vantage

Hi all,
Seen a couple of posters using Ferodo DS3.12 brake pads in the front and DS2500 (or even stock pads) in the rear for track usage. Is the presumptive reason to shift brake bias to the front? I haven't tried this yet, but since I run DS2500s on the street, it would save some wrenching if I only had to swap out the front pads between track and road sessions. If anyone has thoughts on how this performs, I'm all ears.

Thanks,

enduro

Not something I'd do, but that'd really shift the bias forward. I've had both pads and they behave quite differently. If anything, I thought ppl wanted bias a little more to the rear on these cars for trailbraking.

GrantG

I have found the 2500's to not really like much heat and the rear brakes can sometimes generate substantial heat on these cars with PTV (torque vectoring by braking the inside rear wheel).

jwr9152

I've run 3.12 all the way around, 1.11 all the way around, 3.12 in front with 1.11 in the rear, and 3.12 in the front and 2500 in the rear. I've tried these different set ups, because I've never really liked the way this car brakes. With 3.12 in the front and 2500 in the rear I have the best feel for trail braking, the car is more stable under braking, I can brake later, and I set better lap times.

Everyone has their only personal taste, but this is what is working best for me.

enduro

Thanks for the input @jwr9152 . Mine may be different because of the Radi-Cals and I was speaking second hand (for example, the 4RS press releases). I might try the combo you suggest and see how it feels; I currently have both types of pads.

jwr9152

No problem. I took both sets to the track, so I could swap the rears out if I didn't like it. Should be super easy with the radi-cals. I'm jealous, been thinking about going that route for the brake pad changes alone. Haha. I thought the deal with the radi-cals is they are matched to the oem brakes, so you can swap over one axle at a time, without upsetting the balance of the car. So I would think it would still react the same. way. Will be interested to hear your thoughts, if you try it.

enduro

They are supposed to be matched, but maybe they're a hair different as I really like how they stop the car & never felt the urge to alter their bias. Or maybe I don't know what I'm missing. I'll try it out, but might be a month or two before I get to it.

vantage

reading some of the early 4RS impressions from @JCviggen i understand Porsche moved the brake bias forward for the RS.

enduro

Sounds like I got it backwards then. I'll walk back my statements. One thing I do know for sure is the 3.12 have a larger mu and a more immediate bite than do the DS2500, but seems that combination of characteristics are working well as indicated above.

Hinz Motorsport

Just be careful with the DS2500 on track. It has a pretty low-temperature threshold and even on the rear (especially if stability control is being used) it can overheat. The way I look at this is race pads are basically cheap insurance on track. If you overheat your brakes, you can have an off and damage your car and/or injure yourself. It just isn't worth the risk for a mere additional 15 minutes of work. If you are after better release characteristics, the PFC 332 compound may be better suited in the rear. This compound was specifically designed for GT4 Clubsports and 991 cups that run ABS.

vantage

Thanks Rick. I have a set of DS3.12 ready to install, but last track day at Streets of Willow CCW (not super hard on brakes, same track as the GT4 RS U.S. launch), I tried the DS2500 all around to see how they would do as a "dual use" pad. I did not like the pedal feel. As the pads heated up, the pedal seemed mushy. Afterward, on the street, the pedal seemed totally fine once again. My Castrol SRF is about 6 months old, but wonder if it has bubbles on it, or whether it's the pad. I never had such issues with the stock pads and SRF.

- Justin

enduro

@vantage I'll prob end up learning something, but what you're describing sounds a lot like boiled brake fluid or boiled water for SRF. Once things cool down, condenses and back to firm pedal. In my experience, effect is exacerbated by thin pad material since less heat insulation between rotor/pad interface and piston.

vantage

I'm planning to bleed before the next event. Some have said other brands of fluid give a firmer pedal, but SRF can't be that bad baring some issue with air/water/pad material.

DS2500 pads were brand new, so pad material wasn't thin, but maybe there was some break-in overheating going on. Hard to say. Pads were able to engage ABS though.

jwr9152

Have you actually run into overheating with the 2500? I've done several tracks with them, with no issues, and will run the full hour of Chin's happy hour without issue. I wonder if we are talking about longer runs then 30 minutes to 1 hour. Up to an hour long run they have been great. I can't speak beyond that. Friends with GT350's and ZL1-1LE's say the 2500 is the stock pad they all run for track days, with no issues. Would definitely like to hear more details. Would also like to hear more about the PFC332. Thanks.

jwr9152

Yeah, I didn't like the 2500 up front either. Just didn't have enough initial bite. For me, they felt just slightly better then the stock pads, which I absolutely hate for the track. Never hurts to bleed the brakes.