Brake Pads

[dhrivnak]

Thanks for the replies and yes the road was dry and there is no rust on the rotors. I also do a fair amount of biking, running and hiking so leg strength is not usually an issue. So based on the advice on a number of people I trust here will upgrade when the time comes or if I happen to get bored for a project. (not too likely unfortunately)

 

[Doug_G]

It must not rain much where you are. My car's rotors are always rather rusty the day after it rains.

Whenever that happened (i.e. every other day), the original pads didn't stop worth a damn until I did a bunch of hard stops on them. The Carbotechs clean off the junk with a mild press of the brakes, and are immediately ready to save you from doing a rear-ender.

 

[strider]

I ONLY use my car as a daily driver and on a normal commute only use my brakes for the last couple mph at a stoplight or my parking space. With the original pads during this kind of light use I would occasionally need to do a hard stop (80-0 idiocy on the freeways happen around here) and the brakes just wouldn't work. I have quite strong legs and the pedal was hard - the car just simply didn't slow down. Until (as Doug_G said above) all the crap would burn off and then the car would slow down. I was literally inches away from rear-ending other cars multiple times. With the Carbotechs I get the same braking all the time, whenever I need it.

I don't know why you haven't experienced this, maybe you go on spirited drives regularly and/or use your brakes more and so keep the crap cleaned off.

If it's not a problem for you I would save the money. Believe me, you would know if you've experienced the problem.

 

[Habious]

I've found that a very good time to test how good the stock brakes really are (or aren't) is right after a range charge. Then, you've got no ReGen to assist; it's ONLY the brakes at that point.

I've also had situations where I was hitting the brakes somewhat hard, over a bumpy surface, and the TC kicked in (and turned off the ReGen) - I could feel a huge difference, and it's obvious that the stock brakes are just "OK" (under ideal conditions).

 

[Doug_G]

For that very reason I always turn off TC on dry pavement. Otherwise you "go flying" if the car hits a large enough bump under moderate braking. There are a couple of intersections in my vicinity where this tends to happen.

Note: I do not recommend turning off TC on wet pavement. Bad idea if you like the front wheels to stay in front of the rear wheels.

 

[ecarfan]

For that very reason I always turn off TC on dry pavement. Otherwise you "go flying" if the car hits a large enough bump under moderate braking. There are a couple of intersections in my vicinity where this tends to happen.

That is an interesting idea. I have not had that happen when braking but once on a freeway going 70mph in a fairly straight line (not on a curve) I hit a big bump (maybe on just one side of the car, not sure) and the rear end hopped up and for a moment I felt like I had no control over the car. It was a very weird feeling.

Problem with turning TC off in dry conditions is that I will forget to turn it on in wet conditions.

Note: I have the stock shocks and suspension.

 

[Doug_G]

Problem with turning TC off in dry conditions is that I will forget to turn it on in wet conditions.

The car doesn't remember it when you power down. It defaults on.

Note: I have the stock shocks and suspension.

Ouch. The adjustable suspension is also stiff, but it doesn't bottom out as easily.

 

[jimmyz80]

I will say that compared to most cars I've owned, the Carbotechs are still very underwhelming. Better than stock, but still far from good.

 

[dsm363]

The car doesn't remember it when you power down. It defaults on.



Ouch. The adjustable suspension is also stiff, but it doesn't bottom out as easily.

You'd still recommend turning off TC in dry conditions for people who aren't track experienced like you?

 

[Doug_G]

You'd still recommend turning off TC in dry conditions for people who aren't track experienced like you?

I think so. I find the sudden loss of braking power very disturbing - it must remove half the braking force. The car can easily slide much further forward than you planned on, because you can't react fast enough. And this could potentially happen when you're doing panic braking, which would be bad.

The risk with TC off is power oversteer (stab the accelerator hard) or snap oversteer (sudden lift). The stock suspension (both standard and Sport) has a LOT of understeer dialed in to ensure stability, and the stock AD07's and A048's are very grippy. Even with the TC off on dry pavement it's hard to get more than a slight chirp out of the tires.

Maybe if you have downgraded your tires you might want to think twice. But under good road conditions I think it is the lower risk state, just based on my driving experience. If you're on a loose road surface (gravel etc.) or in wet conditions I would definitely leave TC on.

 

[ecarfan]

The car doesn't remember it when you power down. It defaults to on

Oh of course. Thanks for reminding me.

Still a bit leery about driving with TC off. But I'll try it.

 

[strider]

I will say that compared to most cars I've owned, the Carbotechs are still very underwhelming. Better than stock, but still far from good.

In what way? You want a stronger initial bite? Less initial bite and more linear engagement? I can trigger ABS at will so I feel there's plenty of stopping power. Beyond that it's about feel and what your personal preferences are. Also, it's 800lbs heavier than an Elise running the same size rubber so traction is a limiting factor too.

 

[Tesla 940]

Put the Carbotechs in when I replaced the rotors. Noticeable improvement.

 

[Chillout]

maybe it's a dumb question... but where can I buy these Carbotech AX6 pads? I can't seem to find a dealer that ships to the Netherlands.

 

[m0rph]

I'd suggest a full upgrade. That's what I will go for:

4 pot calipers: https://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/20/24/ap-pro-5000-4-pot-brake-calipers/
brackets to use the 2 pot OEM front calipers in the rear: https://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/20/27/radial-caliper-brackets/
rear brake pads: https://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/22/998/carbone-lorraine-rc5-brake-pads/
front brake pads: https://www.eliseparts.com/products/show/22/1067/carbone-lorraine-rc5-4-pot-brake-pads/

All for just under £ 1000.

 

[hcsharp]

maybe it's a dumb question... but where can I buy these Carbotech AX6 pads? I can't seem to find a dealer that ships to the Netherlands.

Have you tried calling Carbotech directly? They might ship to The Netherlands and if not might be able to tell you who will.

 

[m0rph]

I have new carbotechs here in Belgium, if you need them urgently..

 

[BartJ]

I have new carbotechs here in Belgium, if you need them urgently..

M0rph,

can these carbotechs be used with the regular rotors ?

if yes, what do i exactly need to order and do you know a shop in the region that you could recommend to get them installed ?

cheers
Bart

 

[djp]

can these carbotechs be used with the regular rotors?

Yes, the Carbotech's can be used with the standard rotors. It's recommended to plane the rotors whenever changing brake pads, but scuffing them up with sandpaper is fine. You'll also need to bed in the new pads after they're installed to properly mate with the rotors.

 

[m0rph]

M0rph,

can these carbotechs be used with the regular rotors ?

if yes, what do i exactly need to order and do you know a shop in the region that you could recommend to get them installed ?

cheers
Bart

Hi Bart,

As djp already answered, yes they can be used with the standard rotors.

I ordered them with the groupbuy of custom rotors, and don't have the exact part numbers here. I believe Carbotechs are very hard to get here in Europe, and I will probably be testing some Carbone Lorraine RC5+ pads in the future, possibly combined with upgraded calipers and/or brake booster. Maybe you can contact Eliseparts.com and see what they can offer for the standard Tesla setup.

For installation, I will do this work myself as it is really easy (there is even a how-to somewhere on this forum). Besides Tesla Motors and myself, no one ever worked on my car, so I don't have a good address that I can share.