(T) Brake Pad Compounds

Right confusing one here...

Im gonna run uprated pads on standard discs, yes, I know it seems like half an effort, but I cant warrant spending 3x as much on discs, when I cant really forsee such a small car really needing them....plus Im not driving it that hard atm (cos the 1242's real noisy!!)

So, to get to the point, im looking for recommendations for brake pads....particularly if anyone had any experience of Mintex 1144? They seem to cost 2x as much as their competitors, but seem to give the biggest differenmce over OEM in stopping distance.

I have always thought the harder compund pads can ruin the standard discs but some folks on here run that so can't be the case.

Liam

Well..Id think that a higher Coeff. of Friction would def mean that the disc would get hotter, so poss liable to warpage, but thats the only major prob i can foresee

1144 is a reasonable compromise in terms of cold and hot response. It is a proper competition compound so its not great when very cold, but the performance stays reasonably constant through a large heat range. If you do a lot of stop start town driving don't go for a competition compound.

They are also quite noisy.

There is no point in putting a higher performance pad in if you haven't changed your fluid recently. All you will do is put more heat into the caliper and that will boil any water in the fluid. You might also want to consider new flexi hoses. They don't need to be fancy reinforced ones, but the rubber does age badly. When you press hard on the pedal the hoses can expand if old and soft leading to a spongy pedal.

cheers

D

On that note. I have replaced the hoses at the front of mine with Goodridge stainless. I didn't do the back cos it is a biatch to get to. Theres a fuel tank and trialing arm in the way. Does this now mean that most of my braking effectivness go on expanding the rear hoses?

Possibly, if they are very soft, but the master cylinder does not send as much braking effort to the rear as the front, so it is less of an issue.

Cheers

D

I've been very impressed with my EBC Greenstuff pads, they bite hard from cold and I can't get them to fade even on a thrash down the Snake Pass

Apec pads are pretty cheap but very good.

On the subject of Mintex, you definately pay for what you get if you are plannig harsh road or track use.