I've noticed when I was autoxing that for my first and 2nd runs, the brakes felt nice and strong. After that, since they didn't get a chance to cool down, they felt really mushy and i turnd in pretty crappy times compared to my first and 2nd runs. now, I did a search and came up with a list of pads that seem to be popular

Hawk HP
Endless CCX
Porterfield R4S

now my main concern is having a brake pad that has a better heat tolerance than the stock pads, but is also streetable.

I think the Hawk HPs are the most streetable, but aren't all that much better than stock pads ?

the Endless pads are great from what I hear, but require some "warm up" time...streetable?

I don't know anything about the Porterfields...

also, does anyone know how much the pads eat the rotors? I'm not too concerned about brake dust, but if they're going to chew up my rotors, as i hear the EBC Greenstuff pads do, then I guess i'll stick with stock....

 

The Porterfield R4s are really good pad for Autox. thats what I've been using for 3 years now. However, they are a bit pricey. Heard some good thing about HP+...not sure about HP though...

 

I too agree on the porterfields... best upgrade I did (plus the motul brake fluid) for road-course racing too. My only complaint is the amount of brake dust - but hey, who cares right? ...just keep your car clean!

 

Ether you have additional brake problem or you are using your brakes way too much, possibly dragging your left on the brakes if you have a problem after a few solo runs. A few solo runs should never heat up even stock brake pads to the point of reduced performance! Solo II is not that demanding on brake pads, look elsewhere for your problem.

 

could it be brake fluid? I don't really know what else it could be...

 

I use the Porterfields R-4S and love them. Initial grab is great.

What you may have experienced might have been tire problems. As the day progressed, your tire pressures may have increased therefore changing the handling characteristics. Did you notice that your car understeered more? or was the problem only under braking? Brake fade will only be seen on a road course or an extreme autocross. I noticed you live in NY and none of the courses in the NYC area (WSCC@Palisades, NYR@Coliseum or Orange Cty, NJR@Englishtown) would produce brake fade.


[Modified by davidnyc, 11:39 PM 10/6/2001]

 

I only noticed the difference under braking conditions. I might have been hallucinating. But, I'm pretty sure of it....

for example, there was a section where i would downshift into 1st @ around 6,800 rpms, and i'd be able to keep the pedal mashed until i almost topped out 2nd and then i'd enter a slalom so i hit the brakes.....my first couple runs, they felt fine, nice and strong, with no ABS...then a couple runs later, the brakes just felt really mushy, and the abs would kick in. Maybe it was just the adrenaline made me mash the pedal harder than usual and I thought it could be fade, but....not likely...?

the courses i ran at were at http://www.wny-scca.org (im at school now)

the parking lot is a long rectangular shape.. here's a coursemap for one of them

 

you probably just boiled the fluid, but the pads should still be in fair condition. Maybe time for a fluid flush

 

At next autocross do this test. Keep your pressures constant and see if you get brake fade. But remember, you may feel a degradation in performance because of too much heat in the tires, so this test is not full proof. I still recommend upgrading to the Porterfields.

 

Get Spoon brakes their bootylicious! just watch for people behind you.

http://hometown.aol.com/n1civic/myhomepage/index.html

 

HP+ work well but first get rid of the little shims on them.

 

'


i will try that..or i'll just try it in an empty parking lot tommorow.....do you use the R4s's on the street as well or do you swap them in before an event?

 

I keep the pads in on the street. Even though it only takes about 15minutes to change pads, I figure the added safety on the street is a bonus. My rotors do not look worn, just more brake dust than usual. Not crazy amounts of dust, just more.