CL Brakes RC6 review....... best track pads ever!
Former Sponsor
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte, NC
We had some great results with CL pads on Evo's at the end of year time attacks.
Redline Time Attack at Auto Club Speedway:
Dan O'Donnell won the Street Tire AWD class and set a track record in his Professional Awesome Evo VII
Trent Choi took 3rd in Super Modified AWD with his Insane Speed Evo.
Both cars were running the CL RC8 compound.
Super Lap Battle Finals
AMS Evo X won Street AWD, and set a new track record
AMS Nissan GT-R got 2nd in Street AWD
JC Meynet also won Limited AWD, while setting a new class record in his AQ Motorsports Subaru STI
All of these cars were running CL RC6E
Nice work!
Redline Time Attack at Auto Club Speedway:
Dan O'Donnell won the Street Tire AWD class and set a track record in his Professional Awesome Evo VII
Trent Choi took 3rd in Super Modified AWD with his Insane Speed Evo.
Both cars were running the CL RC8 compound.
Super Lap Battle Finals
AMS Evo X won Street AWD, and set a new track record
AMS Nissan GT-R got 2nd in Street AWD
JC Meynet also won Limited AWD, while setting a new class record in his AQ Motorsports Subaru STI
All of these cars were running CL RC6E
Nice work!
I also ran RC6 compound this year in NASA time trials and walked away with two class lap records in TTA. These pads were very good and so far all the praise has been true, at least for me. I was able to brake a little later and a little more confident than normal. Great pads!
Former Sponsor
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 228
Likes: 0
From: Charlotte, NC
I also ran RC6 compound this year in NASA time trials and walked away with two class lap records in TTA. These pads were very good and so far all the praise has been true, at least for me. I was able to brake a little later and a little more confident than normal. Great pads!
So, I just finished off my first set of RC6 pads. Here was my setup:
* Axxis ULT rear pads
* Centric blank rotors
* 245/45/R17 RE01Rs and then Z1 Star Specs.
* Otherwise, stock Evo IX MR power, brakes, and suspension.
Wear:
10.5mm thick new, out-of-the-box
6mm thick after 2 days/~3.33 hrs Watkins Glen
5mm thick after 1 day/~2 hrs Laguna Seca
5mm thick after 1 day/~1.33 hrs Sears Point (wet with lots of slow traffic)
2mm thick after 1 day/~1.75 hrs Laguna Seca
Totals: 5 days/~8.5 hrs of track time
Additionally, I put 1 or 2 autoxs and some street miles on the pads.
Overall these pads were fantastic. At the track, braking was very strong and confidence inspiring. I was really able to step up my game and get used to threshold braking. The pads held up to my driving style, and I only experienced a small amount of fade at Watkins Glen and then again at my very last Laguna Seca day. In both cases the pads recovered after a few reduced-speed laps and I went on my way. After my final event, the pads looked a bit glazed too. Unlike my experiences with the PFC97s and DS2500s, I did not have pad transfer problems.
The pads were perfectly streetable too and bit immediately even in cold/rainy conditions. The on street behavior is nearly as good as the stock Brembo pads and light years ahead of the other "track-only" I've used, the PFC97s. The RC6s are however very noisy on the street, though applying anti-squeal paste to the back of the pads helped quiet things down while my GF's parents were in town :-).
The pads also have much easier to clean brake dust that the PFC97s. No crusty rusty mess this time around. I really appreciate this characteristic.
The cons to these pads are the high price. I was able to get 5 days (505 minutes, 80 of which were in the wet) out the RC6s.
(10/2012 update) Here is how that wear compares to some other other pads I have used. PFC97s: 6 days, 440 mins. RC6s: 5 days, 505 mins. RC6Es 9 days, 875 mins. DTC-60s 4 days, 490 mins.
My plan is to try the RC6Es next, and use them both front and rear. I am hoping that by using the same race pad in all corners and picking the endurance pad will greatly extend the number of track days I can get from the pads.
* Axxis ULT rear pads
* Centric blank rotors
* 245/45/R17 RE01Rs and then Z1 Star Specs.
* Otherwise, stock Evo IX MR power, brakes, and suspension.
Wear:
10.5mm thick new, out-of-the-box
6mm thick after 2 days/~3.33 hrs Watkins Glen
5mm thick after 1 day/~2 hrs Laguna Seca
5mm thick after 1 day/~1.33 hrs Sears Point (wet with lots of slow traffic)
2mm thick after 1 day/~1.75 hrs Laguna Seca
Totals: 5 days/~8.5 hrs of track time
Additionally, I put 1 or 2 autoxs and some street miles on the pads.
Overall these pads were fantastic. At the track, braking was very strong and confidence inspiring. I was really able to step up my game and get used to threshold braking. The pads held up to my driving style, and I only experienced a small amount of fade at Watkins Glen and then again at my very last Laguna Seca day. In both cases the pads recovered after a few reduced-speed laps and I went on my way. After my final event, the pads looked a bit glazed too. Unlike my experiences with the PFC97s and DS2500s, I did not have pad transfer problems.
The pads were perfectly streetable too and bit immediately even in cold/rainy conditions. The on street behavior is nearly as good as the stock Brembo pads and light years ahead of the other "track-only" I've used, the PFC97s. The RC6s are however very noisy on the street, though applying anti-squeal paste to the back of the pads helped quiet things down while my GF's parents were in town :-).
The pads also have much easier to clean brake dust that the PFC97s. No crusty rusty mess this time around. I really appreciate this characteristic.
The cons to these pads are the high price. I was able to get 5 days (505 minutes, 80 of which were in the wet) out the RC6s.
(10/2012 update) Here is how that wear compares to some other other pads I have used. PFC97s: 6 days, 440 mins. RC6s: 5 days, 505 mins. RC6Es 9 days, 875 mins. DTC-60s 4 days, 490 mins.
My plan is to try the RC6Es next, and use them both front and rear. I am hoping that by using the same race pad in all corners and picking the endurance pad will greatly extend the number of track days I can get from the pads.
I figured I would add my RC6 experience to this thread.
I bought a front set of RC6s for my Evo IX, that I am using with rear Axxis ULTs pads, centric rotor blanks and well worn 245/45 RE-01R tires. My car is stock in all other aspects.
Part 1 - Street use prior to on-track bedding: After my install of the RC6s (I used the stock metal angled shims and also the stock fiber shims, and no high-temp anti-seize paste because it just burns up at the track anyhow!), I used them on the street (unbedded) for a few days. The on-street bite was ferocious, and I needed to be very light on the brakes to keep my braking smooth and comfortable. The pads also would screech for me when slowing down at town speeds, but were quiet and strong on the freeway. I had driven my old front PF97s on the street before, and while that was workable, the PF97s did not stop you nearly as quickly so you needed to think ahead bit more and not tailgate! With the PF97s on the street, it really felt like my rear brakes were doing most of the work.
Part 2 - On track use: I used the RC6s for two days of 4x25 minute sessions at Watkins Glen (air temps between 30F-55F) . For first session the bite was great until the last 10 minutes when I started experiencing a softer brake pedal and lessened braking response. Pre-pumping the brake would firm the pedal and I did not have any incidents but the experience was unsettling. For the following 7 sessions of the weekend, the brakes performed admirably, having no fade or softness of pedal. Perhaps I just experienced reduction of braking power when the pads were first bedding? I did feel some pad transfer in a few sessions, but I do not know if that was with the RC6s or Axxis ULTs. The rear rotors did show some smearing on their faces. I like the RC6s on the track much more than my old PF97s, since the RC6s bite stronger and are quite controllable. By the end of the weekend, I was braking right at the threshold of ABS, and was able to dial it back just a hair whenever ABS did kick in. I am by no means an expert driver, but I have never been this comfortable with threshold braking before! The darkened color of my Brembos testifies to my new comfort with hard braking
.
Part 3 - street use post track bedding: When I drove the car for the first time after each track session, it seems to take a few stops to before normal stopping power resumes. It is almost like I am cleaning the rotors or pads during those first few stops (I can even hear a grinding/sweeping noise under braking). After the "cleaning" is done, the bedded pads provide stopping power similar to the OEM Brembo pads, if a little reduced. The original face wrenching bite of the unbedded pads has disappeared, but if anything this just makes city driving easier. I feel perfectly comfortable driving them on the street, it does not feel like the rear pads are doing all the work. The pads are still noisy at city speeds though.
So, overall I am very happy with the pads. I have not pulled them out to check wear yet, but I will be watching to see if they perform the same over the course of the season.
I bought a front set of RC6s for my Evo IX, that I am using with rear Axxis ULTs pads, centric rotor blanks and well worn 245/45 RE-01R tires. My car is stock in all other aspects.
Part 1 - Street use prior to on-track bedding: After my install of the RC6s (I used the stock metal angled shims and also the stock fiber shims, and no high-temp anti-seize paste because it just burns up at the track anyhow!), I used them on the street (unbedded) for a few days. The on-street bite was ferocious, and I needed to be very light on the brakes to keep my braking smooth and comfortable. The pads also would screech for me when slowing down at town speeds, but were quiet and strong on the freeway. I had driven my old front PF97s on the street before, and while that was workable, the PF97s did not stop you nearly as quickly so you needed to think ahead bit more and not tailgate! With the PF97s on the street, it really felt like my rear brakes were doing most of the work.
Part 2 - On track use: I used the RC6s for two days of 4x25 minute sessions at Watkins Glen (air temps between 30F-55F) . For first session the bite was great until the last 10 minutes when I started experiencing a softer brake pedal and lessened braking response. Pre-pumping the brake would firm the pedal and I did not have any incidents but the experience was unsettling. For the following 7 sessions of the weekend, the brakes performed admirably, having no fade or softness of pedal. Perhaps I just experienced reduction of braking power when the pads were first bedding? I did feel some pad transfer in a few sessions, but I do not know if that was with the RC6s or Axxis ULTs. The rear rotors did show some smearing on their faces. I like the RC6s on the track much more than my old PF97s, since the RC6s bite stronger and are quite controllable. By the end of the weekend, I was braking right at the threshold of ABS, and was able to dial it back just a hair whenever ABS did kick in. I am by no means an expert driver, but I have never been this comfortable with threshold braking before! The darkened color of my Brembos testifies to my new comfort with hard braking
. Part 3 - street use post track bedding: When I drove the car for the first time after each track session, it seems to take a few stops to before normal stopping power resumes. It is almost like I am cleaning the rotors or pads during those first few stops (I can even hear a grinding/sweeping noise under braking). After the "cleaning" is done, the bedded pads provide stopping power similar to the OEM Brembo pads, if a little reduced. The original face wrenching bite of the unbedded pads has disappeared, but if anything this just makes city driving easier. I feel perfectly comfortable driving them on the street, it does not feel like the rear pads are doing all the work. The pads are still noisy at city speeds though.
So, overall I am very happy with the pads. I have not pulled them out to check wear yet, but I will be watching to see if they perform the same over the course of the season.
I took a look at my front RC6s after reading 18Bora's post. Fresh, my RC6 pads had a little more than 10.5 mm of material.
Update 5/22/10: I pulled the pads out of the calipers, and the pads have anywhere between 6mm-8mm of material left. This is after about 1000 miles of street driving, two days at Watkins Glen (8x25 minute sessions) and an AutoX with 10x1.5 mile runs. The pad material is not crumbling at all. There is a blue streak in the material here or there, but in general it looks like these pads are taking the abuse well. I was pushing pretty hard at the Glen, so I am glad they can take it.
Last season I got about 8 days out of my PF97s with the exact car setup (my stock Evo IX with 245/45/R17 RE-01R tires). I had hoped that I would get similar life out of my RC6s, but seeing that they seem to be consuming about 3mm of material for every 2 trackdays, I might just get about 5-6 days out of these pads. Then again, maybe at a track other than Watkins Glen, the pads would wear less.
Update 5/22/10: I pulled the pads out of the calipers, and the pads have anywhere between 6mm-8mm of material left. This is after about 1000 miles of street driving, two days at Watkins Glen (8x25 minute sessions) and an AutoX with 10x1.5 mile runs. The pad material is not crumbling at all. There is a blue streak in the material here or there, but in general it looks like these pads are taking the abuse well. I was pushing pretty hard at the Glen, so I am glad they can take it.
Last season I got about 8 days out of my PF97s with the exact car setup (my stock Evo IX with 245/45/R17 RE-01R tires). I had hoped that I would get similar life out of my RC6s, but seeing that they seem to be consuming about 3mm of material for every 2 trackdays, I might just get about 5-6 days out of these pads. Then again, maybe at a track other than Watkins Glen, the pads would wear less.
Last edited by 286bhp; Oct 8, 2012 at 08:16 AM.
So, I just finished off my first set of RC6 pads. Here was my setup:
* Axxis ULT rear pads
* Centric blank rotors
* 245/45/R17 RE01Rs and then Z1 Star Specs.
* Otherwise, stock Evo IX MR power, brakes, and suspension.
Wear:
10.5mm thick new, out-of-the-box
6mm thick after 2 days/~3.33 hrs Watkins Glen
5mm thick after 1 day/~2 hrs Laguna Seca
5mm thick after 1 day/~1.33 hrs Sears Point (wet with lots of slow traffic)
2mm thick after 1 day/~1.75 hrs Laguna Seca
Totals: 5 days/~8.5 hrs of track time
Additionally, I put 1 or 2 autoxs and some street miles on the pads.
Overall these pads were fantastic. At the track, braking was very strong and confidence inspiring. I was really able to step up my game and get used to threshold braking. The pads held up to my driving style, and I only experienced a small amount of fade at Watkins Glen and then again at my very last Laguna Seca day. In both cases the pads recovered after a few reduced-speed laps and I went on my way. After my final event, the pads looked a bit glazed too. Unlike my experiences with the PFC97s and DS2500s, I did not have pad transfer problems.
The pads were perfectly streetable too and bit immediately even in cold/rainy conditions. The on street behavior is nearly as good as the stock Brembo pads and light years ahead of the other "track-only" I've used, the PFC97s. The RC6s are however very noisy on the street, though applying anti-squeal paste to the back of the pads helped quiet things down while my GF's parents were in town :-).
The pads also have much easier to clean brake dust that the PFC97s. No crusty rusty mess this time around. I really appreciate this characteristic.
The cons to these pads are the high price and the relatively short life. I was able to get 8 days out of my PFC97s vs the 4-5 days out the RC6s.
My plan is to try the RC6Es next, and use them both front and rear. I am hoping that by using the same race pad in all corners and picking the endurance pad will greatly extend the number of track days I can get from the pads.
* Axxis ULT rear pads
* Centric blank rotors
* 245/45/R17 RE01Rs and then Z1 Star Specs.
* Otherwise, stock Evo IX MR power, brakes, and suspension.
Wear:
10.5mm thick new, out-of-the-box
6mm thick after 2 days/~3.33 hrs Watkins Glen
5mm thick after 1 day/~2 hrs Laguna Seca
5mm thick after 1 day/~1.33 hrs Sears Point (wet with lots of slow traffic)
2mm thick after 1 day/~1.75 hrs Laguna Seca
Totals: 5 days/~8.5 hrs of track time
Additionally, I put 1 or 2 autoxs and some street miles on the pads.
Overall these pads were fantastic. At the track, braking was very strong and confidence inspiring. I was really able to step up my game and get used to threshold braking. The pads held up to my driving style, and I only experienced a small amount of fade at Watkins Glen and then again at my very last Laguna Seca day. In both cases the pads recovered after a few reduced-speed laps and I went on my way. After my final event, the pads looked a bit glazed too. Unlike my experiences with the PFC97s and DS2500s, I did not have pad transfer problems.
The pads were perfectly streetable too and bit immediately even in cold/rainy conditions. The on street behavior is nearly as good as the stock Brembo pads and light years ahead of the other "track-only" I've used, the PFC97s. The RC6s are however very noisy on the street, though applying anti-squeal paste to the back of the pads helped quiet things down while my GF's parents were in town :-).
The pads also have much easier to clean brake dust that the PFC97s. No crusty rusty mess this time around. I really appreciate this characteristic.
The cons to these pads are the high price and the relatively short life. I was able to get 8 days out of my PFC97s vs the 4-5 days out the RC6s.
My plan is to try the RC6Es next, and use them both front and rear. I am hoping that by using the same race pad in all corners and picking the endurance pad will greatly extend the number of track days I can get from the pads.
My opinion is the these pads suck I like Performance Friction way better they have better modulation as well as better wear and petal feel. They also have a better heat range. Just my 2 sense but just saying.
Just my 2 CENTS.
Which PFC pads were you running and which CL pads did you run?
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: LA
Has anyone had any problems with either the RC6 or RC5+ related to corrosion or the brake dust being hard to remove from the wheel?
CL pads are relatively new to the Lotus community and over on our site, we have one user who got the wheels wet but didn't clean them. Afterward the brake dust wouldn't come off without using a special wheel cleaner (Sonax) that contains solvents for brake pads with high iron content. Otherwise though, the dust seems to wipe or clean off very easily, but once wet, you need to clean it off then and there. Anyone have a different experience?
I usually cannot wash my car for 5-6 weeks at a time, and want to make sure my wheels stay in good shape.
CL pads are relatively new to the Lotus community and over on our site, we have one user who got the wheels wet but didn't clean them. Afterward the brake dust wouldn't come off without using a special wheel cleaner (Sonax) that contains solvents for brake pads with high iron content. Otherwise though, the dust seems to wipe or clean off very easily, but once wet, you need to clean it off then and there. Anyone have a different experience?
I usually cannot wash my car for 5-6 weeks at a time, and want to make sure my wheels stay in good shape.
Last edited by vantagesc; Feb 22, 2011 at 12:03 PM.
With my RC5+ the dust seems to come off fairly easily, sometimes my car goes a few weeks without a proper wash, especially during the winter. When I washed it for the first time after nearly 2 months of getting dirty this winter, I had small specks of what looked like rust on the doors and sideskirts. My detailler told me it was most likely just brake dust, not rust, and that it would come off come spring when I'd bring the car in fora clay-bar.
Has anyone had any problems with either the RC6 or RC5+ related to corrosion or the brake dust being hard to remove from the wheel?
CL pads are relatively new to the Lotus community and over on our site, we have one user who got the wheels wet but didn't clean them. Afterward the brake dust wouldn't come off without using a special wheel cleaner (Sonax) that contains solvents for brake pads with high iron content. Otherwise though, the dust seems to wipe or clean off very easily, but once wet, you need to clean it off then and there. Anyone have a different experience?
I usually cannot wash my car for 5-6 weeks at a time, and want to make sure my wheels stay in good shape.
CL pads are relatively new to the Lotus community and over on our site, we have one user who got the wheels wet but didn't clean them. Afterward the brake dust wouldn't come off without using a special wheel cleaner (Sonax) that contains solvents for brake pads with high iron content. Otherwise though, the dust seems to wipe or clean off very easily, but once wet, you need to clean it off then and there. Anyone have a different experience?
I usually cannot wash my car for 5-6 weeks at a time, and want to make sure my wheels stay in good shape.
In fact, the easy-to-clean dust is one of my favorite features of the RC6s!
With my RC5+ the dust seems to come off fairly easily, sometimes my car goes a few weeks without a proper wash, especially during the winter. When I washed it for the first time after nearly 2 months of getting dirty this winter, I had small specks of what looked like rust on the doors and sideskirts. My detailler told me it was most likely just brake dust, not rust, and that it would come off come spring when I'd bring the car in fora clay-bar.