NB pad life on the track?
 

Sorry this thread starts with a normally aspirated theme (and then mentions the turbo car I have coming). Buy I think the turbo forum is a better place to ask about pad wear ......

My present track car is a Tenth Anniversary with a standard 140hp engine. By pure chance she's only been on one track so far - a medium sized anti-clockwise one which is not particularly hard on brakes - 90mph top speed. The poor thing does a fabulous job of putting up with the punishment she gets - except in one area:

On the advice of the brake seller I've stayed with standard sized NB8A brakes but upgraded to C hook rotors, braided lines, race fluid and firstly PBS TrackPro pads and then RacePro pads. The latter pads were more expensive but the seller said they'd last much longer. Neither of the sets of pads showed any signs at all of overheating or fading but ....

The first set of pads lasted just 200 track miles before hitting the wear plates on the right hand side. I then added MeisterR CRD coilovers, poly bushes and engine mounts and 3" brake ducts aimed at the callipers. The second set of pads lasted 195 track miles (better pads and cooling but higher speeds because of the better suspension?).

I've had my driving checked by an instructor and he told me to brake slightly later, harder and shorter. I changed to that after the first set of pads. With the second set of pads I ran a one hour final session on a soaking wet rack that dried out, whereas I normally do 30 minutes.

Is about 200 miles what I should expect? Or are the C hook rotors maybe eroding the pads and I should go back to OEM plain rotors? Or is something else going on here?

PS I'll be swapping to another track car in a couple of months - a low power/high torque NB8B turbo, also with CRDs, and with Wilwood Dynalites with grooved rotors and Ferodo DS2500 pads. The brake ducts will be transferred to it. Any pointers on what I might expect in similar use?

Is that THE Barmy in your sig (Dave's old car)?

I'm not familiar with those pads, so I can't comment on them specifically. But a stock NB8A is not a beast, and should not require particularly exotic pads. I campaigned a modded dual duty NB8A for many years (115rwkw) on stock brakes, I used a trick Mintex pad out of the UK, which worked extra well but was costly and availability was hit and miss (had to always have a spare set when a new set went into the car). I switched to carbotech R10/8 F/R, very happy everywhere from PI to SMP South. With the racecar went up a grade, 12/10, ditto but that was not stock brakes obviously.

I presume you are bedding them in as per the manufacturer's instructions, warming them up on the out lap, etc? In which case I can only suggest you try another supplier/brand. Pads are consumables, and race pads VERY consumable, but 300km doesn't sound right - unless they don't like street use, and wear like crazy because they never get up to operating temperature and are more or less worn out by the time you hit the track. I wouldn't think the rotors have anything to do with it.

Diagnostics - use temperature paint/stickers to check you have the right pads, and they are not running too cool or too hot.

If one side is wearing faster than the other, you need to overhaul your calipers, including (especially!) the slider pins.