Track pad question...
No, I am not joking, I do drive my car on the street with DTC-70s with np. I think its fine for short trips and puttin around town. Of course I recommend street pads for the street over them but driving to and from track events or the occasional drive on the street is fine. IF I got in my car right now, went to 60 mph and had to brake quickly it would not be a problem. Would they work as well as a street pad? No, but they would work just fine. Maybe not in Minnesota in the winter, but in Virginia in the summer, np. But just so Im clear, no it is not an everyday street pad and Id never recommend it be used in that way, and at over 400.00 per set, you'd be crazy to anyways.
Marty
Marty
Whoa...you're joking, right? Hawk DTC-70 pads are TRACK ONLY. On the street they will not work properly when cold and will eat through your rotors. The ONLY time I drive them on the street is for the short trip from track to hotel and back, and even then I wince every time I gently press the brake pedal.
I've said this 100 times before, but I guess it bears repeating: Track pads are for the track. Street pads are for the street. There is no such thing as a great track pad that also works well on the street. They are designed to work in entirely different heat ranges. Anyone who says they have a pad that works well on both street AND track is either not pushing their car very hard at the track, or is deaf to the squealing and blind to the dust and rotor wear they are getting on the street.
If you are doing track events, do yourself a favor and buy a set of track pads that you install just for the weekend. Hawk DTC-70 or DTC-60 are great choices.
I've said this 100 times before, but I guess it bears repeating: Track pads are for the track. Street pads are for the street. There is no such thing as a great track pad that also works well on the street. They are designed to work in entirely different heat ranges. Anyone who says they have a pad that works well on both street AND track is either not pushing their car very hard at the track, or is deaf to the squealing and blind to the dust and rotor wear they are getting on the street.
If you are doing track events, do yourself a favor and buy a set of track pads that you install just for the weekend. Hawk DTC-70 or DTC-60 are great choices.
I have a thought... or a question....
5 pages of thread a grand am race car driver, and a PF Engineer... and a bunch of track junky's and not one person on here asked what Tires you are running.....
01's on a street tire is bad news... lock up do to to much bite... bad *** pad though given the right driver may be too much for even a hoosier...
if your going to be using it for track duty let me save you some head ache.
1: PFC or Stoptech 2 piece front rotors.... they will last 3-4 times as long as the stock brembo rotor.
2: use some of the motul 600
3: use some heat rap the adheasive backed stuff and wrap up your ABS sensors...yes they love to melt
4: invest in some front brake ducts
5: pads depending on what tire compound street or R here is what i suggest
Street:
Pagit yellow's up front, and rear.
R dots
Depending on tire again you might have to fool around with it.
Hoosiers we run Pagit Blacks up front and rear
RA1's seam to like a split yellow and black rear
this is also track specific but you can for sure fine tune it your self...
5 pages of thread a grand am race car driver, and a PF Engineer... and a bunch of track junky's and not one person on here asked what Tires you are running.....
01's on a street tire is bad news... lock up do to to much bite... bad *** pad though given the right driver may be too much for even a hoosier...
if your going to be using it for track duty let me save you some head ache.
1: PFC or Stoptech 2 piece front rotors.... they will last 3-4 times as long as the stock brembo rotor.
2: use some of the motul 600
3: use some heat rap the adheasive backed stuff and wrap up your ABS sensors...yes they love to melt
4: invest in some front brake ducts
5: pads depending on what tire compound street or R here is what i suggest
Street:
Pagit yellow's up front, and rear.
R dots
Depending on tire again you might have to fool around with it.
Hoosiers we run Pagit Blacks up front and rear
RA1's seam to like a split yellow and black rear
this is also track specific but you can for sure fine tune it your self...
How long does a set of track-only pads last on the track? Like how many events; figuring a typical lapping day or DE with 4-5 20-25 min sessions; so 2 hours track-time.
Thinking pads like PF 97's personally or the like. Hawk DTC 70's, etc.
Thinking pads like PF 97's personally or the like. Hawk DTC 70's, etc.
I'd say they last a solid 6-8 days before they start to get down, you can still run them, but they're getting thin.
Yeah, I've done 3 events so far on my PF97 fronts, and they've got tons of meat left on them. Not even half way done yet.. I'm pretty happy w/ them.
As for the rears, my Hawk DTC60s have lasted 12 events. They're close to being done now though. I might use them for one more. I need to inspect them to see how much meat they got left.
As for the rears, my Hawk DTC60s have lasted 12 events.
They're close to being done now though. I might use them for one more. I need to inspect them to see how much meat they got left.
Track pad life depends on several factors:
1. Your driving style - Are you pushing the car to its limits, braking super late and super hard in every corner, or are you just out for a moderate 6/10ths "to say I went to a track" experience?
2. Track configuration - Some tracks, like Road America, are known for being notoriously hard on brakes. Elkhart has several downhill braking zones after long straights (3, 5, 8) that really use up brakes. Holding all other factors equal, a day at RA will wear brakes faster than a day at most other tracks.
3. Brake cooling - Have you modified the brake system to provide additional cooling? The hotter they are, the faster they'll wear.
4. Post-session cool down - At the end of a hot session and one cool down lap, do you just park the car in the paddock, letting the pads literally cook that part of the rotor that they've stopped on, or do you drive around the access roads or even off the property for at least 5-10 minutes at 40 miles per hour, not using the front brakes at all, to give them every chance to cool down?
I've worn out track-only pads (fronts) after just two track days at Road America, but as an instructor I always have a passenger in the car and I'm on track for more sessions per day than students, often running back-to-back sessions as I give rides to multiple students. I have also run a full season of track events (about 18 days) using the same set of rear track-only pads. Of course the rears only do about 20% of the work. Most of the action (and wear) is in the front!
Cool the brakes well, and always have an extra set of pads in your tool kit. You should get anywhere from 4 to 20 track days with a good set of race-only pads, depending on the factors above.
1. Your driving style - Are you pushing the car to its limits, braking super late and super hard in every corner, or are you just out for a moderate 6/10ths "to say I went to a track" experience?
2. Track configuration - Some tracks, like Road America, are known for being notoriously hard on brakes. Elkhart has several downhill braking zones after long straights (3, 5, 8) that really use up brakes. Holding all other factors equal, a day at RA will wear brakes faster than a day at most other tracks.
3. Brake cooling - Have you modified the brake system to provide additional cooling? The hotter they are, the faster they'll wear.
4. Post-session cool down - At the end of a hot session and one cool down lap, do you just park the car in the paddock, letting the pads literally cook that part of the rotor that they've stopped on, or do you drive around the access roads or even off the property for at least 5-10 minutes at 40 miles per hour, not using the front brakes at all, to give them every chance to cool down?
I've worn out track-only pads (fronts) after just two track days at Road America, but as an instructor I always have a passenger in the car and I'm on track for more sessions per day than students, often running back-to-back sessions as I give rides to multiple students. I have also run a full season of track events (about 18 days) using the same set of rear track-only pads. Of course the rears only do about 20% of the work. Most of the action (and wear) is in the front!
Cool the brakes well, and always have an extra set of pads in your tool kit. You should get anywhere from 4 to 20 track days with a good set of race-only pads, depending on the factors above.
I went through a set of hawk blues in a single day...abusing them...