MHKitchen@aol.com wrote:
>
> Hi All;
>
> Seeing the posts on the Carbotech brake pads triggered a comment I thought
> I'd throw out for any of you using the Porterfield Carbon Kevlar (R4) pads.
> From my experience, I strongly recommend replacing these pads when they
> reach approximately 1/2 thickness. I say this as I've had 2 instances now of
> the pad material completely separating from the backing plate from extreme
> heat build-up on well worn pads. The pads become discolored, with a pinkish
> hue. I've talked to Porterfield and they confirmed that they've seen this
> before. My theory is there's a lot more heat dissipation capability in a
> thicker pad, and on my car the fronts get quite a workout. Other than this,
> I'm very happy and pleased with their overall performance. I get
> considerably longer life, less brake fade, and less overheating to the point
> of boiling the fluid with the carbon kevlar pads, than with the DS-11's I
> used to use. FYI....
>
> Myles H. Kitchen
> Lotus Cortina Mk1 #128
Myles:
You are correct in your theory about thickness of the pad reducing the
head build-up as it acts as a "heat sink". The other problem is the
effectiveness of the bonding of the pad material to the backing plate
and, more correctly, the material (usually ceramic) used to attach the
two. This is not my forte but, if you have the time, Larry Narcus of
Carbotech can describe the differences in lurid detail; it's actually
very interesting!
Personal note: I've used Porterfield, Cool Carbon and Carbotech pads in
my 911s (which also work out the fronts heavily) and have found the most
effective braking combination to be the Carbotech blue compound in the
front and black compound in the rear. You have to be careful of the
modulation with this setup as the blue has a very high coefficient of
friction and modulation must be done fairly precisely. Using the black
compound in the front as well is a good compromise when modulation
skills are still being developed... IMHO ...
Have fun!
*8o)
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