adrs2k

Just finished my second track day and again was not happy with my brakes. My first event I installed new SS lines, ATE blue (fully flushed and bled the system) 225/45/17 Dunlop Star Specs fron and 255/40/17 Dunlop Star Specs rear. Car was on Oem AP2 wheels, with OEM suspension. The day before the event I swapped in HP+ on all four corners. I drove around and tried to drive semi normal at first to remove the OEM pad material, then I bedded them in. Went to the track and was not very happy. My pedal did not feel very hard and the pads did not have much bite. I have used Carbotech bobcats on the street and loved their intial bite. The Hawks were def missing that. The car stopped ok, but I felt like I had to use a lot of pedal/force to stop the car. Pedal also felt slightly spongy, but I was very confident in the bleeding. After that track day I swapped out the HP+ and put the stock pads back in. Took a few days of my short commute for the OEM material to scrape off the HP+, but my brakes felt normal and my pedal was hard after a few days, which leads me to believe that there were no issues with the bleeding.

This past weekend I did my second track day. This time out there I have 245/40/17 Dunlop Star Specs on the front, and the 255's on the rear. Now using a 9" wheel all around. Also installed a set of Tein RS coilovers. 10K springs all around, 3 clicks from full stiff rebound front, 6 clicks from full stiff rebound in the rear and 7 clicks from full stiff compression all around. Brake setup was the same. Swapped the HP+ in and went out for a drive around town. Pads seemed to have initial bite immediately which was great. I did a couple 50-60 mph to 30mph stops, constant pedal pressure, not to aggressive to heat them up. Did this a few times. Noticed the squealing got worse, but but the initial bite was gone. Went to the track and had the same issues, no initial bite, longer softer pedal, and what I felt were increased braking distances. I could not drive the car hard into all the corners. The car did stop though, but not as well as I would like.

I am thinking perhaps I glazed the pads, or I should move to something more aggressive, and possibly get a different compound for the front versus the rear to move more bias frontwards. What are your thoughts from experience? I am thinking for my next event in the spring I will buy a dedicated set of OEM rotors and maybe move on to some carbotechs. Suggestions for street tires? I plan on sticking with the Dunlops for next year, or maybe moving on to the Hankook RS3's.

chuhsi

I'll guess that the pads were not bedded properly.

After getting the pads up to temp, I do 8-10 hard stops

http://www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

ZDan

I've never had any issues with HP+ at all, even with Kumho VictoRacers/Ecsta V700s. Always got great initial pedal response, better than XP8s or XP10s.

Had the opposite response as far as noise, mine start out loud, then quiet down after a couple of hard days at the track. No loss of initial bite or pad fade issues.

I *did* have issues the one time I used ATE SuperBlue, though. The one time I used it, by the middle of the second day I had a soft/spongy pedal. That was at Watkins Glen in 2007. Bone stock AP1, Kumho VictoRacers 225/245, Carbotech XP8s front/rear. With the same exact setup, using off-the-shelf Pennzoil DOT4, I had no issues over two days of dual-driving the car (little to no respite between stints) at Mosport.

You might try a different fluid.

Still, the HP+ is not as serious a track pad as Carbotech XP8, 10, 12, etc. But I've never had any issues tracking them over the past four years on the S or my much much (~5 seconds/lap) faster 240Z.

adrs2k

I did a couple quick little stabs at the brakes to heat them up, then did some harder stops. Perhaps not hard enough...hmmm

Just went and read the article you posted. I would say that is what I did. I have bed brakes in before and never had trouble, but I am struggling now with something.

ZDan thanks for your post. Interesting. I have a fellow local member who swears by the HP+ so not sure what is wrong with my setup. He runs the ATE as well.

macr88

HP+ are not a track pad imo, you should at least swap out your front rotors as well. Dedicated track pads and rotors is the correct way and one that will give you less headache during your track event.

adrs2k

I got the HP+ for $100 brand new from a local who no longer has a S2000 so I dont mind throwing them away and starting over. I am leaning towards dedicated pad/rotor setup. I do not mind swapping it over and back again. I want the best out of my package at the track, with zero headache.

What pad next? Carbotech XP8 all around?

ZDan

Don't see any reason not to go XP10 if you're going dedicated track pads/rotors.

adrs2k

Been reading through a bunch of posts and looks like a XP10/8 combo is a good choice.

I have used carbotech street pads on a few different Subaru's and loved them.

WynnS123

^^Can't go wrong with that combo. Most people here run that setup.

Orpheus

hi man, actually having similar issues as you, (but i actually do run xp10/8):

https://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.ph...&f=22&t=827434

i did a couple more trackdays since then, and though not as bad as that buttonwillow incident, i noticed that after a few sessions, the brakes would feel spongier and spongier. then i would drive on the streets for a couple days and they would feel normal again.

since that incident, i always bleed before the next track event, and have tried both pressure bleeders and the old fashion 2-man way. i never see any bubbles.

at the last track even, i even asked a fellow member with fancy jdm 4-pot brakes, not endless, the other light blue-colored one, and his pedals were even worse than mine!

so............. i'm starting to think that the heat causes some oem component to get soft, and it's normal for s2000's.