The stock pads are damn good. Just go to Mazda, show them that your brakes squeal, and get new pads.

 

Stock pads are great but i was finding that I was getting just a little hard pedal fade as I was driving harder and late braking turn 10 at RA. I am assured by DPE that changing the pads are going to make a world of differance. both in initial bite and in NO FADE AT ALL. I am going to be running carbotech panter 8's up front and bobcats in the back. will change to bobcats in the front for the street when they get some more in. I also should be getting my recall done next week. I also have got to get a alignment done. WHat does Grand Torismo charge and how long does it take them to do it?
Old impatient dragger

 

oh yea it would be great to meet up here in Macon. Can we convoy?
OD

 

Macon is about 2 hours for me. A little out of the way, but we I can swing it, I'd love to convoy there.


The HP Plus pads are great too.

 

Excuse my ignorance. Who is DPE?

 

$85 and about an hour

 

Sorry Val, that sounded really funny the first time I read it. Then I read what it was about. HAHA!

 

one of the vendors on the forum, Driven Performance Equipment.

http://www.dpeweb.com/Default.aspx

 

val,
spoke with charlie today--hope your springs get worked out. Thanks for the GT info I guess I will be making an appointment.
It would be great to convoy from Macon. Lets try to do it if possible. Lot of things to get done before the rtack day
1- get recall done (anyone notice any differance with the r flash? its suppose to lean her out til 6k instead of the n to 3 k)
2- get alignment done.
3- get pads on.
plus the usual stuff.
17 days and counting. Man I hope the weather stays like this!
olddragger

 

Are the bobcat pads better than the HP Plus or HPS?

 

Debate about brake pads verges on the religious sometimes, so I'll steer clear of better/worse comments, but the HPS is an aggressive street/autox pad, somewhat like the Carbotech Bobcat or Axxis Ultimate. The HP Plus is a track-oriented pad, much like the Carbotech Panther+ or the XP8. We advocate the XP8 for the track because they have a little higher upper end of their operating temperature range than the Panther+, making them more fade-resistant ultimately.

We have used, and use daily, Carbotech's stuff on a number of vehicles in all kinds of conditions, and we know the products to be high quality. I run Bobcats front and rear daily, and Bobcats rear with Carbotech race pads up front (e.g. XP8) on track. We can say from experience that the Carbotech stuff (when using the right pads for the conditions) deliver fade-free braking without horrible dusting (there will be dusting, but Carbotech's stuff seems to be not too bad), and they offer good wear along with excellent pedal modulation and feel characteristics.

If you're looking for track pads, the HP+ or the Carbotech XP8s are both good choices, and we happen to like (and sell) the XP8s specifically for the RX-8 because we believe in them and know they work great from first-hand experience. If you're looking for an OEM replacement pad with the characteristics that make a good street pad but with increased fade resistance for when you go carve some mountain roads, I'm sure either HPS or Carbotech Bobcats would treat you well, but can tell you from experience the Bobcats are terrific.

I've had good luck with the OEM pads and have had them on mountain roads and on track and they have performed admirably, but they will fade when driven extremely hard. I have had no such issues with the Carbotech stuff. Wish I could offer some first-hand insights on the Hawk pads, but I just don't have the experience with them that I have with the Carbotech stuff. There seem to be plenty of people who do have experience with them, and I'm sure a search would unearth plenty of posts on them.

I'm certainly looking forward to hearing how everyone does at Roebling Road. Looks like it should be quite the fun time! Plus, I hear olddragger will be there, and from what I understand, he's the man.

- Craig

 

DPE,
how is brake squeal with the Bobcat pads. I know that people complain about the hawks when they are cold, that they squeal really bad. I ask because I am in need of new pads in the next couple months. I would like something a little more aggressive, but don’t want to put up with the screech.

 

OMG....Olddragger has been brown nosing again.......:D

 

Nabil,

We still on for the 13th?

 

he he !!!
My pads just came today. Look great. Great price fast shipment. DPE is good guys and I believe they speak with straight tongue. If you need anything please consider them. Very responsive to any question you may have. This is the ONLY vendor I have publicy supported other than Charlie (who is now family not a business.)
Good printed advice came with the pads concerning bedding them in etc.
Nabil i will let you know when I am coming up for the alignment, and yes I will be glad to bring the rims dude. It probaly will be on weds or thursday of next week. Ill holler ok?
Trying to find some royal purple 5/20. Pep boys doesnt stock that wgt anymore.
olddragger

 

OD, what alignment setting are you going to go with?

 

Going with what Val has said and I will speak with the people there at the shop. I will let you know what I end up with. The wheels I have now are a 35 offset and I dont think that will matter but we will see.
OD

 

I HAVE BEEN WATCHING SOME OF THE VIDS AND i THINK THEY OUGHT TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE TRACK TO "hOT tIRE tRACK"!
OD

 

OD,
Went to Gran Turismo today to get my car aligned again after swapping out my rear springs. Rear camber is now -1.5 and re-adjusted the front to -1.5 as well.

I know you are the man, but Jeff is the man at GT.

 

That's a good question. This seems to be at least a little bit related to the quality of the install job. I can tell you that with thousands of miles using Bobcats on a WRX, I had basically no squeal. I used a lot of anti-squeal grease on those, and it showed. On the RX-8, I drove for maybe 1-2K miles and had no squeal, and then after some extremely hard braking on them a little squeal showed up. It's not always, but it appears now and then. It's much less than a lot of aggressive pads even when they do squeal, but I do get it occasionally. This could be due to one of three things, I'd wager: 1) not NEARLY enough anti-squeal grease (ran out before I got all the pad backs and shims slimed); 2) bent shims (bound to happen when you're all thumbs like I am and you change your pads a lot, and it has, in fact, happened to me on my RX-8 in the right-front); 3) pad composition. I think it's a combo of 1 & 2 in my case. But, that said, I even got some squeal on my OEM pads.

So, I'm not going to say you'll never get squeal with Bobcats. I didn't in the past, but I do now on occasion. But, I'd say that if you get the pads on there right with good shims and ample anti-squeal grease, you will probably not get much, if any. Pretty sure my problem is lack of anti-squeal on there, and I'll know for sure after I swap pads for the track next time and then swap back, as I'll get them good and slimed next time. Given that I didn't have any squeal for the first couple thousand miles, I'd say that it's largely a function of insufficient grease and also potentially from bent shims. But, I'd hate to tell you that you'd never get squeal and mislead you. My vote is always going to be for better pads and accept the possibility of some squeal, but I recognize that not everyone is like-minded in this regard.

- Craig

 

^^thanks for the response. I am just trying to avoid the banshee scream of really aggresive pads, that are cold. THe occasional squeal I can handle, my OEM pads do that. I won't be replacing them myslef, brakes I do not mess with. Bad experience.

Again, thanks for the response.

 

For the idiot's sake of asking.....thoughts as to what this is going to do to tire wear?

 

good ?, i would like to know too, I am in need of an alignment.

 

My rear camber is -2.0% and I don't see any issue with unusual tire wear. The fronts are about neutral though.

 

wouldn't that be kind of like driving day 1 with DSC turend on, then day 2 with it turned off. I would think it would be a different track with those really sticky tires. your turn in speeds and braking points would be different, I would think, but I am not expert, as we all know.