Z track pads

[jabber87]

I plan on taking my 03 touring Z to the race track in November to do some HPDE, but the issue is that I do not know what type of pads to select. Unfrotunately I am running the standard braking system still and the pad selection is extremely limited. The track I plan on going to is Texas World Speedway, and the pads i have to choose from are HP+ and Porterfield R4's.... the R4's being a complete race compound. Anyone used these on the track and have any input to give?

[crackler]

I am a bigfan of Carbotechs pads. The HP+ are supposed to be good pads. Onew of the local mustang guys I know from autoX runs HP+ on track. I have no idea about the porterfields. . .

[jabber87]

thanks for the reply and info. i have heard good things about carbotech as well, actually a guy that drives a 997 GT3 cup car recommended them to me. i'll probably check into them later.

[Bubba1]

thanks for the reply and info. i have heard good things about carbotech as well, actually a guy that drives a 997 GT3 cup car recommended them to me. i'll probably check into them later.

I had been using the stock pads n my 03 Touring at many HPDE's and they actually do very well, though they wear pretty quickly. You should be able to get thru an HPDE with them, especially if the pads are fairly new. I'm in the process of upgrading to a Stoptech BBK and will be trying out a set of Ferodo pads next month at VIR.

[Bubba1]

I had been using the stock pads n my 03 Touring at many HPDE's and they actually do very well, though they wear pretty quickly. You should be able to get thru an HPDE with them, especially if the pads are fairly new. I'm in the process of upgrading to a Stoptech BBK and will be trying out a set of Ferodo pads next month at VIR.

An update, my Stoptechs are now installed, I'm gonna bed them in tomorrow morning. Looking forward to see how they do...

[jabber87]

the stoptech package is a little ways out of my budget for the time being... but am definitely looking forward to your reflection on the BBK system by them.

[jabber87]

Sorry about digging up this old thread but I will report my findings thus far! I ran the HP+ at Texas World Speedway the weekend before thanksgiving. I found them to run ok, but did notice slight fade. I got some Porterfield R4's on the way. So I will see how they run next week.

If you are wondering what I am running, its a 2003 stock Touring 350Z with the the standard brakes.

[Bubba1]

Sorry about digging up this old thread but I will report my findings thus far! I ran the HP+ at Texas World Speedway the weekend before thanksgiving. I found them to run ok, but did notice slight fade. I got some Porterfield R4's on the way. So I will see how they run next week.

If you are wondering what I am running, its a 2003 stock Touring 350Z with the the standard brakes.

I think the feedback is great.

Two quick questions:1. Did you upgrade your brake fluid to DOT4? If not, you might want to consider it, DOT4 is better for track applications and still fine for the street..

2. How old is your brake fluid? If you do HPDE's best to have it fairly fresh, as moisture tends to accumulate after about year, making it more susceptible to boiling (resulting in brake fade).

Keep us posted with your progress.

[jabber87]

I think the feedback is great.

Two quick questions:1. Did you upgrade your brake fluid to DOT4? If not, you might want to consider it, DOT4 is better for track applications and still fine for the street..

2. How old is your brake fluid? If you do HPDE's best to have it fairly fresh, as moisture tends to accumulate after about year, making it more susceptible to boiling (resulting in brake fade).

Keep us posted with your progress.

The fluid I am using is Valvoline synthetic. It's got a pretty decent boiling point if I remember correctly.

The fluid itself has been flushed completely with in the last couple months, and then was bled after the event before this past one. Trust me I learned my lesson here, was going down into turn 8 when my brake peddle went pretty much straight to the floor. I probably should bleed them again this time, but the fluid was clear this last time.

More to come after Dec. 15th & 16th.

[jabber87]

Alright, its been a month and another event has passed! So, the track was rather cold this weekend (I know its December but hey, I live in TX and the weather is crazy). Started out rather damp, cold, and thus slow. The wind on Saturday was almost too much to bear. Made it through the entire day running on what was left of the HP+ pads I had left.

That night I swapped over to the R4's, talk about a different ball game. Instead of having to pace my braking, I had dependable stopping power every time I needed it, which led to me to actually have confidence in the brakes for a change. I really liked this as an alternative to the "street-autox-light track" HP+ type of pad. I ran the Valvoline syn power again this weekend. Probably won't go to something like super blue fluid till later in the year.

Anyways, weekend went well, no brake fade on Sunday at all. Great stopping power. Sunday ended with me thinking the street tires had a little more lateral grip than I thought they did and me spinning through the mud and stopping on a small piece of asphalt. No worries though, car is good

[crackler]

Sweet deal on the new brakes. I have never liked Hawks myself. Glad to hear you caught your lateral mistake before you hit an immovable object. I bet that was some scarry shat.

[jabber87]

Sweet deal on the new brakes. I have never liked Hawks myself. Glad to hear you caught your lateral mistake before you hit an immovable object. I bet that was some scarry shat.

haha... well not really catch, I did have my spin through the muddy grass. At Texas World there is a short course which cuts between turns 3 and 10. I spun off drivers left at the exit of 3, and skidded to a stopped on the short course. Seeing the armco (guardrail or impact barrier) and realizing that it was there, made me just want to do everything I could to avoid it, which honestly was pretty much nothing. So I was really happy when I stopped on pavement.