth it for the story. :cool:
 
Agreed, I gained close to 0.5 sec at Road Atlanta just by switching from Carbotech XP's to Hawk DTC's. I just ordered a set of Raybestos ST43's I'm curious to see how those will work.

I ran ST-43s on the OE Goodyears for my first two-three seasons. I did have the usual brake issues to sort out with the S.S. Minnow. It took me a little bit to sort them out, but very happy now. So much so, I don't want to change the setup. I ran LCF with ST-43.
I switched to ST-45s (w/HTC64T) when I switched to R88Rs/Goodyear 3Rs. I haven't run Hoosiers yet.
I do go through pads and front rotors, but I attribute this to my braking style and the fact I have almost 4,000#s of blubber to slow down. If they didn't work so well, I would be using something else. I just pay the "ticket price" and move on...
 

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