# What are your favorite Brake pads?



## Dog_Eater (May 20, 2003)

If theres other good pads you know of please post them. Thanks


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## Y2KVR6GTI (Aug 16, 1999)

Porterfield R4S


_Modified by Y2KVR6GTI at 10:15 AM 5-20-2003_


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (Dog_Eater)*

Another vote for Porterfield R4S -- a great STREET and limited track use pad.
Okay, okay -- why two posts asking the same question? Gotta lay off the pipe, man ...








http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=851963


_Modified by f1forkvr6 at 11:38 AM 5-21-2003_


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## bxr140 (Jul 18, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (f1forkvr6)*

R4S x3


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## bluevr6 (Apr 19, 2000)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (Dog_Eater)*

Choose a PAD, not a MANUFACTURER.....
Running EBC Green Stuff on the FIAT,
GTI VR6 runs Ferodo Street/Autocross pads on the street, KFP Magnums on Track days.
Peace,
Kevin


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (bluevr6)*


_Quote, originally posted by *bluevr6* »_Choose a PAD, not a MANUFACTURER.....

Decide where you'll be driving, and then choose a _COMPOUND_ from a reputable manufacturer - then hope they make a pad that fits your car


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## dbottles (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (bxr140)*

4 votes for the Porterfield pads but I use R4 not the R4S. 
DKB


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (dbottles)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dbottles* »_... I use R4 not the R4S. 
DKB


Track, street or both - and why? Please describe your experiences with this compound - curiosity only ...


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## dbottles (Aug 15, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (f1forkvr6)*

Rally and some street. 
Very preictable pad always the same pedel effort never fades works well with left foot braking. The pad must have a high friction coeficent, I use less pedel effort than I did with the pads that came with the rally car. I faded the old pads typicaly in about 4-5 miles into a stage, these have yet to fade on me. 
Way back in the old days (1980's) I used race pads that need to warm up, but these seem to not need that at all. They do squeel a tiny bit once and a while when driving on the street, that is the only reason I can thing of not to use them on the street. 
DKB


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (dbottles)*

Thanks for the information http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif








So the noise level is bearable for commuting? How grabby is the R4 compound when cold? The Ferodo fast road pads I've tried seemed to be TOO grabby when cold.


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## scolen2 (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (f1forkvr6)*

I've had the carbon matalic portfields delaminate and I've heard of other cases as well. On top of that they are total ***** when it comes to getting the pads replaced.
Honestly I loved the pads, but the problem with them is they are only for track use. The compound can't handle the heat cycles that a hard daily driver will put them though. So, they fall off the mounting plate and you have no breaks! No joke. I've head about them before I got mine and said "whatever", but driving home with only a ebreak has made me a beliver.
I will never get there pads again!
I have been using the Mintex reds on the street for a year now and love them, when I go on a track I have a set of Blues and different rotors.


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (scolen2)*


_Quote, originally posted by *scolen2* »_I've had the carbon matalic portfields delaminate and I've heard of other cases as well. 

Which compound? R4 & R4S are Carbon/Kevlar ....


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## scolen2 (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (f1forkvr6)*

Sorry... R-4 S pads.


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## Pfeil (Apr 14, 2003)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (scolen2)*

that's one more for the r4s.


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## scolen2 (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (Pfeil)*

I"m really serious, you dont' want the R4-S pads. If you never understand why people end up with warped rotors every year you'll probably not have an issue. Bug if you like me and kill rotors every year you will most likly get a delaminations thanks to the excessive heating cycles. I was lucky and my pads fail only 5 minutes after a fast run, if they failed any sooner I wouldn't have that car anymore. On top of that, if you call porterfield to tell them this, they won't have any thing to say about your well being and there pads failing.


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (scolen2)*

I'm sure that all of this happened to you ... but right now the R4S I have on my passat (99% daily driver .... with a bit of FUN every day on my commute to work







) have been stellar. ZERO problems. The guys at Shine Racing Service use these on _their own_ daily drivers, so I have very little substantive evidence to make me nervous. If I have similar problems, I will report back honestly .... I just haven't heard an overwhelming number of complaints about these pads. Is it possible it was just a bad batch?


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## scolen2 (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (f1forkvr6)*

Before I ever got mine I head about this problem, but I though just as you are doing that it wasn't an issue. Then it happend to me. I have never head of this issue with any other pad I've used! It only takes that .001 percent of time to cuase an major incedent. I'm happy with my mintex, ferrodos and EBC cause they work 100% of the time without fail.


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (scolen2)*

I *do* appreciate the heads up







. I'll let the 'tex know if I have any of these issues. If I do, back to Ferodo - and damn the dust!


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## Pfeil (Apr 14, 2003)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (f1forkvr6)*

it also depends on how you drive them. if you think because you have "street" pads that you can lay on them all the time and expect them not to cause damage to the rotors then you are mistaken. i have my occasional spirited driving sessions, and have yet to fade my STOCK pads. i only did once when i slammed on the brakes on the highway from about 75 last summer (traffic).


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## f1forkvr6 (Jun 10, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (Pfeil)*

The damage reported by scolen2 was to the pads - not the rotors. I HAVE faded stock pads (hard pedal, reduced Cf) and that's why I've used Ferodo in the past and now Porterfield. Besides, even if fade is not an issue, a performance pad offers better pedal feel and modulation than stock pads. These two qualities alone are worth the upgrade, IMHO







.


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## scolen2 (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (Pfeil)*

Well, the dust on my fronts with the R4-S pads was just as bad as anthing else I've ever used... So I don't understand why everone thinks they are dustless or even low dust!


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## scolen2 (Jan 16, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (scolen2)*

BTW... if you really want some of your brake questions answered you should head to StopTech's site. They supply the best and most accuate brake info anywhere online...
http://www.stoptech.com/technical/
Really dig in, and you might be surpirsed on how brakes really work.. It's not what you might expect.


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## bxr140 (Jul 18, 2002)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (scolen2)*


_Quote, originally posted by *scolen2* »_I"m really serious, you dont' want the R4-S pads. If you never understand why people end up with warped rotors every year you'll probably not have an issue. Bug if you like me and kill rotors every year you will most likly get a delaminations thanks to the excessive heating cycles.

i think i responded to a similar post in another thread. deja vu all over again, or something like that...
anyway, for the record, i put my R4S pads through REPEATED, EXTREME heat cycles (glowing rotors...and if its dark out you can see glowing bits of brake pad shooting past the windows, but only with the silly slotted rotors the PO put on my current car) and the pads put up with it all. we're talking 3+ times a WEEK of heavy use on my old daily drive home. 
i've personally never heard of any complaints about the porterfields in any respect. only praise. in that respect, i would highly reccomend the R4S to anyone who HAS faded a stock type pad, and even those who are just looking for a little more bite and consistent feel.


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## Ted (Dec 27, 1999)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (bxr140)*

how come everyone says Mintex are the best? they suck and cannot stop worth ****! they don't have the initial bite like most other pads do and they fade too early. Mintex Red Box pads are HORRIBLE!


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## discover_24 (May 28, 2003)

*Re: What are your favorite Brake pads? (Ted)*

What does everybody think of Hawk HP+?


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