What brake pads/rotors for ChumpCar?

We're currently prepping an ex-Spec Neon for ChumpCar and it's time to focus on the brakes. Keep in mind that the budget is a key factor here. I was considering Hawk HPS pads thinking they'd have decent bite and longevity. Am I going to regret not using an actual race pad (keep in mind the tires aren't race compound either)? Is there a cheaper or better option I should consider? When it comes to rotors I really haven't decided whether I should spend a little more or if it's fine to use a generis auto parts store brand rotor. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

Hmmm, anyone know how to edit a title so you don't look like a total tool who can't spell?

Riley_88 wrote: Hmmm, anyone know how to edit a title so you don't look like a total tool who can't spell?

Mod Squad to the rescue!

Thanks!

HPS pads will not last anywhere near long enough. Brake wear in endurance racing is like a whole other dimension as to what is typical on the street, or even a spirited track day.
We have run an extremely lightened E30 in about a dozen chump races. It is somewhat dependant on the track but think of the HT10 or Blues as a minimum starting point. At Road America we are down literally to the backing plate on the front brakes by the time a 7 hr race ends. We replace the front pads for day 2. At Gingerman last year we decided to take advantage of open track time on friday for about an hour. Did not change pads. About an hour before the checkered flag on Saturday running 3rd place, complete brake failure, had to pull the e brake and downshift to keep from a header into a wall, front wheel well in flames. Dont guess on pads...too many bad things if a failure occurs. We did redeem ourselves with a 3rd place finish on Sunday. We are switching to Performance Friction 8 compund for next weekends World Racing League race at Brainerd, heard they last much longer than HT10s, we'll see.

We ran Portorfield R4-E enduro pads on the front of the Civic and usually got 2 races out of them. For rotors we ran Centric or Autozone. The Centric rotors didn't warp near as fast as the Autozone rotors. The rear pads and rotors were whatever was on it when we bought the Integra brake conversion and they have lasted 3 races with no signs of wear. Keep in mind the Civic weighs pretty close to nothing.

I did spend a fair amount of time cobbling together a brake duct system to keep them cool. It helped a lot.

HPS won't last more than a couple of stints … get actual race pads ….

Toyman01 wrote: We ran Portorfield R4-E enduro pads on the front of the Civic and usually got 2 races out of them. For rotors we ran Centric or Autozone. The Centric rotors didn't warp near as fast as the Autozone rotors. The rear pads and rotors were whatever was on it when we bought the Integra brake conversion and they have lasted 3 races with no signs of wear. Keep in mind the Civic weighs pretty close to nothing. I did spend a fair amount of time cobbling together a brake duct system to keep them cool. It helped a lot.

This. The Porterfield R4E's worked great. Don't confuse them with the R4 or R4S!

HP+ might work better. New oem rotors and pads bedded in.

A lot will depend on how hard the course and the drivers are on the brakes.

We had Carbotech XP8 on our cars, a Civic and an S10 (with a boat mounted on it). So a light and a heavy vehicle. Both experienced uneven pad transfer so they would end up shaking under braking.

We switched to Raybestos ST43 and have had great luck with them for one race. No pad transfer, good wear, great braking performance. We switched at the recommendation of Chris Overzet who has run about a half dozen cars in a dozen+ races (so 50+ car / sessions). He uses the ST43 and recommends it which says a lot.

Oh, I forgot to mention: do not run street pads. I know budget is an issue and I know you're not running race tires but you will burn right through the pads or get major fade or set them on fire. A Neon is fast enough on a road course to absolutely require race pads.

We use Raybestos ST-43 from Porterfield on our 3000lb SHO.

Out of sheer desperation we ran street pads on our ThunderTerd, IIRC they were some kind of Performance Friction Z rated? that actually lasted all weekend (keep in mind there was a lot of pit time in that) and were good until maybe the third or fourth lap (!) at which point they'd start acting greasy. They never went away entirely, though. But yeah I'd stay away from street pads unless you have absolutely no other choice.

vented (not to be confused with slotted) rotors are your friend, bendix or brembo blanks will be fine.

don't underestimate the power of brake ducting, get some type of ducting from the front bumper into the backside of the wheelwell even if i meaning homedepot racing dryer ducting.

What fluid are you runnning?

Thanks for the input, this is exactly what I needed! I'll start pricing these options and see what we can do.

As for brake fluid, I hadn't decided. I figured a DOT 5 synthetic but hadn't looked into it yet. Any suggestions on that?

We had geat success with the Valvoline Syn Power DOT 4 in the Civic, we bled the brakes at the end of each day and always had a good pedal etc. I'd avoid the silicone DOT 5, they are not compatible chemically and to go from one to the other involves having to replace every bit of rubber in the system.

Now, 5.1 is compatible with the other fluids.

Riley_88 wrote: Thanks for the input, this is exactly what I needed! I'll start pricing these options and see what we can do. As for brake fluid, I hadn't decided. I figured a DOT 5 synthetic but hadn't looked into it yet. Any suggestions on that?

I wouldn't go there … it doesn't mix well with DOT 4 or 3 (IIRC) … you would have to have a totally virgin system … again IIRC DOT 5 never gives a firm feel … go with the highest wet temp DOT 4 you can afford ATE, Motul, others like that …

do some google research about DOT 5 (I've been wrong before, but the above is some of what I remember reading about the "horrors" of 5