Hey guys,

I know carbotech recommends that only their pads be used on the rotors, but I remember reading a post somewhere that it was OK to use the OEM Honda Pads and the Carbotech pads. Can anybody confirm/verify that?

I have tried daily driving the XP10's after a track day, but man I hate sounding like a schoolbus. I would rather spend 45 dollars on OEM pads for DD duty instead of 130 dollars for the Carbotech Bobcats.

Does anybody have any feedback/confirmation on whether OEM pads are OK to swap with Carbotech pads?

 

Just by a second set of cheap rotors for the street. Then carry that set to the track as back ups. Eventually your gonna crack a rotor and it would be a piss poor way to end your day simply cause you didn't have spares....


-Rob

 

This is what I do. Swapping rotors and pads is really pretty easy.

 

do what rob says

i called carbotech a while back to ask the same question. they said it was fine.

 

Ok, I went ahead and ordered a set of OEM pads.

I'm just afraid of wearing out and stripping bolts if I start swapping everything. Especially the caliper bracket mounting bolts since those are torqued pretty high in the front, and you gotta get the bracket off to get the rotor out, right?

 

Replacement calipers are cheap but realistically the bolts will get messed up way before the brackets.

The carbotech pads are already finicky enough to get to bed in just right for some of the street pads that I would never mix compounds.

 

i used to swap pads when i didn't do a lot of track, but now the car is more track dedicated, i just leave the track pads on for the street. i didn't get that much noise from carbos on the street anyways.

i agree with rob.ok, definitely bring spare rotors and pads to the track. it would suck if the rotors crack on the first session and you can't drive home.

 

For some reason mine are pretty noisy on the street. They are fine with moderate braking, but if I try to creep around in a parking lot, ooh boy.

I got the prebedded pads and they have one track day on them. They didn't squeal at all before the trackday, but now they do. Maybe a second trackday makes things better, but I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the OEM pads. going to meets is embarrassing!

If the rotor cracks you can still drive home though, right? I mean with the exception of a physical chunk breaking off the rotor, all you'll get is increased noise and vibration.

 

I agree it's best to have spare rotors at the track.

I would not use the OEM pads and switch to the Carbotechs. The word form Carbotech is that this is a bad idea because of dissimilar pad material. The bedding process is very important and using different material is not advised.

http://www.ctbrakes.com/faqs.asp#bedding2

also read #6

At first I just ran the XP10/XP8 combo all the time. I am mostly street and didn't like the noise and lots of pad dust. I spoke to Carbotech about this issue. They told me that although the carbotech street pads are more money than OEM they will last over three times the life of the OEM's.

I now switch to the Carbotech street pads for daily driving and take an extra set of rotors to the track. I like the street pads no noise and normal break dust, about the same as OEM or less.
It's a lot quicker and easier to just swap out the pads and not the rotors the day before a track event and have the extra rotors if I need them.

 

Based on chuhsi's statement, I have a feeling the Carbotech's warning is more for those with organic brake pads, or other "economy" pads.

the S uses relatively high performance pads, so maybe the material difference in the pads are small enough to be OK with using OEM and XP10 on the same rotor.