Bros. Motorsports Race Pad Review
01-11-2012, 11:30 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Bros. Motorsports Race Pad Review
Intro
I was given the opportunity to test and review the Bros Motorsports Race Pad. I have used these pads utilizing my current setup. Another R&C regular, Jon (jon3501447) was selected as well. Jon's review is available here: https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/919...ke-pad-review/
A little about me. I am a board member on the Speed Ventures S2k Challenge, and typically hit the tracks twice a month (and sometimes more).
Setup
I currently drive a S2000 CR with the following modifications. All other parts are otherwise stock.
17x8.5 non-staggered wheels
255/40/17 Dunlop Z1 Star Specs (220 tread wear)
headerback exhaust and tune
ACT HD-SS clutch and Prolite flywheel
brake ducts
Initial Impressions and Installation
The pads come in the best packaging I have ever seen for brake pads. Not only does the box look nice, but the pads themselves are individually separated inside the package for maximum protection during shipping. The pads themselves come with a nice gold color, which unfortunately won't last with the track duty these pads are intended for.
I did run into some snags with installation. The outer tabs on the front pads were ever so slightly too big, which left me with two options: hammer the pads in or remove the shims. I opted to remove the shims. The pads were also a bit "too thick", and the caliper barely fit over the pads and rotor. For the purpose of this review, brand new Centric rotors and fresh Motul RBF600 brake fluid were used.
At the Track
My first day with these pads was at the Streets of Willow (counter-clockwise), located in Rosamond, CA. This track is often used to review cars by many publications, including Edmunds.com and Motor Trend.
I drove my first session on these pads at the track a bit easy with the intention of bedding the pads. My goal, as with most track oriented pads, was to get the pads to get to the threshold of fading. What I did not expect was for the pads to fade just three laps in. I pulled into the pits and let the brakes cool. The following session presented me with a pad that had great brake feel, and easy modulation. I did, however, flirt with brake fade the rest of the day.
My next two days with these pads were at the Streets of Willow Clockwise, which is a much easier configuration on brakes, and did not run into any issues with the brakes.
Thoughts and Observations
I did notice that every subsequent track day required me to re-bed the pads on the first session. During the course of my testing, I daily drove on these pads. Although the pads are perfectly capable of stopping the car, even when they are cold, it is IMPOSSIBLE to get them to quiet down. They're going to squeal like an angry pig no matter what unless you're braking hard. The pads did come with the recommendation to use a shim and brake grease, but I opted not to do so, since 1. the pads were thick and 2. the grease just burns off with the first heat cycle.
Temperature wise, I would say that these pads are roughly comparable to a Carbotech XP10. However, they offer more bite and better feel/feedback through the brake pedal. They do not have as large of a modulation range as the Carbotechs.
In terms of pad wear, these pads do last longer than Carbotechs. With the amount of driving I did, I used roughly 20% of the front pad, whereas I would have used more than 50% of a set of Carbotech fronts. Additionally, the rotors have NO GROOVING, whereas my usual Carbotech XP12 would have left a "lip" on the outer edge of the rotors by now. These definitely last longer. However, this may be a factor in the lower temperature capacity of these pads.
I personally will not be using these pads at tracks that require heavier braking (Auto Club Speedway, Laguna Seca). However, they are adequate for SoWS (CW), Buttonwillow, WSIR, and Chuckwalla, which do not have extreme drops in speed. Furthermore, for the average few-times-a-year enthusiast, these would be perfect, as their cost is very low.
Look how much pad is left after 6 weeks of street driving and 3 track days!
No grooving on the rotors at all
Conclusion
These pads are suitable for someone who wants to casually do track days, and is willing swap pads and rotors for the track day. For the price, they are a great pad that has enough bite for the casual track day driver as well as excellent pad life, but the tradeoff is that they may take up to a week to arrive, as opposed to picking up race pads at your local shop. I do not recommend daily driving on them due to the noise involved. I also would not recommend these pads to anyone using R-comps or stickier tires (R888, NT01 or stickier)
The pads are available to purchase for $295 shipped (front and rear) here: https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/877...ctory-discount
Disclaimers
Brake pads were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of this review.
All other expenses incurred (track day registrations, fuel, new rotors, etc.) were paid for out-of-pocket.
I was given the opportunity to test and review the Bros Motorsports Race Pad. I have used these pads utilizing my current setup. Another R&C regular, Jon (jon3501447) was selected as well. Jon's review is available here: https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/919...ke-pad-review/
A little about me. I am a board member on the Speed Ventures S2k Challenge, and typically hit the tracks twice a month (and sometimes more).
Setup
I currently drive a S2000 CR with the following modifications. All other parts are otherwise stock.
17x8.5 non-staggered wheels
255/40/17 Dunlop Z1 Star Specs (220 tread wear)
headerback exhaust and tune
ACT HD-SS clutch and Prolite flywheel
brake ducts
Initial Impressions and Installation
The pads come in the best packaging I have ever seen for brake pads. Not only does the box look nice, but the pads themselves are individually separated inside the package for maximum protection during shipping. The pads themselves come with a nice gold color, which unfortunately won't last with the track duty these pads are intended for.
I did run into some snags with installation. The outer tabs on the front pads were ever so slightly too big, which left me with two options: hammer the pads in or remove the shims. I opted to remove the shims. The pads were also a bit "too thick", and the caliper barely fit over the pads and rotor. For the purpose of this review, brand new Centric rotors and fresh Motul RBF600 brake fluid were used.
At the Track
My first day with these pads was at the Streets of Willow (counter-clockwise), located in Rosamond, CA. This track is often used to review cars by many publications, including Edmunds.com and Motor Trend.
I drove my first session on these pads at the track a bit easy with the intention of bedding the pads. My goal, as with most track oriented pads, was to get the pads to get to the threshold of fading. What I did not expect was for the pads to fade just three laps in. I pulled into the pits and let the brakes cool. The following session presented me with a pad that had great brake feel, and easy modulation. I did, however, flirt with brake fade the rest of the day.
My next two days with these pads were at the Streets of Willow Clockwise, which is a much easier configuration on brakes, and did not run into any issues with the brakes.
Thoughts and Observations
I did notice that every subsequent track day required me to re-bed the pads on the first session. During the course of my testing, I daily drove on these pads. Although the pads are perfectly capable of stopping the car, even when they are cold, it is IMPOSSIBLE to get them to quiet down. They're going to squeal like an angry pig no matter what unless you're braking hard. The pads did come with the recommendation to use a shim and brake grease, but I opted not to do so, since 1. the pads were thick and 2. the grease just burns off with the first heat cycle.
Temperature wise, I would say that these pads are roughly comparable to a Carbotech XP10. However, they offer more bite and better feel/feedback through the brake pedal. They do not have as large of a modulation range as the Carbotechs.
In terms of pad wear, these pads do last longer than Carbotechs. With the amount of driving I did, I used roughly 20% of the front pad, whereas I would have used more than 50% of a set of Carbotech fronts. Additionally, the rotors have NO GROOVING, whereas my usual Carbotech XP12 would have left a "lip" on the outer edge of the rotors by now. These definitely last longer. However, this may be a factor in the lower temperature capacity of these pads.
I personally will not be using these pads at tracks that require heavier braking (Auto Club Speedway, Laguna Seca). However, they are adequate for SoWS (CW), Buttonwillow, WSIR, and Chuckwalla, which do not have extreme drops in speed. Furthermore, for the average few-times-a-year enthusiast, these would be perfect, as their cost is very low.
Look how much pad is left after 6 weeks of street driving and 3 track days!
No grooving on the rotors at all
Conclusion
These pads are suitable for someone who wants to casually do track days, and is willing swap pads and rotors for the track day. For the price, they are a great pad that has enough bite for the casual track day driver as well as excellent pad life, but the tradeoff is that they may take up to a week to arrive, as opposed to picking up race pads at your local shop. I do not recommend daily driving on them due to the noise involved. I also would not recommend these pads to anyone using R-comps or stickier tires (R888, NT01 or stickier)
The pads are available to purchase for $295 shipped (front and rear) here: https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/877...ctory-discount
Disclaimers
Brake pads were provided by the manufacturer for the purpose of this review.
All other expenses incurred (track day registrations, fuel, new rotors, etc.) were paid for out-of-pocket.
01-11-2012, 01:14 PM
#3
Thread Starter
The pads are definitely not made for street use; you'd be far better off getting 3 sets of OEM for the same price
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