What track pads from FCP Euro?

[seanm500]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

I’d be careful with the DS2500 and check how much brake pad material is left after each session. Also, please install a high-temp (wet boiling temp) brake fluid to minimize the chance of boiling the brake fluid on track. Back to the DS2500…You can go through a set of DS2500 in one weekend!

Will this be your first trip to the track? Just an FYI, beginners are usually more demanding and abusive to the braking system than an advanced driver. Advanced drivers are ON (threshold braking) and then OFF (not exactly like a light switch), quickly ramping up to ~100% of the braking performance and using that performance for a much shorter duration. However, for a beginner, they’ll start braking much earlier and engaging the brake pedal much more gradually, resulting in a shallow ramp that reaches only ~70-80% of braking performance. This means the pads will have to stay in contact with the rotors for a much longer duration to absorb the kinetic energy, which allows more heat to be generated and transferred to the braking system. So…please install fresh high-temp normal viscosity brake fluid (Motul, Castrol, AP Racing, Red Line, etc.) and check your DS2500, or any other brand, pad thickness after each session.

Yeah, got it, fair warning on checking the pads after each session! I understand they aren't a full track/race pad, so I will be careful during these first few events. It seems like the DS2500 and RSL29 are my only real options in light of my desire to keep costs low using the warranty policies of FCP & Turner, so DS2500 seems the way to go for now since this thing has to get me to work lol. I've seen a couple posts saying the noise isn't unbearable on the RSL29s, but it also sounds like that is atypical. I do already have RBF 660 fluid in the car, and will flush it again soon.

This year will be my first HPDE/track days. I have done a couple AutoX, and I regularly sim race (iRacing), but HDPE/track days will be very new to me. Hopefully some of the sim muscle memory translates, and I can ramp up to some half-decent braking technique/performance without burning up the pads too quickly. We'll see!

Really appreciate all your advice. It is pretty intimidating to get started, so it's incredibly helpful, thank you.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by seanm500

Yeah, got it, fair warning on checking the pads after each session! I understand they aren't a full track/race pad, so I will be careful during these first few events. It seems like the DS2500 and RSL29 are my only real options in light of my desire to keep costs low using the warranty policies of FCP & Turner, so DS2500 seems the way to go for now since this thing has to get me to work lol. I've seen a couple posts saying the noise isn't unbearable on the RSL29s, but it also sounds like that is atypical. I do already have RBF 660 fluid in the car, and will flush it again soon.

This year will be my first HPDE/track days. I have done a couple AutoX, and I regularly sim race (iRacing), but HDPE/track days will be very new to me. Hopefully some of the sim muscle memory translates, and I can ramp up to some half-decent braking technique/performance without burning up the pads too quickly. We'll see!

Really appreciate all your advice. It is pretty intimidating to get started, so it's incredibly helpful, thank you.

Sounds like you’re almost ready. You’ll be hooked after your first day!! I still remember my first day back in the late ‘80s. We’ve picked an expensive hobby and the more you do it, the more expensive it gets! Have fun and stay hydrated (this is extremely important on hot days).

[Monkey Throttle]

So I ran the Hawk DCT70's all weekend at Chuckwalla and they were pretty flawless. No pedal fade or noticeable loss of performance after heavy laps. It wasn't hot out but I was pretty impressed. I understand they might chew through rotors fast but I have a solution for that.. Lol. FCP EURO rotors.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Monkey Throttle

So I ran the Hawk DCT70's all weekend at Chuckwalla and they were pretty flawless. No pedal fade or noticeable loss of performance after heavy laps. It wasn't hot out but I was pretty impressed. I understand they might chew through rotors fast but I have a solution for that.. Lol. FCP EURO rotors.

Glad to hear the DTC70s worked for you. You’ve touched on one of the major issues with this race pad compound - high rotor wear rate. It’s a wise choice to use rotors from FCPeuro because you’ll be needing to use their warranty frequently!

Ambient temperature doesn’t really affect the pads because their operating temperature range is 400-1500 F or higher. A race pad on a track day at 30 F vs. one at 100 F (my coldest track day was 10 F and my hottest was 102 F) will make the first lap a bit more exciting but if you moderately apply the brakes early for the first few corners and then build more heat with increasing pedal pressure will build sufficient brake temp after the first lap. However, watch out for the tires because they still need to build a lot more temperature and pressure before they reach their operating temperature range! The 10 F day, the tires were barely warm to the touch after a 30 min track session.

[Vmohan5072]

After reading this thread, I'm gonna go with DTC-70 in the fronts and DTC-60 in the rear, gonna be on new PS4S tires but expect to upgrade in tires and skills(moreso balls but we'll call it skill) down the year.
Trying it out at NJMP Lightning next wednesday