Raybestos ST43 ST45 ST47 - another brake pad thread...
 

I've searched the forum and found only a few recent references to the ST43 and Clarke at Apex recommending them.

Does anyone here have any experience with these compounds?

Some more color behind my question..

DS2500 currently on the car, bite is low, modulation is good, torque is low/mid, quiet on the street. Good beginner track pad IMO but kinda like an all season tire.. just okay at both street and track. Time to move on.
Ds1.11 and PFC08 are top of list per the multitude of recommendations here with the nod to the DS1.11... until I read a few comments about low bite. In parallel, our Lucky Dog/ Lemons car is getting a caliper upgrade so we're forced to consider new compounds (Hawk blue have been amazing, nothing stops faster than our car in wet or dry) and the ST43 keep coming up from vendors, competitors, and race shops as the best option between DS1.11, Hawk DTC60/70, HT10. One trusted source says they're comparable to DS1.11 but last much longer as they're more endurance focused. Totally different platforms, weight, and power.. GT3 vs 160hp 1700lb Jetta but both wearing 200tw tires so it will be an apples to oranges comparison.. really interested to see if anyone has tried them on the 996 platform especially vs the DS1.11 or PFC08. If not, I may take the gamble in the interest of science :cheers:

I've never tried the ST43 on my GT3- when I asked about them a few years back they weren't available. That said, I used them for years on my MR2 turbo, and they were fantastic! The biggest issue I had with them was that they were very hard on rotors. Had I known that ST43s were available now, I'd have tried them out this season.

I used the ST43 on my Corvette Grand Sport with Giro rotors, and the braking was fantastic. Wear was about the same as PFC 11. It is the pad that Giro recommended.

I heard (seen )(& destroy Giro Disc outer) the ST43 can crumble under 30% Instantly. I'm PFC, And I buy them from Clark:corn: note. Hawk Blues will cut any rotor clean. VERY OLD trick. lol

Giro Disc invested in the backing plates and Raybestos applies the friction material. Raybestos was not interested in investing in the backing plates. If intestested I have them available. https://apexperformance.net/raybestos-porsche/

How did this go for you?

We've done a couple races on them and the overall feeling is our brake setup is much better. They (ST43 and ST45) have a much flatter and more linear torque curve than the hawk blue. It's hard to compare them directly because the piston area changed for improved bias and thus higher pedal forces but I think the ST compounds have a smoother bite with lower torque. Feel is much firmer (paired with higher forces) so modulation is easier although I had a harder time modulating lockup then my teammates. We have a set of 47s on the shelf which I'd love to try.. but the other drivers like the 45. I was the only one of our four drivers that didn't flat out love them.. I do like them but I think I'm still getting used to them. That said, it's very possible that this brake setup is quicker.. I still need to compare lap times. Of the three, I'd be tempted to go right to the ST47 on the GT3 although the ST45 might work also. We're likely headed to Thunderhill in Nov so that will be another opportunity to learn to love them :)

I should've noted that I haven't done any days in the GT3 this year so I'm not in need of track pads yet. I'll wait until I've got a little more time with the ST45 before making a call. Right now I'd go DS1.11 because they're cheaper and a known quantity but that may change as I get more seat time with the ST45.

That's very odd, we've sold thousands of ST43's over the years and in the 8 years I've been doing this we have never seen a single one of them delaminate, crumble, etc. They use a positive retention system known as NRS on the backing plate that the material is then pressed on to, the only other pads that we've seen with similar sheer strength in dyno testing are those from Endless who do something similar by spot welding a small plate with a bunch of little hooks into it. The little hooks of the NRS on the ST43's stick out about 1.5mm into the pad material and we've had numerous customers run the pad down awfully close to that without issue.

How long ago was it that you saw this particular pad crumble?

The ST43s that I got with my Girodiscs were perhaps the best pad I've used in 20 years of driving on track. They wore very well for the heavy car (Corvette Grand Sport) that I was using at the time. The quality of the Girodiscs were an eye opener. Great wear, tremendous consistency. I've become a convert from the disposable rotors I had been using.