Brake pad query

ryallm · Post by **ryallm** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:35 pm

Ok, numpty brake pad query. Just about to order some RS42s to replace the standard pads. Fronts are shot, but the rears have a good bit of wear left. Is it essential to fit a full set front and rear, or can I fit front only and leave the standard rear pads on for now? My concern is that fitting a grippier pad on the front only will effectively alter the brake balance. Advice appreciated.

Ta,
Mark

Post by ed » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:05 pm

i would say it aint essential but good practice, kenny had rs42s on front and standard pads on the back and killed his disks in 13k or so miles, ive covered over 18,5k and still have loads of disc left, with same pads front and back. maybe his wear is down to heavier use but i reckon the pad situation must have contributed to it.....

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:12 pm

Ed, my discs are still fine. I was advised by Dan that as I was obviously using them very hard on track it would be better to switch to ali-bells to allow better heat dissapation. The discs themselves have a small lip but they have plenty of road miles left in them.

My standard rear pads are about to be replaced by new RS42's the rears have lasted 13k without any bother and I couldn't say I felt any affect on car balance by having two different makes on the car.

I dont see how having standards on the rears would affect front disc wear significantly.

I would say unless you have money to burn just leave the standards on the rear, and upgrade when they need changing.

alicrozier · Post by **alicrozier** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:14 pm

Mark,
I did just that with no problems. OK you do shift the brake balance further forward (but that it the safer direction) but I doubt you'd be able to tell the difference (I couldn't).

Kenny,
I'd hate to think what Dan would say about my disks! I'm just replacing the rears again at 15K miles (originals plus 1 set of RS4-2s). The fronts have had the originals and now on the 3rd set of 4-2s.

Post by **simon** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:14 pm

I would have said it wouldn't make much difference if you were putting similar types of pad on the fronts but I'd have thought it might make more of a difference putting Pagids on the front and OEM on the rear. Is there really any point in risking it? Brakes are rather important

ryallm · Post by **ryallm** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:17 pm

kenny wrote: I would say unless you have money to burn just leave the standards on the rear, and upgrade when they need changing.

Ok, thanks, I was hoping someone would tell me that - Pagids aint cheap!

Cheers for the replies,
Mark

kenny · Post by **kenny** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:23 pm

alicrozier wrote:Kenny,
I'd hate to think what Dan would say about my disks! I'm just replacing the rears again at 15K miles (originals plus 1 set of RS4-2s). The fronts have had the originals and now on the 3rd set of 4-2s.

If I remember correctly, Dan said that I would almost certainly start to get uneven pad wear if I stuck with the standard discs. Do yours have a much of a lip on them yet or have you had any uneven pad wear?

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:20 pm

Putting better pads on the front will be ok. definately. Will shift brake bias to the front which is the safer way to go.

A lot of the 'experts' on selcock even recomend using a lot more rear brake bias on the elise, but my only experience of this was running greenstuff on the front and pagid 42's on the rear (when i ran out of front pads). I span 6 times in 4 hours, as opposed to my usual once or twice

. I think the people who suggested this who race their car obviously dont trail brake, and it probably works ok if you do all your braking in a straight line. I didnt like it, but everyone is different.

ryallm · Post by **ryallm** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 3:56 pm

mckeann wrote:Putting better pads on the front will be ok. definately. Will shift brake bias to the front which is the safer way to go.

A lot of the 'experts' on selcock even recomend using a lot more rear brake bias on the elise, but my only experience of this was running greenstuff on the front and pagid 42's on the rear (when i ran out of front pads). I span 6 times in 4 hours, as opposed to my usual once or twice . I think the people who suggested this who race their car obviously dont trail brake, and it probably works ok if you do all your braking in a straight line. I didnt like it, but everyone is different.

I once had experience of too much rear brake bias on my Westfield - deeply scary. It tried to spit me off the road backwards into every corner

. I was going to go through the hassle of fitting a brake bias valve, but someone on the in WSCC suggested putting EBC greens on the front and leaving the rears as standard which cured the problem.

I do trail brake, so definitely want to keep a strong front bias. I have ordered 42s for the front, and will put them on the back too when the standard ones wear out.

Mark

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 4:01 pm

probably the best decision

ryallm · Post by **ryallm** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:31 am

Well, fitted the 42's on the front at the weekend. Incredibly easy job, only took about 10 minutes each side. Didn't get the chance to drive the car far so they won't be properly beded in yet, but they already seen to have noticably more initial bite than the standard pads, so lookin' good for track use.

Mark

Andy G · Post by **Andy G** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:38 am

ryallm wrote:Well, fitted the 42's on the front at the weekend. Incredibly easy job, only took about 10 minutes each side. Didn't get the chance to drive the car far so they won't be properly beded in yet, but they already seen to have noticably more initial bite than the standard pads, so lookin' good for track use.

Mark

they are genial on track

alicrozier · Post by **alicrozier** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:52 am

Sorry to hijack thread Mark but I think your original question is answered and this is related

I fitted another set of 4-2s to the rear of my car last week (thanks Robin and Neil Mc for donation). The rear pads had 'run out' very quickly at KH last weekend. I thought I had more than enough to last the event.

When I took the old ones off the offside pair were pretty evenly worn and had around 1/4 pad left. The nearside outer was down to almost nothing and the inner even less!

Question is why should these have worn so much quicker than the offside pair?
Sticky caliper maybe but seemed perfect.
The offside pair were pretty crumbly so I think they may have overheated and the nearsides broken up.

ryallm · Post by **ryallm** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:23 am

alicrozier wrote:Sorry to hijack thread Mark but I think your original question is answered and this is related

I fitted another set of 4-2s to the rear of my car last week (thanks Robin and Neil Mc for donation). The rear pads had 'run out' very quickly at KH last weekend. I thought I had more than enough to last the event.

When I took the old ones off the offside pair were pretty evenly worn and had around 1/4 pad left. The nearside outer was down to almost nothing and the inner even less!

Question is why should these have worn so much quicker than the offside pair?
Sticky caliper maybe but seemed perfect.
The offside pair were pretty crumbly so I think they may have overheated and the nearsides broken up.

Interesting. I found the same with the old pads I took off the front - the nearside outer was worn down to the backing, the offside pads were both very evenly worn. The nearside caliper is definitely not seized. Could it be some kind of effect of trail braking on a clockwise circuit?

Mark

ryallm · Post by **ryallm** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 11:49 am

Sorry, that should have been the nearside inner was the most worn, so the pretty much the same effect you are seeing Ali.

Mark