Jump to content
HybridZ

Front/rear balance via pad materials?


Recommended Posts

I had my new brake set up out on a track finally. I'm running the vented Toyota 4x4 calipers in front and 240SX in rear. I have Axxis metal master pads at both ends. We did a few accident avoidance exercises at the begining of the day and I was locking my fronts without ever locking the rears. This was mostly once the speed was below 30 mph though, so not sure if I just wasn't being agressive enough at higher speeds. I have a proportioning valve in the rear and it's all the way open.

 

On the track the brakes held up quite well. No fade, consistent pedal for the whole day. Still, I think I could use some more rear brake bias as I never once locked the rears, even with the fronts fully locked (This happened when I picked up a 200+ lb passenger for my first ride along of the day - I guess I had been closer to the limit of my braking distance than I realized :)).

 

A thought I had was to try a different pad material in the rear with a higher coefficient of friction. Of course, not all the pad manufacturers list their values, so it's not going to be as easy as I had hoped. I found Ferodo values at http://www.raceshopper.com/ferodo_compounds.shtml. I saw the DS3000 Plus is 0.68 which is about as high as I've found.

 

I'm wondering if anyone has done any experimenting with pad materials to balance the front rear braking with a setup like mine? If so, what pads did you try? What did you learn?

 

Also, what do you think of the Ferodo DS3000 Plus for street use? Is it going to be terrible until warm?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some people run different compounds F/R to determine brake bias. This is not quite as desirable as a dual master balance bar or prop valve setup, but it can be effective.

 

You always want the fronts to lock before the back. If the back locks first, it's real easy to spin the car.

 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

zmanco, i was having the same issues. 73 240z, modern m'sports front brakes with 240sx rears. fronts locking first. kvr pads all around with prop valve full open-i eliminated the factory safety valve and factory prop valve. wound up going to hawk hp+ rear pads and now it's all good. work great both street & track [watkins glen]. actually removed the prop valve. the hp+'s are a bit squeaky on the street [can quite them either by reducing or increasing brake pedal pressure].

 

before you change pads-check the following; new fluid, properly bled system, no hose or line issues, pads properly bedded in, rotors true & in good shape.

 

there are others on this site that know far more than i and may chime in but hopefully this will help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the hp+ is an aggressive street pad. they work great for me. i'd go to the hawk website and check them out. try calling ed at the Race Shopper 1.800.733.8380, best prices i've found.

 

Thanks David, I'm not real familiar with the Hawk pads. Are the HP+ a street or track pad? Since they are only for the rear, I'm not too worried with a track pad back there.

 

How are they on the street besides noisy?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...