Carbotech Track Pad Selection and Compatibility

Boone

Automotive Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Posts
320
Reaction score
4
Location
High Point, NC
I have the Brembo 4P 14" brakes on my '05 GT. After my final track event in 2016, my track pads are cracked and glazed. I believe the rotors are in good physical shape aside from the shiny spots. I swap pads for track days, and I plan to run my "street" pads for AutoX and weekend pleasure cruises. I'm looking to move over to Carbotech brand, and I have a few questions.

Track pad choice (VIR almost exclusively): XP12 Front - XP10 Rear?

AutoX and Occasional pad choice: AX6 Front and Rear?

Can I clean up my rotors with brake clean and a little elbow grease and keep rolling? (I'm planning to use Centric Premium Brake Rotors, so cost of new is under $300 to replace all four corners.)

My street pads (stock GT500) are fine. Do the XP12 and XP10 play nice with the stock FRPP pads for swaps, or do I need to go wholesale over to Carbotech?

Thanks for your cumulative expertise.
 

Strengthrehab

forum member
Joined
Jun 25, 2013
Posts
4,524
Reaction score
261
Carbotech and gloc suggest ceaning.the old rotors of all.previous material by sanding with 80 grit sandpaper.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 

Speedboosted

Found missing cylinders
Joined
Oct 24, 2014
Posts
948
Reaction score
6
Location
PNW
I've heard that there are no issues swapping pads within the same manufacture, but a nice scrubbing is recommended as he mentioned above when going in between brands. I also DD on the oem GT500 pads with zero complaints and then run Porterfield R4 for track use. I have a dedicated set of rotors though for track use so no firsthand experience. Is that an option for you? I've been DD'ing a pair of Duralast rotors that were only $100 for the pair and they've been great. OEM or centric for the track though.

XP10 seems a little aggressive to me for the rears, especially at VIR where the speeds get a little wild. I would run 8's in the back personally.
 

Norm Peterson

corner barstool sitter
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
Posts
3,615
Reaction score
316
Location
RIP - You will be missed
My guess is that how much you stagger the pad compounds depends more on the tires you're running than on the track you're running at. Grippier tires at least suggest more difference because the rear brakes wouldn't be doing quite as much work.

10/8 and 12/10 combinations have worked out well balance-wise for max performance summer rubber and decelerations up to about 1.0g, though I did manage to crack the front 10's.


Norm
 

SoundGuyDave

This Space For Rent
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Posts
1,978
Reaction score
27
The stagger in brake compounds holds true with the 13" front brakes, but not so much with the 14" kit, at least in my experience. I run Hawk DTC-60 on all four corners; stock rear rotors, 2-piece Girodisc 14" fronts with the Brembo 4-pots, and that seems to work out pretty well in terms of balance. In Carbotech terms, I think that's about an XP-12 all the way around.

I would STRONGLY suggest biting the bullet and setting yourself up with dedicated "track only" rotors. Every time you do the sandpaper routine, you effectively wipe out the transfer layer on the rotor, and will need to re-bed them for max effectiveness... Remember, it's not the pad against steel that makes for great braking, it's pad against a thin schmear of pad material deposited on the rotor that makes the thing REALLY stop.
 

Boone

Automotive Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Posts
320
Reaction score
4
Location
High Point, NC
Thanks for the input guys. I feel the cracked pads are likely my fault because I didn't give the rotors and pads enough attention between changes. Swapping them out like I'm on a pit crew rather than a meticulous wanna be mechanic cost me a few bucks here.

I'm going to pick up the Carbotech 12's all around (good point on the brake bias with the 14" Brembos). New Centric Premium rotors will be dedicated to the track pads to eliminate the transfer layer issue all together. I'll step up to some better rotors sometime in the future if I feel I'm maxing out the Centrics or seeing issues from uneven wear. Also, if I'm getting the ABS involved too early due to rear brake lockup (I'll be running 285/35/19 RE71-R tires by the summer), I'll move to a 12/10 combo. I'll be keeping the OEM GT500 pads for the daily and AutoX, and swapping rotors with pad changes for the road course.

Thanks for the lesson, and good advice from all. I really do appreciate it.
 

Support us!

Support Us - Become A Supporting Member Today!

Click Here For Details

Sponsor Links

Banner image
Back
Top