Fulton 1

iTrader: (9)

Planning on installing Lou's G-Stop front setup soon and looking for some input on some top notch street pads. At this point I'm looking at Carbotech Panther or Panther Plus and Hawk HPS or HP Plus, but am open to others if they're working better. I'll be looking to replace both front and rear. Dusting, noise, and rotor life are of little concern.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

If dusting, noise and rotor life are not much concern, you will be impressed with the Carbotech Panther Plus pads. I used them for street/autocross duty and found that they are outstanding pads (I've used Panther, and Panther XP as well). I got 18,000 miles of street/autocross use and had to replace them. At that time, my front rotors were 26mm thick (minimum "turn to" spec is 31mm). The brembo OEM rotors never warped and everything worked great. But, be advised to keep an eye on rotor wear with those pads. Other than that, you'll be amazed at the difference.

I'm currently running Hawk HP+ pads. They are not bad, they seem to be a little easier on rotors, but they don't have nearly as much "bite" and don't handle heat as well as the Carbotechs (no comparison). I tried the Hawks as an experiment (now I know).

Hope this helps!

Fulton 1

iTrader: (9)

Thanks trackbird - very good info (as usual ). I was eyeing the Panther Plus pads, but wasn't sure whether they worked well enough cold for street use. Sounds like they do, so I'll give 'em a shot.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

I drove Panther plus pads all winter last year on street tires (0 degrees and all) and they worked as well as stock when "ice cold" and much better after a stop or two. I know they are not recommended for that type of use, but they worked just fine for me (no tendency to grab on ice or anything, no worse than stock). I think you'll be more than impressed with them. I'm not sure the brake upgrade is required with those pads. They work great on stock rotors and a set of ducts may be all they need for track use (may be able to save some $$$).

Good luck!

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Oh, and I've got an almost new set of Panther XP's in my garage. I installed them to replace the Plus pads and can't decide if I like them better or not.

In all fairness, I had Panther Plus on all 4 corners. The rear brakes wore out and I stuck the stock pads on for a while (which killed my brake performance, it is amazing what the rear brakes actually do on these cars). I then killed the front pads and put the XP's on. I saw no increase in performance and it was just as "bad" as it was with the Plus on the front and the stock rear pads. I suspect this was a function of the stock rear pads and not a reflection of the performance of the XP pads. So, I can't say they work any better, but I don't think they are any worse. Until I get a "fair test", I can't say. But, it is hard to go wrong with the Panther Plus pads.

Repeated (3 in a row) stops from 135 mph to 0 showed no fade with the panther plus pads (0-135-0-135-0-135-0). That cycle does give them about 15 seconds to cool, but 135-0 is a huge amount of heat.

Guardsman

I have the Porterfield R4S, they're a pretty penny ($260 for a set), but they work like a champ. I like them a lot, they're consistent, and don't fade.

muggzi

I have a company specializing in Rotors & Brake Pads if you are interested.
The brake pads are Hawks
Rotors are US castings, CNC machined in Canada
www.muggziperformance.com

muggzi

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Two things.

First, I suspect they'll pull your post since I suspect that you are not a sponsor (but what do I know).

Second. A rotor upgrade will only be a benefit if the rotors are either heavier (more mass to absorb heat) or have vast improvements in the cooling fin technology. If it is a stock sized, straight vane rotor, the gains will be equal to a stock rotor (but it may not warp as easily). We've already done this discussion about Eradispeed rotors on more than one occasion.

Have fun!

camarosandra

Who sells panther pads?

Fulton 1

iTrader: (9)

I know Fast Toys sells them. Not sure who else...

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I use R4Ss in my Porsche brake kit. They are a great street pad.
However, I did see some serious fade at Texas Motorspeedway road course using them.

I use Pagid Blacks for track use

roy

Hi Guardsman
I wouldn't put those R4S pads on road course , they are okay for the street or autox but they just vaporize on a road courses.