Best brake pad?
- Thread starter Rickster93
- Start date
Seemed to be about 3 sets of pads to every set of discs - although I had a lot of road miles between track days (25k miles a year and about 90% road to 10% track) to smooth the discs/remove uneven pad deposits. That's probably also why I got so many miles out of a set of tyres too...considering I don't swap tyres for track work...about 20k out of the rears, and 40k out of the fronts.beanie said:
Some of it will be down to braking technique, as my mate in an e34 M5 goes through a set of pads a day when we go the the Ring, and that's usually when he's trying to get away from me. I prefer to lift off a bit earlier and carry more speed through the corner, so that I'm right up his chuff accelerating out of the corner.
I was always taught to brake hard & early, and release the brakes as early as possible so that the car is balanced, the brakes have had the greatest benefit from high-speed cooling, and you're ready in plenty of time for the corner. The Ring is not heavy on brakes though - nowhere near as bad as Oulton or Cadwell.
But then I don't drive it like I stole it everywhere!
Rickster93
Member
Some really interesting reviews! I’m so stuck what to go with!! 
Rickster93
Member
I’ve decided to go with stoptech street performance pads. The car is a weekend toy and I’m no track expert anyway. So can’t see my self going mad. These seems to tick all the box’s for a pad above oem
Rickster93
Member
Are the rear discs of the z4mc the same as the e46 m3. On the hunt for the best place to buy some rear discs
Rickster93
Member
ph001 said:
Found them on eBay for £50 delivered
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F292537826846
Does the z4m have e46 m3 callipers and just csl front discs. So these pads will be fine?
That's why I say the choice of pads (and tyres) depends much more on your driving style than price.wspohn said:
If a 1700kg e34 M5 (that came with no DSC) or a 1500kg Z4MC can make a set of front pads last 10,000 miles and 3 track days (double that for the rears), then I can't see why a lighter, better balanced car should wear them out faster.
I find it strange that his front & rear pads wore out at the same rate, so maybe a 'last of the late brakers' style of driver who likes having his face torn off every time he braks, keeps his foot on the brakes until the very last minute, relies heavily on DSC to keep him out of trouble (DSC will eat pads if left on on track) and ends up overheating his pads. Or maybe he's simply doing more short, stop-start trips than me - as I'd average about 1800 motorway miles between trackdays, so time for discs & pads & tyres to get cleaned up.
Maybe I'm just riving slower in my middle age
I'm going to have to go through another set of pad trials now that I've got Porsche Brembo calipers on front & back - currently running Orangestuff, but want to try some of the newer Pagid Endurance pads (RSL1) or Performance Friction .11 pads - until I realised that the pads for the Porsche calipers are twice the price of the standard pads :thumbsdown:
Pity the Z4 has been retired from daily duties as I can't compare it like-for-like to how it used to be used. Maybe I'll try RS29s on the Alfa Diesel
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Yellowstuff are dusty...much more than the Bluestuff or Orangestuff...but I wouldn't recommend the Blue/Orange for a weekend car for normal-with-a-bit-of-fast road use.
Rickster93 said:
Just been reading up on these pads. Big pro points seem to be:
Great initial bite and superb cold operating.
Nicely modulated, low dust.
Quiet operation.
Most reviews said they do fade on moderate track work but for a fast street pad they are superb. Given their cost, it looks like a great compromise for 95% of the driving most of us do. Good find.
Oh - and yes they will fit same as E46 M3 by the way, to answer your previous question.
My preference is for tight, technical tracks and I am very much the last of the late brakers which demands of the brakes and leaves little time for cooling between corners. I switched to EBC Yellowstuff on mmm-five’s recommendation in about 2010. I found they worked well from cold and continued to do so after lots of abuse, with no fade or squeal and produced no more dust than any other pads I’ve tried. However, I have managed to get them smoking on a track day leaving the friction surface showing evidence of overheating (although they continued to work normally). I also had a single pad where the friction material delaminated from the backplate. EBC acknowledge this was due to a failure in their production methods.
I switched to Bluestuff about 30,000 miles ago and I’ve seen no further evidence of overheating no matter how hard I’ve driven and I’ve encountered no other manufacturing failures.
My ///M has covered as many miles on the track as it has on the road over the last nine years. Despite this, I managed to get 40,000 miles out of a set a discs using a mix of Yellow and Blue stuff exclusively.
I switched to Bluestuff about 30,000 miles ago and I’ve seen no further evidence of overheating no matter how hard I’ve driven and I’ve encountered no other manufacturing failures.
My ///M has covered as many miles on the track as it has on the road over the last nine years. Despite this, I managed to get 40,000 miles out of a set a discs using a mix of Yellow and Blue stuff exclusively.
Rickster93
Member
Cheers for all the help and advice guys. Will let you know how I get on when everything’s all fitted and running. Soon find out if I stack it at the ring due to brake failure :rofl:
