Anyone care to express an opinion as to which pads, Pagid Orange or Performance Friction (97 compound), are better for mixed track (DE) and street use. The prices are almost exactly the same. BTW, I went through a set of PBR Deluxe pads in two days at Mid-Ohio recently. I do not recommend them for spirited driving. Always remember, they're cheap for a reason.

 

For what it's worth:

Have used Pagid Yellows on old '84 Turbo-Look Carrera; worst track pad I ever used. Tore up rotors, didn't last, and very quickly got spongy pedal. No improvement in braking over Cool Carbons.

Am presently using Performance Friction 90 compound on my '95 993; great pads. Gone to prob. 8 days of track driving and they're at about 1/2 worn.

For info, these were for pure track use. On the street, EVERY track pad I've tried sqeuals like a stuck pig. Considering that the brake pedal will be somewhat spongy after a track weekend, and you should bleed the brakes as a consequence, a pad change is trivial in comparison.

 

I've used Pagid Orange Pads for DE events this season on my 1995 993 and they are great on the track. Great stopping power and little if any fade. The street is another matter. They squeal all the time especially when coming to a stop from slow speed. I usually swap them in the day before the event and swap them back out the day after. It is a hassle, but definitely worth it!

 

I actually spoke to a technical person at Performance Friction today. The 97 is not appropriate for street use. Potential for "no brakes" if not really warmed up. The 90 compound sounds like the perfect setup for combination street and driver's ed. I can tell you that the Z Rated PF pads can be "overworked" on the track. they really are just hi-perf street pads. The Pagid Orange apparently work very well on the track and the street.

Richard Kessler
'98 C2S

 

John,

I use the PF97's at the track and love them. Great stopping power, very progressive, zero fade of course, good wear and they seem to be easy on the rotors. I have not (and plan not to) use them on the street. Our pads are so easy to change -- change them just before and after DE. Don't compromise IMHO.

Bill Love at OG Racing recommended them to me earlier this summer and I haven't looked back.

Regards,

John

 

Everyone says how easy it is to change the brake pads Why am I then, so reluctant to attempt this?

Looking a Robin's DIY site, (www.p-car.com), it doesn't look all that easy. First the comment of cutting the piece out of the shock (to ease caliper removal), then dealing with the anti-squeel stuff! Prying the calipers open to get the pads....... Gad Zooks!!

I'm not a mechanical wizard, but I do bleed my own brakes, and do some other "amateur" DIY stuff. Any suggestions what I should do (or not do) to cross this mechanical barrier?

TIA..

 

Oleg,
Some of the things Robin does in his DIY are helpful but not required. The slot in the strut makes removing the caliper easy for a rotor change.

Have you tried to pry the pads apart? If you have and cant get them far enough apart to slide the pad with backing and anti squeal discs out you may have to unbolt the caliper and slide the pads out from the bottom. It doesn't hurt to have an assistant when doing this hold the caliper steady so you don't damage the brake line.
Get rid of the backing plate and anti squeal discs and the new pad will just slide in. Read Ray's DIY on the same page and follow it also.
Believe me if you can bleed your brakes you can change your pads.

Greg

 

Without anti-squeal disks and backing, it is a breeze to swap out OEM street pads for Pagid track pads. Removal of caliper is not necessary.

Also, OEM street pads continue to be perfectly quiet under all braking conditions without the anti-squeal disks.

'95 993

 

Oleg, I posted a description of a 993 brake pad replacement about a month ago. I sent it to John D. and crew for posting in "FAQ" but it hasn't made it yet. Might try an archive search.

The hardest part is the first job - getting all of the anti-squeal junk off the OE pads is a royal pain. After that first time, a pad swap takes me about 30 minutes - the 993 is about the easiest car out there to replace brakes on.

And, as Greg noted, you do NOT have to cut the brake line mounting on the shock if all you are doing is a pad replacement!!!! I only did this far later on to assist in the brake disc replacement.