WTB/Help Me Find Race Brake Pads
 

So I've decided to go to RFR this Saturday (haven't decided whether to do PDX or Club Trials yet though) and the Porterfield R4-S are less than ideal. How can I get some race pads on my car before Saturday? Anyone got anything lying around that'll work?

My MY03 WRX has the Tokico callipers that Subaru started using in the latter half of production in 2002. My car was manufactured in July of 2002.

Thanks for any suggestions. I assume I only really need fronts, but all 4 would be cool.

EBC Yellows are great for track use.

How about Hawk HP+? TR has 'em in stock but they're pricey there so I'm checking with Crucial too, as I know they stock 'em in CA.

+1 for Yellows.

Summit carries 'em front and rear, but they look out of stock for the WRX until 8/1/08:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Do you think if I did Hawk HP+ in the fronts only, I'd be okay?

I'm not sure about the Hawks specifically, but as long as the rears on the car have decent thickness left, you can surely get away with just a set of track pads up front.

See what tire rack has in stock.

You should be able to survive on just about anything but have to chill when they get soft.

HP+ are and OK crossover pad and should suffice for a day at least.

Yellows are the hands down bang for your buck winners though but realize you can't get them fast without paying through the nose.

Glad you are coming out...

Yah, I just don't know if HP+ are going to suffice. If not, it'd be a big waste as the R4-S's are already "crossover pads".

I have run both of those pads and they are fairly comparable.

Fluid is going to be critical for you given the small brake setup on the WRX. Also, please tell me you took your dust shields off... If not, do it.

Tire rack has a ton of Hawk pads in stock for me: http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/resul...&perfcat=track

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on these Blue 9012 Track Only Pads but they're $144 for the set. :(

I just did a full bleed with ATE Blue but I still have the dust shields. Do I need to remove front and rear shields?

The fronts are easy. 3 small bolts after pulling the rotors. Do them at minimum. They retain a bunch of heat. Some people take them off, drill a big hole in them and put a duct or scoop on them and put them back on.

Rears require brute force, a cold chisel, or just time bending back and forth until metal fatigue around the spot welds breaks them off. These are not as critical but are not that bad to do.

Okay, thanks.

What do you think Dean?

Edit: Nevermind, they don't have them in stock. :(

I think I'll just have to take it easy. I'll def. remove the shields though.

By the way, I think it was only the rear callipers that got changed. Scott, you don't have any old track pads from your stock callipers lying around do you? ...or anyone else that had a bugeye for that matter?

Man, If Cody's coming to the track,I'm setting up my lawn chair in turn 1 and bringing my video camera!

Yah you are. :lol:

I made the mistake using Axxis Ultimates on the stock WRX brakes at the track... well they worked fine the 1st time I went to the track, but then next time I was less scared and was hitting the esses at over 100mph instead of at 65, and goodbye stock brakes! That's right when I got the StopTechs. :lol:

Well shit, I guess I'll just have to take it easy so now I'm leaning more toward PDX instead of Club Trials. Hmmm...although with the shortened front straight for the CT's, maybe they'd be less strain on the brakes?

Yeah, it'll help a bit... you won't be using the front straight or the old "back" straight part of the horsepower course (the one into turn 12 where I went off) which are the two fastest parts by far. It may not be quite so hard on the brakes as in the past.

Damn, I'm thinking I can probably just get away with removing the dust shields and taking it somewhat easy (good idea anyway). However, if I order in the next 3 hours, I can get some EBC Yellows for the front shipped Next Day Air for $159.66 total. Decisions decisions...feel free to weigh in.

If you plan on hitting the track again anytime soon, just get the yellows. If you go w/ the stock pads, you're going to need to replace them much sooner after tracking anyway.

Well the R4-S's are much better than stock. They work pretty good at the track so I think I'm gonna hope that removing the dust shields and doing the CT with the shortened straights will compensate for my lack of a full track pad.

Yellows!

You're still probably going to use 50% of them up in a day at the track. The Yellows will last much longer on the track.

But they'll preserve the life of my stock rotors. ;)

Not if they overheat. Think of it this way, you're either going to have to buy new yellows eight now, or new street pads (and new rotors if you overheat the street pads) next week.

Thanks for the opinions everyone. Unless somebody magically finds something in their garage for me, I'll be taking my chances on the R4S's.

I'd take whatever you can get at TR Cody. At best you'll need new R4-S next week, at worst they won't hold up and you'll spend half your day at 7/10ths.

I was wrong when I said TR has a ton of Hawk pads in stock for me. The only pads they have in stock that would work are the Hawk HP Plus and Dean said those were roughly equal to the R4S's. Do you disagree with that?

Edit: BTW, I've run R4S's at RFR before and they didn't fade until several laps of me really pushing hard, toward the end of a 20 min. session. I'm hoping that by removing the dust shields and doing the CT with the shorter straights, I won't see anny fade at all. I understand that the pads may wear from their current 75% to 25% or maybe completely out, but that's a risk I'll just have to take. Again, I've used them before on the old track (before the technical part was available) and they worked. Please don't think I'm arguing with any of you, just clarifying.

Yeah, based on limited experience with the R4-S (all the autocrosses this year, before last weekend) it's about the same as the HPS. But either pad is likely to be toast after a track day or two. It would be worth it to have a fresh set for the track that may or may not get 2 or 3 days use and save the R4-$ for Solo.

I hear ya. I'm bringing my stock pads just in case the R4S don't make it through the day, even though I think they'll just be down to 25% or so by the end of the day hopefully.

Thanks for all the input. I really just wish I had decided to go a week earlier so I could have gotten some EBC Yellows here without paying for fast shipping. R4S's really aren't that pricey from Gruppe-S if you look at their NASIOC thread. I think I may order another set from them as front and rear with a qt of ATE Blue is only $229 SHIPPED.

Careful... HPS is not the same as HP+

HPS is a performance street pad, HP+ is a street/track crossover pad.

And I would suggest PDX over CT in terms of track time and flexibility. Isn't this only your 2nd or third track day? Get some more instruction and seat time in PDX...

Gruppe-S is evil. That is all.

I'd rather burn up a fresh set of HPs in a day and have my R4-S for Solo than burn up the remainder of my R4-S and have nothing for the Solo the following weekend.

But yeah, HP+>HPS for a WRX at RFR, no doubt. I forgot my HPS experience came mostly from my Miata, and even for it I had HP+ for the track.

Downgrading to less trackable pads is not on my agenda...but the pads I could pick up from TR are HP+, not HPs...and they're roughly the same price as new R4S which makes them equal in price and equal in performance as per Dean...so what's the point?

I actually found my previous set of front R4S today which I had replaced due to that free track day like 6 months ago when I thought they were almost dead...and they have like 35% life left...then there's the stock pads i have which have over 50%...so I think I'm good leaving the 75% R4S's on there for Saturday.

Dust shields are off. That was kinda fun. Going to sign up for PDX now.

Remember, for track use 75% pads are more like 50%, and 35% are more like 15%.

And I still advocate using different track and autocross pads, even if they are basically equivalent in performance.

Okay...I just want to make sure I understand. You think I should put new pads on because 75% may not last the whole track day?

You are fine... Check them after each run group and if needed, change them. There will be plenty of time. Bring spare fluid and tools to bleed if needed.

Will do. :)

They probably will if you don't abuse them, but I wouldn't count on using them again for another track day. Should give you some autocross use though. And yeah, the ability to change pads and fluid is a good thing to have at the track.

10-4 :)