Cory M

I recently picked up an NB track project. The car will be prepped similar to Supermiata S2, normally aspirated ~140rwhp 2200-2300 lbs, track only use. It has the stock 2000 non-sport brakes on it now. I'll be adding 3" ducts and a bias adjustment valve. I'll be on R-comps (NT01, RC1, RR) in 205 and/or 225. I've run a lot of different pads on other racecars through the years (Pagid orange, PFC 97, Hawk blue, Porterfield, Raybestos, etc). I had a street legal NA for a short period of time and used Raybestos ST43 front and Porterfield R4 rears based on the recommendation of Porterfield Enterprises. It seemed like a decent combo but I really didn't spend enough time on it to form a strong opinion. In general the ST43 has been a good pad for me and I've used them on 3 or 4 different platforms. The amount of bite, modulation, reasonable cost, and low wear has been good.

Looking at the Miata world, especially Supermiata, it appears that the gLoc and Carbotech pads are the most popular. Has anyone run both the gLoc and Raybestos pads? How do the gLoc compare? Seems like the gLoc combinations are all over the board too: R18/10, R12/10, R10/R8, etc. Is there any consensus? Obviously I'll be testing things out myself but I'm looking for impressions now. Looking at my data (in other cars), I have no issues braking late but have a tendency to overslow the car at times, so I'm not sure I need the highest friction coefficient to maximize performance. Maybe I'm better off with a little less bite and better modulation? Should I stick with what I know or give gLoc a shot?

Midtenn

iTrader: (15)

None of the above, PFC 97 or PFC 11's is my preference. Not super aggressive bite and the easiest to modulate pads I've used. I prefer less initial bite so I'm not locking up tires all the damn time. Also, try different pads and see what works best for your driving style

andym

I have a combo of PFC 01 and 11's (for all tangible purposes they are the same) and I am happy with them. Nice bite, no squealing sounds, streetcar friendly... they just dust quite a bit.

k24madness

iTrader: (6)

gLoc guys are former carbotech people. I have not used em but would hold em in high regard based on carbotech experiences. I suspect they maybe one of your best options for a pad that bites well and modulates well.

Love the Cobalt pads myself! Great bite and wear properties. Probably takes a back seat to gLoc/Carbotech for modulation (think everything does) but they work the best for my application.

PFC is another top contender.

Between these three you’ll find the best results. If mixed driving gLoc pads are the best option IMHO.

Cory M

Thanks for the info. I've run PFC 97 before and they are good, the ST43 seemed to have a stronger initial bite, but both were easy to modulate and not too hard on rotors. I've heard the 01/11 is a newer and better compound. Haven't tried Cobalt yet. I found some good comparisons online and people seem to love the gLoc performance but the pad life is very limited (on heavier cars anyway).

jpreston

iTrader: (4)

For your power and weight, I would do Raybestos ST42 (front and rear) instead of ST43. The feel and modulation is almost equal to carbotech but the ST42 has much much longer life. Most of the racers on this forum have found the ST43 to be too aggressive for a low power miata.

Cory M

Well I ended up going for the gLoc pads, R12/10. I needed stainless lines anyway and the whole enchilada (pads, lines, rotors, and fluid) was only like $50 more than the pads and lines separately so I purchased the complete kit from Supermiata. It may be a little while before I can use them in anger but I'll try to report my impressions on this thread. Thanks for the comments and adding a few new pad options to my list to try out.

Gee Emm

Good choice. I run that combo on 140rwkw track/street. Lots of dust on the fronts, it is hard to clean but doesn't damage the wheel finish, so I generally sport a 'black front wheels, silver rear wheels' look ...

the.cheat

iTrader: (1)

I have raced the following on basic naturally (110-125 whp) HPDE & endurance race cars, here's my opinions so far. No opinions on dust as I more or less never clean anything on my own cars & some of these opinions are based on other peoples' endurance race cars.

Normal 1.8 brakes

• Hawk DTC-60 front/DTC-30 rear: only on 300tw+ tires. Too much bite for the tires, but drivable I'd just prefer more line pressure. Unsure of brake balance, this was my first ever set of pads I used on track. Looking back, probably too much front bias for me now. They lasted me several track days and over a year of daily driving. They are fairly rough on rotors.
• PFC-11 front/ PFC-97 rear: on r-comp tires. Fine modulation/line pressure/pad/rotor wear, a bit too much front bias for me even with Wilwood prop valve at full rear. I have also had multiple pads seperate from their backing at over half life remaining prompting me to buy new ones, I found that annoying. Too much heat? No cooling ducts, but a fairly basic car...
• ST43 front/rear (may have been 43/40, not my car- no aero and 200tw tires): similar feelings to the PFCs above regarding balance issues and modulation, but comfortable balance for an endurance car shared with drivers at a variety of skill levels. I drove this brake setup on back to back on a different but similar car to the PFC's above (PFC was my personal track car at a pre-race test day, ST43 was one of my enduro teams' cars in VIR 24hr the following day). Did not inspect pads/rotors after ~27 hours of total use but I presume they would hold up a bit better than the 1.6 Raybestos mentioned below.

1.6 Brakes: (not my car, 200tw and no aero)

• G-Loc R10 front/R-8 rear IIRC:- our test session we wanted to use to bed brakes was spoiled by heavy rain, we had to run a whole 24 hr on poorly bedded pads. I drove 20 hours into the race and it was horrible, the car shook like crazy every time you were in a braking zone. No reference to a properly bedded set of brakes but I have been favoring other brands due to their less stringent bedding procedures and adequate performance for my usage.
• ST43 front/rear (may have been 43/40, not my car): Similar opinions to the ST43 description above on 1.8 brakes. Pads lasted ~43hrs of endurance racing, 7 hours in rainy to drying conditions. Inspected after & the pads were close to the backing plates and rotors were starting to develop small cracks- time for new brakes but a very respectable life

Sport front/1.8 Rear Brakes: (not my car, 200tw with moderate aero)

• Porterfield R4-E front/Stoptech something-or-other rear- without prop valve: Way too much front bias, I did not enjoy trying to brake on this setup. Lots of minor lockups from myself and three other drivers who drove this setup.
• Porterfield R4-E front/Stoptech something-or-other rear: with Wilwood prop valve at full rear: Good setup overall, comfortable in heavy braking zones and significant improvement over same without prop valve. I'd go for a bit more rear on my own car, but fine for a shared endurance car with variety of drivers. Unsure of pad longevity, we ran out of front brake 5 hours into a strongly driven 9 hour endurance race but the pads had many hours on them before the race, they seemed to have decent material prior to race though (based on how long other pads I've run have lasted). I am a little skeptical going forward but car owner thinks they will last a full race weekend and are inexpensive compared to other options, we will see what we do going forward.
• Stoptech something-or-other front and rear: Swapped to these front pads after running out of the R4-Es above. Moved bias back 4 turns (almost neutral, slight rear bias vs stock) and enjoyed balance overall. Was making mild to moderate attempts to save brakes as we were trying to make the rest of the weekend on the set (~12 hours). Kept line pressures lower & braking zones longer but enjoyed overall feel a bit more than the Porterfield/Stoptech setup mentioned above.

Weird Experiences: W2W ice racing on street legal studded tires with standard 1.8 brakes and no ABS- unique because very low maximum grip & minimal weight transfer due to low longitudinal g-force. I would guess .15 to .3g depending on how good the ice ice from weather conditions and how early in the race it is (WRC studded rally tires alternate heats with street legal tires, they make the track abrasive for good grip early in our races but pace falls off as street tires polish off the surface at an average of 8 seconds in 3 laps on courses about a mile long)

• PFC-11 front/ PFC-97 rear: Functional but probably front biased with Wilwood **** at full rear and pretty light line pressures. Can be hard to modulate (duh) but functional in low temp/low grip conditions.
• This season?: Thinking about going to a very low Mu street pad in the front for improved modulation and experimenting with rear pads that will allow good balance with the range the prop valve allows at low temperatures/with the low longitudinal g's involved with racing on street tires on ice. Hopefully low Mu street pad outweighs race pads at low temp, I have no idea how warm my pads were getting last season. I have two or three months to figure my plan of attack out.

DeerHunter

G-LOC track pads are available pre-bedded. This is an fairly inexpensive option which makes them work well right out of the box (well, if you've already put down a G-LOC-friendly transfer layer on your rotors). When I took delivery of my 30AE ND2, I immediately replaced the OEM pads with G-LOC GS-1 street pads and drove that way until break-in was complete. Pre-bedded R10 front pads were installed in preparation for the drive to Laguna Seca and they worked like gang-busters on the first stop. Great modulation but able to invoke ABS with no problems at all. The R10s are street-friendly in that they work well when dead cold but they are noisier than is ideal for non-track use.

the.cheat

iTrader: (1)

I'm aware of the pre-beds but that still means you need to get the transfer layer right every time you put a set of rotors on.. Actually had a chat with Sonny (949) about how he musical chairs pads and rotors around while hanging in the pits the enduro we co-drove this weekend. Unless the G locs really are a notch above the rest in longevity/modulation, their finicky bedding procedures has me sticking with Raybestos, PFC, etc.

mx5-kiwi

I have used Carbotech/g-lock since starting with my MX5 6-7 years ago.

I would hardly say the bedding in process is finicky.

A quick trip around the block getting them nice and hot a day or so before a race meeting is all i have ever done when I made an effort.

Soemtimes I have used them straight up in a practice qualifying and had no major difference.

Though this is with G-Lock dedicated rotors.

I like them so much I import them from Supermiata to New Zealand. No damage to wheels, easy to clean (if they dont get wet and dry for too long).

Perform exactly as described with the heat and friction capabilities. Mix and match front to rear for good balance. (I have no bias adjustment, never felt I needed one with these).

In fact I dont get all the brake pad talk that goes on consatantly when im out racing, Hawk this, Padgett that.

They just work so I have nothing to discuss......Pretty hard to beat.

z31maniac

I never had a problem with them either on 2 or 3 different brake setups on my old car.

Start doing 70-5 stops until they stink and the pedal gets soft, let them cool completely.

Done.

the.cheat

iTrader: (1)

Yikes, all I said was that I raced on a poorly bedded set and it was an awful experience- not trashing them overall. Can anyone compare them to the PFC/Raybestos I like? Maybe I will try them again- if they offer any significant advantages.

240zed

Haven't been able to compare them to either of those, but with my properly bedded in pads they are awesome and I haven't had any issue with them. I definitely will be sticking with them in the future.