I may have a hook-up to get a full set of 4 Carbon Fibre brake pads for my R. Have any of you had any experience with these types of pads and do you have any advice for me?

 

dont they use those on F1 Cars???

 

CF pads are require a lot of heat to work properly - you wouldn't even get them up to temperature with moderate track driving let alone on the street. They may be suitable for an endurance type of race - but aftermarket performance pads will do the same thing.

 

You will NOT stop if only using them on the street.. they only work when *real* hot.

They will also not last too long.

 

http://www.cobaltfriction.com/

 

F1 cars use CNC brake technology, which is very similar to what is used on commercial jetliners. It incorporates a carbon-fiber matrix brake pad AND rotor. A carbon-fiber brake pad on a street car using OEM-spec iron rotors will not stop, period. The heat requirements of a CNC system preclude its use on the street, or even for weekend track use. CNC systems require at least 800F...you won't even see this kind of temperature on the street. Further, F1 brake systems are made to last one race...so, the CF-matrix rotors will be 1/2 their beginning thickness by the end of the race, and the pads will also be finished.

Perhaps you are thinking of carbon-metallic or carbon-kevlar based brake pads? If so, keep in mind that carbon-metallic or ferro-carbon are the same type of composition...and they are PFC and Hawk registered trade-names, respectively. Essentialy, all high-performance brake pads contain some carbon, metal (iron, bronze, brass, copper, etc.), and other filler agents...so you can consider most pads, even street pad (i.e. Axxis Ultimate, Hawk HPS, Hawk HP Plus, Porterfield R4S, etc.) to be "carbon-metallic" brake pads. Kevlar is used as a binding agent, as is also present in the Porterfield R4S and the Axxis Ultimate. As an aside, the last electron scan of a Porterfield R4S I heard of showed fiberglass being used, rather than Kevlar...so I'm not sure of the current composition of of R4S.

HTH... -Andie

 

Thanks a-lot, very informative. Do any of these "High Performance" pads give off little or no brake dust? That is why I'm looking into the CF pads.

 

No such thing - all high performance pads produce good amounts of dust and rotor filings. You'll just have to get used to cleaning your wheels more - or just saying to yourself - "who gives a ****".

Does your car have white rims??

 

Yes

But I also have a set of black rims

 

Ageed...and correct...all pads dust. Brake pads dust because they wear...and if it is not wearing, it is not stopping. Essentially.

Some pads dust lower than others...so if you want the lowest dusting pad, stick with OEM. Axxis Ultimates will dust 15% or so more than the Honda pad compouds, but will also stop much better and have far greater fade resistance. It is a compromise...for a higher level of braking performance, you have to live with more dust. If anyone tries to sell you a pad that "stops better, is more fade-free, and dusts LESS" than the OEM compound, you are having smoke blown up your you-know-where, period.

HTH... -Andie

 

Brake dust shows character. That's what I pretend at least.

 

or get black/gunmetal rims

 

I get it, thanks a bunch guys!!!