Carbotech brake pad advice

[speedjunkie]

What kind of noise do they make? Is it a squealing or like a chatter or something? All the time or during braking or what? Is it just from the friction between the pad and the rotor?

Originally Posted by Smokey

For the noise use this grease: http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-24125...c+brake+grease

It's usually available at NAPA and you'll know it's the right stuff cause it's purple if you look inside the bottle. It's never failed me no matter how hot things got.

Thanks! I'm assuming you're talking about putting this on the back of the pads themselves, correct?

Originally Posted by mazpower

Another Carbotech user here...I run XP10/XP8s on my FD and my NSX and XP10s on the Wilwood BBK on my Miata. I drive all of these cars on the street and they work awesome, only issue is noise, its worse with the Miata but very light on the FD and NSX. Dust is an issue on all three cars...just gotta stay on top of keeping the wheels clean. Small price to pay for insane braking.

Yeah I've seen you post about them. So the XP10/XP8 combo has enough cold bite for the street? That's one thing I'm worried about. I'm planning on ducting the front brakes when I install all this so I'm wondering if I can use the AX6s and be OK. I'll keep the wheels clean, no worries there. My main issues are noise and cold bite.


It doesn't seem like anyone really knows about Winmax yet. Oh well.
Thanks guys!

[mazpower]

Originally Posted by GySgtFrank

and this is coming from a man that needs all the braking he can get.

Brakes are for pussies. Nevar lift breh!

Originally Posted by speedjunkie

What kind of noise do they make? Is it a squealing or like a chatter or something? All the time or during braking or what? Is it just from the friction between the pad and the rotor?

High pitched squeal on light braking. Nothing on heavy braking. Depends on brake temp too. I ran XP8s on my old S2K (my wife's now) and it would squeal horribly if you crept up to a stop. If you stopped quick with good pedal pressure, it wouldn't make a sound.

Yeah I've seen you post about them. So the XP10/XP8 combo has enough cold bite for the street? That's one thing I'm worried about. I'm planning on ducting the front brakes when I install all this so I'm wondering if I can use the AX6s and be OK. I'll keep the wheels clean, no worries there. My main issues are noise and cold bite.

I've never had any cold bite issues. The very first time you brake on a cold day might feel a bit "vague" but no issues with stopping. After that, they feel fine. I've never had a problem with my XP10s cooling off too much and losing any feel. In comparison, the Wilwood E-Prod pads I used to run on my Miata were horrible that way...they had to stay hot. Not the case with the Carbotechs. Also something to consider is my "cold" temps never really got below 30 degrees F, if you live somewhere colder than that, not sure how that would affect things.

Noise really is the big one but with the stock calipers on the FD and NSX I don't really hear much. NSX will make little squeaks every now and then and the FD is silent. S2K was like a damn school bus and same for the Miata. Never used any brake quieting compound...I tried it once on the S2K and ended up just melting the brake quiet lol.

It doesn't seem like anyone really knows about Winmax yet. Oh well.
Thanks guys!

I've never heard of those pads. If you end up going that direction let us know what you think of them...very curious!

[Smokey]

Originally Posted by speedjunkie

Thanks! I'm assuming you're talking about putting this on the back of the pads themselves, correct?

Put it places where there will be metal to metal contact so the edges where the pads touch the caliper and the backing plate where the pistons touch. Just a thin layer; doesn't need to be crazy and don't get it on the friction surface.

[speedjunkie]

Originally Posted by mazpower

High pitched squeal on light braking. Nothing on heavy braking. Depends on brake temp too. I ran XP8s on my old S2K (my wife's now) and it would squeal horribly if you crept up to a stop. If you stopped quick with good pedal pressure, it wouldn't make a sound.

I've never had any cold bite issues. The very first time you brake on a cold day might feel a bit "vague" but no issues with stopping. After that, they feel fine. I've never had a problem with my XP10s cooling off too much and losing any feel. In comparison, the Wilwood E-Prod pads I used to run on my Miata were horrible that way...they had to stay hot. Not the case with the Carbotechs. Also something to consider is my "cold" temps never really got below 30 degrees F, if you live somewhere colder than that, not sure how that would affect things.

Noise really is the big one but with the stock calipers on the FD and NSX I don't really hear much. NSX will make little squeaks every now and then and the FD is silent. S2K was like a damn school bus and same for the Miata. Never used any brake quieting compound...I tried it once on the S2K and ended up just melting the brake quiet lol.

I've never heard of those pads. If you end up going that direction let us know what you think of them...very curious!

I forgot Brian had already chimed in on the noise haha...

Originally Posted by TitaniumTT

The noise on the street isn't all that bad, infact they only time I hear them is pulling to a stop with almost zero pressure, and they squeak a little, it's really not that bad at all.

Never hurts to get more input though. I'm not sure I can handle high pitched squeal. I do a good bit of light braking on the street too, and I'm in Colorado so the temps aren't usually very high until summer, but I don't drive it near as much in the winter either. Our temps do get below 30F occasionally during the winter, but only so often and on those days I'm not driving it anyway haha. Tough call.

If I get the Winmax pads I'll let someone more experienced with brake pads drive my car and I'll tell you what he says lol.

Originally Posted by Smokey

Put it places where there will be metal to metal contact so the edges where the pads touch the caliper and the backing plate where the pistons touch. Just a thin layer; doesn't need to be crazy and don't get it on the friction surface.

Ok cool. Thanks!

Originally Posted by TitaniumTT

Heat is another problem that I have been fighting, they create so much heat, and with the al hat on the 2-piece rotor, all that heat gets transmitted to the hub and then to the bearings, so I'm constantly tightening wheel bearings and repacking bearings, the FD has a different hub/bearing and it might be fine, but I would duct the FUCK outta the front brakes....

Anyone else have a problem with heat?