Blue stuff vs Yellow stuff? Brake Fluid?
- Thread starter Nocturnal
- Start date
@Nocturnal if you’re fine having squeaky pads then ditch the EBC route and go for Pagid RSL29s.
If you like to trail brake then consider a softer pad in the rear such as a set of Mintex M1144s.
Castrol SRF on the fluid.
If you like to trail brake then consider a softer pad in the rear such as a set of Mintex M1144s.
Castrol SRF on the fluid.
Any standard disc is fine.
EBC bluestuff pads.
Any high temp brake fluid is fine, castrol srf or motul rbf660.
EBC bluestuff pads.
Any high temp brake fluid is fine, castrol srf or motul rbf660.
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I used EBC Bluestuff at Eastern Creek on a >35C day with consistent braking and no issues (albeit with AP Racing callipers).
Back in the UK, after a couple of track days on a set of Yellowstuff pads, the friction material delaminated from the back plate.
Sacramento, CA
I found yellow stuff very effective on track, but cracks would appear in the pad material with repeated heat cycles. I had no such problems with Bluestuff.
The OEM ///M brakes with Bluestuff pads, brass calliper bushings and homemade cooling ducts worked well on track (in UK temperatures). However, there was a lack of consistency to the pedal feel that made very late braking a bit of a gamble. The brakes would work, but it was hard to anticipate how much retardation would be delivered for a given amount of pedal application.
OP, for a first track day, either Yellowstuff or Bluestuff should be fine. Make sure you turn off the stability control completely, or the rear pads will overheat. The electronic nanny panics when you’re cornering at high speed and tries to be helpful by braking the inside rear wheel, which then cooks the pads.
ETA: I’ve not used Yellowstuff for at least 15 years, so EBC may have changed the friction material in that time
The OEM ///M brakes with Bluestuff pads, brass calliper bushings and homemade cooling ducts worked well on track (in UK temperatures). However, there was a lack of consistency to the pedal feel that made very late braking a bit of a gamble. The brakes would work, but it was hard to anticipate how much retardation would be delivered for a given amount of pedal application.
OP, for a first track day, either Yellowstuff or Bluestuff should be fine. Make sure you turn off the stability control completely, or the rear pads will overheat. The electronic nanny panics when you’re cornering at high speed and tries to be helpful by braking the inside rear wheel, which then cooks the pads.
ETA: I’ve not used Yellowstuff for at least 15 years, so EBC may have changed the friction material in that time
Thanks! I saw you are in CA. I’m in SoCal, was going to go to Willow Springs. For the temperature that we have out here do you have any recs? Was gonna order it from fcpeuro.
Thank you, I didn’t know that about the traction control. I was going to buy the Motul 600, should I get the 660 instead ?
I don’t have the z4m just the normal 04 3.0i. It looks like fcpeuro doesn’t have the fronts for blue stuff only yellow for both rear and front. Sounds like I should just buy different pads entirely
Either fluid should be ok, but I expect you’ll find heat management problems with OEM brakes, especially if you’re on a tight, technical track without many high speed sections to cool the brakes.
EBC sell other track pads as well. Do they have their EP-1 pad in the correct fitment for your car? I use those as a road pad (in AP Racing callipers) and Project Mu Racing pads (sourced from British Touring Cars) on track. The EP-1 were dangerously ineffective until they were bedded in properly, but they stand up to very hard driving on the road. That will never compare with track use, but the ambient temperature here can be 40C (>100F) in the summer.
EBC sell other track pads as well. Do they have their EP-1 pad in the correct fitment for your car? I use those as a road pad (in AP Racing callipers) and Project Mu Racing pads (sourced from British Touring Cars) on track. The EP-1 were dangerously ineffective until they were bedded in properly, but they stand up to very hard driving on the road. That will never compare with track use, but the ambient temperature here can be 40C (>100F) in the summer.
With OEM brakes are you referring to the calipers? I’ll be swapping the rotors, but not to track specific just different Zimmerman branded ones. For pads I’ll try to get as close to track specific as I can get with the inventory from fcpeuro.
Liverpool
I used EBC pads a lot when I was doing a lot of track days in the M5s or Z4MC.
The biggest issue I had was their inconsistency in manufacture/QA, as I'd have a 25% return rate on them when the pad came away from the backing plate (either in the box, during fitting, or braking into Knickerbrook at Oulton
).
Moved over to the much more expensive RS29/RSL29, and haven't had a single problem. Dustier, but work from cold all the way up to silly temps.
The biggest issue I had was their inconsistency in manufacture/QA, as I'd have a 25% return rate on them when the pad came away from the backing plate (either in the box, during fitting, or braking into Knickerbrook at Oulton
).Moved over to the much more expensive RS29/RSL29, and haven't had a single problem. Dustier, but work from cold all the way up to silly temps.