Starndard Pads and brake fluid for track use?

[baz171]

As per title,

How do the standard pads and brake fluid hold up on the track?

I normally attend 5+ trackdays a year and so will be the case this year in my F80.

I could really do with some info of people who have been on the track with standard brake set up and also with uprated pads as well as the brake fluid.

What are the options for upgrading?



On my previous car (911 C4S) I changed over to Mutol RBF600 and I ran EBC Yellowstuff (already fitted when I bought car) and Ferrodo DS2500. I had very little issues in all my outings, just had to bleed the fluid once in a while to gain a sharper pedal feel.

Baz

[CanAutM3]

there are plenty of discussions on the topic...

Based on my expereince, the stock pads are inedequate for track use. A relatively slow beginner may be able to do a few events with them, but as soon as he picks up some speed, they will be insuficient. They will not be able to sustain the heat from track use and will smear pad deposit on the rotors that will result in brake shudder. Further, the pads will also eventually fade if enough heat is put into them. There are several good options for track pads, I liked the PF08 on my E92 (they are not yet released for the F8X though).

I tracked my E46 and E92 at the rate of 18~20 days per year with stock fluid without any problems. I flushed the fluid once a year in the spring at the beggining of the season. I went that route because brake fluid is part of the paid maintenance program, so I only neded to pay one out of every two flushes. That being said, if you want to play it safe and don't mind spending the extra money, Castrol SRF is a good option.

[atermechi]

H

[MasterP]

Stock hardware is inadequate.

I concur with everything CanAutM3 said.

Stock pads disentegrate and smear deposits. There's plenty of potential in the stock system, but the pads are overmatched.

[Racer20]

They will last a track day with smart temperature management. I ran them last year because I didn't have time to get track pads. I bedded them carefully before hand and didn't go balls to the wall into the braking zones, and I made sure to brake hard and fast, rather than softer and for a longer period of time to keep temps down. They made it through 4 sessions and had no adverse issues afterwards, but I was only driving at 80-85%

If you don't bed the brakes properly and have poor braking technique and don't manage the temps, you'll probably melt them.

So, bottom line is that they won't melt after a couple laps like some OEM brake pads, but if you do 5 track days a year, you'll want track pads regardless of how fast you are.

[baz171]

Well the standard pads are no use for the track.

First session out on third lap the soft pedal appeared. I was shocked as the track was unknown to me and it was first time pushing the limits of the M3 so I was been very cautious as I knew the brakes would be the weak point.

I pulled back into the pits to let everything cool down. I did think well the pads must have needed a bedding in but after 4000 miles I didn't expect to have to do it.

So out for second time I ran a quick bedding in. This helped greatly. I managed around 5/6 laps before I felt pedal going soft.

I couldn't improve on the braking with different techniques so was limited to what was possible. Far to easy to cook the standard pads.
I was quite happy overall with the handling but as said coming out of the slower corners putting the power down is a little difficult to gauge and the backend will just overtake the front shall we say!

I've ordered the M Performance pads as they seem to be the only option here in the UK. I can't find any shops who are selling aftermarket parts for the M3/M4.

Also helps with my mate working at BMW for a little discount.

I will hopefully post up a review of the M Performance pads in a couple of weeks.

[gthal]

Originally Posted by baz171

Well the standard pads are no use for the track.

First session out on third lap the soft pedal appeared. I was shocked as the track was unknown to me and it was first time pushing the limits of the M3 so I was been very cautious as I knew the brakes would be the weak point.

I pulled back into the pits to let everything cool down. I did think well the pads must have needed a bedding in but after 4000 miles I didn't expect to have to do it.

So out for second time I ran a quick bedding in. This helped greatly. I managed around 5/6 laps before I felt pedal going soft.

I couldn't improve on the braking with different techniques so was limited to what was possible. Far to easy to cook the standard pads.
I was quite happy overall with the handling but as said coming out of the slower corners putting the power down is a little difficult to gauge and the backend will just overtake the front shall we say!

I've ordered the M Performance pads as they seem to be the only option here in the UK. I can't find any shops who are selling aftermarket parts for the M3/M4.

Also helps with my mate working at BMW for a little discount.

I will hopefully post up a review of the M Performance pads in a couple of weeks.

You might want to consider racing brake fluid too. A soft/spongy pedal is often a sign of overheated fluid. A firm pedal that doesn't stop the car is an overheated pad. If you are driving to the level of needing track pads then you also very likely need a racing fluid like Castrol SRF, Motul 600, etc.

[baz171]

I have been considering replacing the fluid also.

I used Motul 600 in my 996 C4S with DS2500 and Yellowstuff and had no problems.

I have a bottle of normal fluid I was going to use up first but I think I'll order some Motul 600 and hope I can get a complete change before heading back on track.


Can anyone tell me how much fluid the braking system takes? Is 1 litre (1000 ml) enough?

Thanks