Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Brake Pads/Fluid for Track : How far to go?

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
They are absolutely just fine, i'm not sure why you say that? Many people at Tesla Corsa used stock pads and many others used either MPP or UP without any problems.
I agree. To say “the stock pads are inadequate for track use” as a blanket statement is not accurate. There are so many variables (driver skill/aggression on the brakes and track layout being the top imo) but for your first HPDE day in the car there is no reason not to try the stock setup, if you have the PUP brakes. OP: Change the fluid to racing fluid for sure, but the worst that’s going to happen if you’re super hard on the brakes is you’re going to get some fade. Then you’ll know you want to look at upgrading. I have UP front pads sitting here at home and haven’t installed them because so far I see no need. The stock pads held up fine for my second day this weekend. I did boil the fluid though and now my pedal is mushy (2 days on RBF600).

MasterC17- when you had issues with the stock brakes were you running stock fluid?
 
  • Informative
  • Like
Reactions: wenkan and SD_Engnr
I agree. To say “the stock pads are inadequate for track use” as a blanket statement is not accurate. There are so many variables (driver skill/aggression on the brakes and track layout being the top imo) but for your first HPDE day in the car there is no reason not to try the stock setup, if you have the PUP brakes. OP: Change the fluid to racing fluid for sure, but the worst that’s going to happen if you’re super hard on the brakes is you’re going to get some fade. Then you’ll know you want to look at upgrading. I have UP front pads sitting here at home and haven’t installed them because so far I see no need. The stock pads held up fine for my second day this weekend. I did boil the fluid though and now my pedal is mushy (2 days on RBF600).

MasterC17- when you had issues with the stock brakes were you running stock fluid?

I never ran on stock brakes. Again, this is my person opinion, but I can't understand why you wouldn't want the brakes (of all things) to be overkill.

Let's bracket this into two scenarios.

The first is someone who has never been on-track before. They are likely going to have a tendency to over-use the brakes and they may not understand the limits of the car; what happens when they approach a corner too fast because their depth perception and muscle memory aren't used to this and their brakes are smoking hot from improper use and braking technique. They smash the brakes and they don't work as expected. So they over-react and go off-track. Possibly hurting their wallet and themselves.

The other scenario is someone who has lots of track-time with other vehicles. They're aggressive and are out there looking to snag the fastest lap time. They over-heat the brakes, boil the fluid, come into a corner too fast, and you end up with the same scenario I just described above.

These two types of drivers are not uncommon. Not everyone for sure, but some amount. All I am saying is that having a proper brake setup is important. Ultimately, when participating in an HPDE you want to make sure you are being safe for the sake of yourself and others around you. Therefore, I would advocate for the best available brake fluid and pads.
 
I agree. To say “the stock pads are inadequate for track use” as a blanket statement is not accurate. There are so many variables (driver skill/aggression on the brakes and track layout being the top imo) but for your first HPDE day in the car there is no reason not to try the stock setup, if you have the PUP brakes. OP: Change the fluid to racing fluid for sure, but the worst that’s going to happen if you’re super hard on the brakes is you’re going to get some fade. Then you’ll know you want to look at upgrading. I have UP front pads sitting here at home and haven’t installed them because so far I see no need. The stock pads held up fine for my second day this weekend. I did boil the fluid though and now my pedal is mushy (2 days on RBF600).

MasterC17- when you had issues with the stock brakes were you running stock fluid?
+1 I went through 2 track days on stockers. They did get jacked up though and are now squeaky. Went in with stock fluid and didn't have any issues.

Next week installing my unplugged pads and face fluid for my track day next month.

I never ran on stock brakes. Again, this is my person opinion, but I can't understand why you wouldn't want the brakes (of all things) to be overkill.

Let's bracket this into two scenarios.

The first is someone who has never been on-track before. They are likely going to have a tendency to over-use the brakes and they may not understand the limits of the car; what happens when they approach a corner too fast because their depth perception and muscle memory aren't used to this and their brakes are smoking hot from improper use and braking technique. They smash the brakes and they don't work as expected. So they over-react and go off-track. Possibly hurting their wallet and themselves.
It's a big upgrade for somebody that may never race again though.
 
I never ran on stock brakes. Again, this is my person opinion, but I can't understand why you wouldn't want the brakes (of all things) to be overkill.

Let's bracket this into two scenarios.

The first is someone who has never been on-track before. They are likely going to have a tendency to over-use the brakes and they may not understand the limits of the car; what happens when they approach a corner too fast because their depth perception and muscle memory aren't used to this and their brakes are smoking hot from improper use and braking technique. They smash the brakes and they don't work as expected. So they over-react and go off-track. Possibly hurting their wallet and themselves.

The other scenario is someone who has lots of track-time with other vehicles. They're aggressive and are out there looking to snag the fastest lap time. They over-heat the brakes, boil the fluid, come into a corner too fast, and you end up with the same scenario I just described above.

These two types of drivers are not uncommon. Not everyone for sure, but some amount. All I am saying is that having a proper brake setup is important. Ultimately, when participating in an HPDE you want to make sure you are being safe for the sake of yourself and others around you. Therefore, I would advocate for the best available brake fluid and pads.

If you never ran on the stock brakes then there's no way you know if they're adequate or not, even for you but certainly not for everyone else.

Also your two 'brackets' don't make any sense. There's no reason to assume beginning drivers will over use the brakes, they have an instructor to help them learn. They may or may not over use them but even then that doesn't mean the brakes are going to get significantly degraded. Then of course there are all the people who have more than one but less than tons of trackdays under their belt. Again, stock PUP brakes may or may not work for them, but based on my experience, if one changes to racing fluid the worst they'll get is some fade, which is not the end of the world. I let my instructor (who drives LMP2 car in IMSA endurance) drive mine and he said the brakes were excellent. He was not gentle on the brakes. This is after 5-6 sessions on the stock pads. Your second scenario driver doesn't need you or anyone else to tell them if the brakes are adequate. If they have a ton of track time they'll figure it out.
 
Last edited:
I never ran on stock brakes. Again, this is my person opinion, but I can't understand why you wouldn't want the brakes (of all things) to be overkill.

I'm certainly not saying that you shouldn't spend money on brakes and i totally agree that they are a major safety item, i'm really just doubting that we need 1500F+ pads. The fluid is the major item to be safer on the track IMO.

Also yea, if a beginner is threshold braking then they are doing something VERY wrong and are probably going to go off regardless of how their brakes perform haha
 
  • Like
Reactions: stickman
I agree. To say “the stock pads are inadequate for track use” as a blanket statement is not accurate. There are so many variables (driver skill/aggression on the brakes and track layout being the top imo) but for your first HPDE day in the car there is no reason not to try the stock setup, if you have the PUP brakes. OP: Change the fluid to racing fluid for sure, but the worst that’s going to happen if you’re super hard on the brakes is you’re going to get some fade. Then you’ll know you want to look at upgrading. I have UP front pads sitting here at home and haven’t installed them because so far I see no need. The stock pads held up fine for my second day this weekend. I did boil the fluid though and now my pedal is mushy (2 days on RBF600).

MasterC17- when you had issues with the stock brakes were you running stock fluid?

Wow you boiled it off in only two days on the track? How dangerous is that? I assume it is something you need to get fixed quickly

How noticeable is it as well? I assume with stock fluid or racing I should be able to quickly tell "brakes are ****ed time to stop"
 
Wow you boiled it off in only two days on the track? How dangerous is that? I assume it is something you need to get fixed quickly

How noticeable is it as well? I assume with stock fluid or racing I should be able to quickly tell "brakes are ****ed time to stop"

so it's not really dangerous at all, for street driving, once you realize whats happened. I didn't even notice it at the track at all. The symptom is that your pedal is mushy. I went to go supercharge on Monday and when I came to stop sign kind of quickly the pedal was soft, and required extra effort to stop. Your brakes will be fine. Have fun!
 
How noticeable is it as well? I assume with stock fluid or racing I should be able to quickly tell "brakes are ****ed time to stop"

You can tell - the brake gets much softer and you can depress it much further than normal when you're braking. You are only going to boil it with HARD braking (on the verge of hitting ABS) for multiple turns in a row. If you keep braking hard after the pedal gets soft, that's when you can get into unsafe territory and is what @MasterC17 is talking about.

It can be very scary to be hurtling into a corner at 100 MPH and you go to stomp on the brakes just to find a very mushy/soft pedal, it's happened to me and it sucks! But i definitely had some advanced notice in the previous corner, i just decided to push my luck and see how much it had left - which is a bad idea :)
 
I feel as though I digressed from my original point.

Personally, I would prefer a track-only pad to a street/track pad considering the cost is negligibly more between the two, and (for my style of driving) the track-only pads would last longer. As it stands, that option does not exist for the PUP Calipers. In that scenario, I am sure the MPP/UP brake pad options are suitable and will probably work fine for the majority of people. However, if you plan to do lots of track days, drive the car 10/10ths, or participate in Time Trials/Time Attack then a track-only pad is going to be your better option.

Brake Fluid is cheap and easy to change so I think that is a no-brainier even for a one-time HPDE (Motul RBF600 or Castrol SRF are my preferences); especially when considering the stock fluid is DOT-3.

Ultimately, I am hoping people stay safe out there and have fun.
 
I feel as though I digressed from my original point.

Personally, I would prefer a track-only pad to a street/track pad considering the cost is negligibly more between the two, and (for my style of driving) the track-only pads would last longer. As it stands, that option does not exist for the PUP Calipers. In that scenario, I am sure the MPP/UP brake pad options are suitable and will probably work fine for the majority of people. However, if you plan to do lots of track days, drive the car 10/10ths, or participate in Time Trials/Time Attack then a track-only pad is going to be your better option.

Brake Fluid is cheap and easy to change so I think that is a no-brainier even for a one-time HPDE (Motul RBF600 or Castrol SRF are my preferences); especially when considering the stock fluid is DOT-3.

Ultimately, I am hoping people stay safe out there and have fun.

if you hear of a true track pad I can buy let me know! I won't be buying pads until I'm actually shifting into track (as opposed to autocross. yes autocross is more braking/cornering, but it's lower speed shorter time and more cooldown so I'm not too worried. except for my poor tires)
 
I agree, this is my first track day in this car and I am running MPP rotors front and rear, ATE fluid, MPP lines and MPP Street pads (didn’t have track pads for sale at the time) and I ran into brake fade after a few laps.

Going to run a dedicated set of track pads for my MPP rotors now and use the stock rotors with My current MPP street pads for daily. Also the PS4s are lacking, car is too heavy, going to order titan 7 wheels and good rubber as well for next track day. Hopefully Coilovers are in by then car is floaty as well.

I don’t have a P model.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: kbecks13
I agree, this is my first track day in this car and I am running MPP rotors front and rear, ATE fluid, MPP lines and MPP Street pads (didn’t have track pads for sale at the time) and I ran into brake fade after a few laps.

Going to run a dedicated set of track pads for my MPP rotors now and use the stock rotors with My current MPP street pads for daily. Also the PS4s are lacking, car is too heavy, going to order titan 7 wheels and good rubber as well for next track day. Hopefully Coilovers are in by then car is floaty as well.

I don’t have a P model.
Seems like non-P model even with upgraded rotors and pads facing fade much earlier than P model. Is that because track mode maximize the regen to reduce bigger portion of the pads work?
 
I agree, this is my first track day in this car and I am running MPP rotors front and rear, ATE fluid, MPP lines and MPP Street pads (didn’t have track pads for sale at the time) and I ran into brake fade after a few laps.

Going to run a dedicated set of track pads for my MPP rotors now and use the stock rotors with My current MPP street pads for daily. Also the PS4s are lacking, car is too heavy, going to order titan 7 wheels and good rubber as well for next track day. Hopefully Coilovers are in by then car is floaty as well.

I don’t have a P model.

Changing the fluid from ATE to a Motul or Castrol would assist with brake fade more than switching to a track pad. The ATE has one of the lowest dry boiling points (280 DEG C) versus Motul (312/325) or Castrol (320).
 
The scanner would not cooperate, so I had to resolve it with the iPhone.

IMG_1660.jpg
IMG_1664.jpg
IMG_1663.jpg
IMG_1662.jpg
IMG_1661.jpg
IMG_1665.jpg