Powerstop track pads. Anyone use these?

[M-Pilot]

Do you guys know how rotor-friendly these are? Especially compared to RS29?

[mischiefbenz]

Originally Posted by w00tw00t

True test of pads will be on track, not testing them on the street...it'll be interesting to get feedback after a few 20 minute hard sessions with the pads smoking..

also curious, why try this when there are so many excellent reputable pads out there - Pagid, PFC, Ferodo, etc.

If you read my posts above, I ran these pads at COTA. They worked out great and are a third of the pads you've listed.

[MonacoMurphy]

Originally Posted by ctgeorge

Because they cost hundreds more than PowerStops? These are $80 a pair, Pagid RS29 are what? 300-? The hundreds saved can go to another track event. I'm sure there not as good as Pagid etc, but not by much.

Just bought a set, will be trying these at the Glenn, Lime Rock and other tracks this season. Hopefully they work well as most reviews state on various car forums.

How did these go at the Glen?

[Kung Fu English]

Originally Posted by mischiefbenz

Installed the Power Stop Track Day pads today. Install was relatively straightforward. Only small hiccup is that the shims that come installed on the front pads were not installed flush to the short edge of the pads. As a result, they wouldn't fit into the caliper. I had to hammer the shim flush to the pad edge and they slid in with no issues.

Took them for a short test drive around the block and they have tons of initial bite. They feel great; so far so good. Will drive them around town for a couple of days and will bed them in per Power Stops recommendation tomorrow or Thurs. night in preparation for this weekends event at COTA.

I had the same issue. Almost felt too loose after but seems ok after install. One of my front harmonic dampener weights broke off and Powerstop is being a bro and sending me a new set for free so props to them.

I noticed the rears did not come with shims/backing plate like the OEM pads have. As such they are a bit loose in the caliper and clank around going forward to reverse and back. Did anyone else run into this issue? Can you buy the backing plate and put it on separate?

[Kung Fu English]

Also can't find an answer to this: Anyone know if these are the same compound as OEM and can be swapped back and forth like the Pagids?

[ctgeorge]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu English

I had the same issue. Almost felt too loose after but seems ok after install. One of my front harmonic dampener weights broke off and Powerstop is being a bro and sending me a new set for free so props to them.

I noticed the rears did not come with shims/backing plate like the OEM pads have. As such they are a bit loose in the caliper and clank around going forward to reverse and back. Did anyone else run into this issue? Can you buy the backing plate and put it on separate?

Same issue as I've experienced with two sets of these on the front. One pad is slightly too wide requiring me to tap the edge of the shim slightly with a hammer/mallet then slides right in.

As for the rears, yes they are loose and clank around. Pagids do the same. Not sure how these manufactors are unable to produce a pad with the same dimension as the OEM ones?

[Woodengun]

1. I am incredibly inexperienced at track. I have 3 track days to my name and 7-8 autocross days. I managed to spin the car on turn 4 and luckily stayed away from any walls.

2. Same track but different days. Car was setup the same - tires, etc. MRLS.

3. Memorial Day was RS29 and 7/11 was Powerstop Track Day pads.

The PS pads held up fine. I cooked the front brakes enough to start turning the calipers darker/greener with PS pads on.

Putting pads in was similar to what others have noted - fronts need some assistance to get into calipers. The PS pads have large bevels on leading and trailing edges whereas the RS29 pads have no bevels. I did note that they put replacement springs for rear calipers with front pads and vice versa. But I'm still using the original springs.

At the track, I thought the PS pads needed more pedal pressure to get the same deceleration. Perhaps it is the bevels and/or compound. Or I could just be full of crap too. I could lock up my brakes heading into Andretti hairpin even after doing 5-6 laps at speed. For reference - my fast lap is 1:47 so nowhere near the limit but I'm not Sunday driving either.

There is the clunking with both PS and RS29 pads but the clunks are louder with RS29. The PS pads do not squeal during daily driving! They had just a very faint bit of squeal when new and only while doing slow stops from ~5mph to stop. They don't squeal at all now. I put PS pads in 7/8 and still have them in now. ~600 miles of daily driving and the track day.

[Kung Fu English]

Dang good to hear. I'm sure they will be fine. I got good bite at my autox with them yesterday. Track day this weekend.

I will say that mine squeal like a mofo at slow speed stops. Not in general braking from like 40, but that last 5 to stop is SQUEAAAAAAAAAAAAAK every time.

I only put a thin layer of grease on the back of pads though since they didn't come with much. I will probably pull them out and put a thicker pile on and see. It seems the squealing is mostly coming from the fronts.

I was reading that CNC brake quiet might work on the rears to prevent the clunking too.

[Kung Fu English]

Originally Posted by devildog0331

I was looking at ordering the PS track day pads for an upcoming HPDE i have, but i only see a part number for the front. Do they make rear pads as well, or are you all just doing front pads? This will be my first time out in the M3, i had a 2010 335i before, never changed pads on that, but by the end of my sessions, brakes were definitely getting soft.

The only place I found with rears is CarID. I got them and they fit fine. There's a link on the first page of this thread I think.

[ctgeorge]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu English

I will say that mine squeal like a mofo at slow speed stops. Not in general braking from like 40, but that last 5 to stop is SQUEAAAAAAAAAAAAAK every time.

They require frequent re-bedding. You need to get a even layer of pad material applied on the rotors and the squeal will go away. I've been daily driving with these pads over the summer. Once bedded they don't make a peep, but after a few weeks of city driving that layer of material wears off and the squealing comes back.
When I say re-bedding that means hitting the back roads and doing at least six 80-20mph stops then drive around 40 mph for 20 minutes without stopping to cool then off.

[Kung Fu English]

Originally Posted by ctgeorge

They require frequent re-bedding. You need to get a even layer of pad material applied on the rotors and the squeal will go away. I've been daily driving with these pads over the summer. Once bedded they don't make a peep, but after a few weeks of city driving that layer of material wears off and the squealing comes back.
When I say re-bedding that means hitting the back roads and doing at least six 80-20mph stops then drive around 40 mph for 20 minutes without stopping to cool then off.

yea I did that day 1 and it didn't squeak until a few days later. Going tracking this weekend should bed them in good again.

[kitesurfer]

anyone updates on these pads at the track? it would be helpful to include your level of experience and run group beginner > Int > adv

[kitesurfer]

Some interesting info pertaining to the development of these pads from the interwebs:

Power Stop LLC has announced a new track-tested platform for track day brakes. According to the company, this announcement comes after extensive research and testing in partnership with the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving. Power Stop utilized its own 2008 Z06 Corvette as well as the fleet of 2015 Stingrays and Camaros at the Bondurant School during development.

Power Stop’s Track Day program developed a high-performance brake kit solution that is platform-specific. The new friction compound features fade resistance at high temperatures, and low thermal conductivity with consistent pedal feel and modulation. Combined with a matched set of high carbon rotors for longer life and better braking stability, this platform-driv
en brake kit is the ideal pad and rotor combination for the track day enthusiasts who take their vehicles to the track on the weekend and require better braking performance, according to Power Stop.

“The track-day market is flooded with countless brake pad options, and subsequently countless brake pad combinations for each vehicle (platform). Power Stop has taken the guesswork out of choosing the right friction for your specific platform to optimize a day at the track,” said Arvin Scott, CEO of Power Stop LLC.

John Niemiera, product manager at Power Stop, added, “After logging countless hours behind the wheel on the track in the Z06 with numerous different brake pad and rotor combinations, I am confident that we have found the ideal track day combination for these high horsepower, rear wheel drive muscle car applications. We will continue to test new platforms to find out the ideal combination for just about every track day vehicle out there.”

The initial Track Day platform-specific brake-kits will be available for the Corvette, Camaro, Challenger and Mustang platforms in September. Additional platforms will include many of the most popular track day vehicles, such as BMW, Mitsubishi, Mazda, Subaru and Toyota.

[Woodengun]

4000 miles of daily driving and 5 mile Thunderhill a week ago.

No problems on track and no issues with daily driving. I don't have squealing.

Edit to add:

If you are going from stock pads or RS29, the PS pads are slightly different shape. The PS pads are little bit longer in radial dimension. When I first installed the PS pads, I noticed that the PS pads only contacted my rotors on the very inner and outer points of the rotor. I had no problems with daily driving like this - I could lock up brakes at will. For tracking, I waited until the pads made full contact with rotor before taking the setup on track.

If your rotors have little appreciable wear then this isn't an issue.

[kitesurfer]

Originally Posted by Woodengun

4000 miles of daily driving and 5 mile Thunderhill a week ago.

No problems on track and no issues with daily driving. I don't have squealing.

Edit to add:

If you are going from stock pads or RS29, the PS pads are slightly different shape. The PS pads are little bit longer in radial dimension. When I first installed the PS pads, I noticed that the PS pads only contacted my rotors on the very inner and outer points of the rotor. I had no problems with daily driving like this - I could lock up brakes at will. For tracking, I waited until the pads made full contact with rotor before taking the setup on track.

If your rotors have little appreciable wear then this isn't an issue.

If you don't mind sharing , what type of tires? mdm or dsc off? , years of track exp/what group level are you driving in?

[Woodengun]

I posted that info earlier in thread. This time around was my 4th track day. I had nearly new RE-71 tires.

[Insane435]

I recently installed the PS Track day pads. I have the Yellow M Perf Calipers (435ix).


Here are my notes:
1) Not enough grease comes with the pads.

2) LOUD SQUEAKING ON INITIAL INSTALL: I tried the spray on brake quiet with no luck. I re-greased the pads 2 times and did break in twice. It was only after my track day that the freight train squeak went away. However, they still squeak, but its more of a normal high performance pad noise.

3) The rear pads clank when going from park to reverse or drive, etc. And also they clank over bumps. If you engage the brake and roll over bumps, no noise, if you drive normal, CLANK! I need to figure out how to fix this somehow.

4) They performed well on the track IMO. Better stopping power than stock m perf pads. Haven't really tested them yet because the track day i did with them was very wet and I wasn't going full bore.

5) TONS OF DUST when you brake hard. If you daily drive it normally, it's no worse than stock pads.

[rubber_ducky]

Anymore feedback on these pads for track/HPDE use? My RS29s are getting thin and when I went to place an order for a fresh set, I noticed that they appear to be backordered everywhere. I ordered a set of power stops instead and am curious what to expect in terms of general performance as well as vs the pagids

[Kung Fu English]

Originally Posted by rubber_ducky

Anymore feedback on these pads for track/HPDE use? My RS29s are getting thin and when I went to place an order for a fresh set, I noticed that they appear to be backordered everywhere. I ordered a set of power stops instead and am curious what to expect in terms of general performance as well as vs the pagids

I've never run Pagids but the power stops seem adequate. They certainly last long. I have experienced some fade after about 30 minutes of my 2nd or 3rd session. Don't usually fade in the first session. And I've done 4 full track days, about 2 hours of track time each day, and they still have 3/4 pad thickness at least.

[Kung Fu English]

Originally Posted by Kung Fu English

I've never run Pagids but the power stops seem adequate. They certainly last long. I have experienced some fade after about 30 minutes of my 2nd or 3rd session. Don't usually fade in the first session. And I've done 4 full track days, about 2 hours of track time each day, and they still have 3/4 pad thickness at least.

I spoke a bit too soon it seems.

On my 5th track day my pads exploded basically. Cracked and fell apart after 2nd session. Glad they stayed together to get in pits. I had a spare set of front powerstops I swapped to. You can see in the 1st pic the thickness of the old pads compared to new. They are certainly worn, but still about 25% thick and I'm disappointed they fell apart.

Total wear time: 5 track days, 7 autocrosses, 1 summer of daily driving (5 months total).

Not sure how this compares to Pagids and other options but I'm not entirely thrilled.

[Woodengun]

Looking at the picture showing pad thickness, there is 100% blame on you. Pad material was much too thin for tracking. I wouldn't run pads that thin for daily driving never mind track day.

Tracking = much more preventative maintenance necessary.

[Kung Fu English]

Originally Posted by Woodengun

Looking at the picture showing pad thickness, there is 100% blame on you. Pad material was much too thin for tracking. I wouldn't run pads that thin for daily driving never mind track day.

Tracking = much more preventative maintenance necessary.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but there was more pad at the start of the day obviously. And the pad is still thicker than the backing plate even now when they are dead, which I had read was a reasonable estimate to use to mark the end of life.

Is there a better way to determine when to switch pads?