Who has tried Carbotech pads for the track?

[Dangerous Fish]

What compound(s) have you used and how did you find them?

 

[Zcd1]

I ran Carbotech XP-12s and XP-10s on my Audi S4. They worked, but the front brakes got so hot that a small fire started at the end of one session. Whoops.

So, in a nutshell, they're fantastic as far as performance and heat resistance, but your stock braking components may not be up to the abuse they can dish out.

 

[MasterC17]

I ran XP10's and XP-12's on my F80 M3. The XP10's didn't last long (2 days). The XP12's lasted a bit longer, but that car was also hitting 160mph on the back straight at WGI. I would recommend RP2's on this car for the sake of longevity.

I put 7 days on Raybestos ST47's and they have ~50% life left (using MS Calipers and Rotors). So I am hoping the RP2's will hold up as well.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

I ran XP10's and XP-12's on my F80 M3. The XP10's didn't last long (2 days). The XP12's lasted a bit longer, but that car was also hitting 160mph on the back straight at WGI. I would recommend RP2's on this car for the sake of longevity.

I put 7 days on Raybestos ST47's and they have ~50% life left (using MS Calipers and Rotors). So I am hoping the RP2's will hold up as well.

Do you mean 2 separate track days for the XP10s? Did you change back to road pads in between? Was the only issue the wear rate?

 

[Zcd1]

XP-12s and XP-10s would be miserable anywhere but on a track.

Noisy, poor performance when cold, dusty and nasty to your rotors.

 

[MasterC17]

Do you mean 2 separate track days for the XP10s? Did you change back to road pads in between? Was the only issue the wear rate?

I changed back between track days. The other issue is they did not perform consistently. I came into a few corners with some frightening brake fade. The XP12's were a big improvement in that regard, but they still didn't last as long as I would have expected. The F80 is not a light car (3,600lbs), but obviously neither is the Model 3!

I think the big difference here though is Regen Braking. It seems to make a pretty big difference in terms of how much abuse the brakes take before fading. Someone needs to do a back to back test with a similarly equipped ICE vehicle to see how much work Regen actually does and how that affects heat/wear.

 

[Dangerous Fish]

I agree with that. Regen is doing a lot to help, although you could argue you've got engine braking to help in an ICE (maybe not so much with a turbo).

There's an app out now which works with a BT diagnostic adapter and allows you to turn off TC, SC and regen, so that could be an experiment someone might want to try (probably not me).

I realise it's going to be difficult to find an all round road/track pad set for the P3D. So far, the XT970 comes close IMO. If the XP10 performs in a similar way to the XT970 I'd say it would make a good all round pad, but I've zero experience of Carbotech pads.

 

[Zcd1]

...I realise it's going to be difficult to find an all round road/track pad set for the P3D.

Drivers who track their cars always want pads that work well for both street and track, but the requirements for those use cases are so different that at best you end up with a compromise that doesn't work really well in either scenario. BTDT.

Ironically, the best compromise pad I found for my previous Audi S6 was a dirt-cheap semi-metallic pad sold at Advance Auto Parts. The S6 is also a fast, heavy beast, but "Wearever Gold" pads worked great on the street, with nigh-zero dust and no noise, plus good stopping power, and they survived 4 ~20-minute track sessions at Road America, one of the fastest tracks in the US without putting me off track.

 

[beastmode13]

I changed back between track days. The other issue is they did not perform consistently. I came into a few corners with some frightening brake fade. The XP12's were a big improvement in that regard, but they still didn't last as long as I would have expected. The F80 is not a light car (3,600lbs), but obviously neither is the Model 3!

I think the big difference here though is Regen Braking. It seems to make a pretty big difference in terms of how much abuse the brakes take before fading.

Someone needs to take one for the team. Run a few sessions without Track Mode with normal regen. Then a few sessions without Track Mode with low regen. Without Track Mode on, the Performance would be identical except the regen settings. This would be the most objective test that could administered without additional equipments.

 

[mattack4000]

I have bunch of pads on my soon to be replaced track car. I have tried buddy club cobalt friction and carbotech. The carbotech are the noisiest, but they also bite the hardest and they seem to be the highest wear. To be fair, I drive a lot less aggressive now than I used to.