Mark944na86

I just ordered some Performance Friction PFC 97 pads for the occasional track day use. I'm running Mintex for street use at the moment, after previously using OE Pagids, and I must say I like them for street -- no squeaks, very smooth. But it made me nervous thinking about relying on the Mintex for track day use, which they really weren't designed for, so I've order the PFC 97 set.

My default plan is to simply swap the pads over for track day, in other words continue to run the Mintex for street, but use PFC 97 for track. But being lazy, I was wondering how the PFC 97 would be for street use (in other words, just wacking them in a leaving them in, rather than swapping back and forth for track days.)

I suspect the Mintex would be the more economical, and probably better performing pad for street, but I was reading that the PFC 97 had quite reasonable "cold" performance, and weren't too hard on rotors, at least compared to other track pads.

But could anyone comment who is (or has tried) using the PFC 97 for street duty? BTW, this is for a '90 S2 with ABS.

thingo

They function fine as brakes on the street, but they are not quiet most of the time, the noise can be a bit much, I find it just manageable.

aj986s

X2 on the noise of PF97's on the street. They work great. But will definitely squeeeeek under certain conditions. Also, the PF97's, while they are awesome performing brake pads, and reasonably rotor friendly, too, they are notorious for their dust. Lots of it, rusts when gets wet, and can be a challenge to remove.

Mark944na86

OK, thanks for the heads up on the dust. I was steering away from the Hawk HP+ because of the corrosive dust issue -- sounds like the PFC 97 might have a similar issue.

What do you think might be the best removal method for the dust after a track day?

Duke

PFC97 has nasty dust and is not rotor friendly on the street. Definately choose another pad for strict street use.

Jeff N.

+1 on the nasty dust. Once it gets wet and sets, it's nearly impossible to remove.

Great track pad....just not a good street pad.

mj951

+1 on not being rotor friendly.
those pads will be harder on your rotors with street use then they are on track because of the low brake temps. Great choice for the track but swap them out once you get home...

Mark944na86

Brake cleaner to remove before it gets wet and sets?

Duke

Sure, but not really practical on a street car

On a side note, I use PFC01 front and PFC97 rear. A pain to drive in the city with all the noise..

User 52121

The previous owner of my car used PFC97s and never cleaned the rims.

It was a MAJOR chore to get them cleaned up. The brake dust turns into friggin' cement.

Purely from a braking perspective though, they worked fine on the street. Made a lot of noise, but stopped the car just fine.

Jeff N.

Omni...curious, what technique did you use to remove the hardened dust? I still have a little bit remaining and can't get it off.

Mark - it's only a problem after it get's wet and sets. Before that, it's no problem at all. I just wash it off with soap and water.

thingo

I just use normal aftermarket wheel cleaner, do it when I get home from the track, never much of a problem, pretty much a no fuss pad I find. ymmv

User 52121

I used a stiff plastic-bristled scrub brush, and this Meguiar's "Hot Shine" foaming wheel cleaner (comes in a hot pink spray bottle.) Don't follow the directions on the bottle where it says to wet the wheel first. Spray the foaming stuff on the dry rim, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub it with the brush. Rinse, dry, and repeat. Took me a couple passes but it eventually all came off.

JDS968

I daily drive PFC 97s all around, 7 days a week.

Cold bite is as good or better than street pad, and they come up to temperature in minutes, only takes a few stops.

Rotor wear is increased over soft street pads, but roughly equivalent to aggressive street pads.

Brake dust is fairly heavy, but is easy to remove in a matter of minutes with no scrubbing if you do it every weekend. If you leave it for months or years, you will be scrubbing for hours, but that's true of most all pads. I use Griot's Garage wheel cleaner with excellent results.

Noise is moderate to loud but not painful. They squeak under gentle braking at low speeds, cold or hot. Quiet to silent under firm or high-speed braking.

Overall opinion: Excellent performance, not bothersome for some people, definitely not acceptable for everybody.

Mark944na86

Thanks everyone for sharing the experience... I think I've got a much better handle on what to expect.

Thingo -- I was going to ask, where did you buy your PFC 97 pads? I enquired about prices from a local distributor, and it was still significantly cheaper to buy from the US, even after adding on nearly $70 shipping. Shameful, really.

The US dealer I bought from was rotorsandpads.com -- competitive pricing, and no-fuss international payment and shipping policy. Came to $308 all up, including shipping, for two sets.