Brake discs - what mark to use?

[Ryo]

Right now i am dealing with dilema of what brake discs to use. I have received positive replies on: AP (AP racing), OMP, Ferodo, CTF, HPR or Zimmerman brake discs.
To choose the right combination between brake disc and pads is a little difficult has anyone some hints for me ?
I was thinking of using mintex 1143 just like Zax uses. I need pads that bite from cold.

[BenR]

I reccomend plain discs, all the fancy grooves and slots just weaken the disc and provide no benefit.

Some plain discs from maxtorque, brembo max, or any other cheap replacements. I do not advocate the use of expensive discs, its the pads you should spend the money on.

If its cold performance you want, run std pads. Mintex 1144 is an old old compound formula and suffers from old technology, requiring heat to get them to work, but they are cheap and still pretty good for light work.

If you can find them, Performance Friction 97 compound is superb.

[Mux213]

[offtopic]
Hey BenR,

You seem to know your stuff, maybe an introduction in the new members area would be cool?
[/offtopic]

[BenR]

Sorry lol, yes sure

[Ivan141]

I most definately disagree with your comments on Mintex pads. We run them on our track volvo, and it has good bite from cold.
As far as the brake discs are concerned, I couldnt agree more:
Use plain discs, I have recently bought Bradi discs, which are cheap, and I believe bradi is part of brembo so they're probably not bad quality either.

[NoHachi]

Have to agree on the mintex pads..bite is better then stock pads. Probably not that great a track pad, but excellent for light dual use.

[BenR]

Dont be mistaken, i run 1144's on my track fiesta, they are cheap and do the job.........but they are most certainly old technology and there are plenty 'better' around.

But the cheapness makes them a good buy lol.

[NoHachi]

What do you consider "new technology"? I have experience with Ferodo's and some other pads too. None of those pads could be called much better, maybe different, but not better.
Offcourse thats just my experience. Always interested in hearing others peoples experiences, but please provide some more arguments instead of just stating that something is old-tech.

[firehawk]

We were using plain standard Brembo discs on our AE82 endurance racecar and they work just fine. Drilled discs may have better cooling as they have more exposed surface area but as we have quite sizeable cooling pipes from the front bumper, there's been no problems with overheating.

Regarding the pads, we've had very positive experiences with Ferodo DS-series. The DS3000 has an amazing bite and doesn't lose it's character even when it gets extremely hot. The only problem with it was that it wore out completely in four hours of racing and we had to change new pads in the pits (not fun when the brakes are so hot that the paint on the calipers was burning). The DS2500 has similar characteristics but a slightly lower friction coefficent, which helps it to last a bit longer, enough to take us through the full six hours of racing.

[NoHachi]

Cross drilled discs have very little performance improvement. You lose material so there is less heat sink capability...Moreover, the holes provide weak points that can cause failure.
Seems that they may have benefits in very wet environments. But only with cold brakes and the first application of them.

Ferodo pads are great, but need to be warmed up first. Great for track, but less suitable for street.