Do I need new brake pads: pic inside

[silver]

this is off the rear brake....not sure if I read this right but due to the atom's unique set up that rear brakes get more of a workout than the fronts? contrary to most cars?

Anywho...I have wilwoods, I've seen plenty of people post what pads they went with on the alcons but I don't recall anything about wilwoods.


If I was asking for 2 recommendations it would be:

1: do I need to replace these or are they still good for a while (7500 miles on car in 4 years)
2: If I were to replace them I'd like to find something that has a lower operating temperature so that they grab harder on the street....might even purchase a seperate set for the track if It would be smart to have a different set that operates at a higher temperature for the track.


What does AAC think?

[bolus]

looks like you still have half the pads there. I wouldnt change them unless you want to try a different compound

[silver]

looks like you still have half the pads there. I wouldnt change them unless you want to try a different compound

okay cool, that's what I figured.

I am thinking if the investment is <$150 that I would go ahead and get new pads, I PM'd Lane for info b/c he has wilwoods and replaced his with hawks and was very happy

[Terry Kennedy]

do I need to replace these or are they still good for a while (7500 miles on car in 4 years)

Based on thickness, they seem Ok. However - you should look at the pad surface to see if there are any deep gouges or chunks missing. Also, check the thickness of the pad for unevenness - take a caliper, measure the pad at 8 points - each of the corners and on the middle of each side. You'll probably find that there is at least a slight bevel. A significant bevel can be worked around by swapping a pad from the other side (if there's an equal and opposite bevel), but beware of different brake reaction until the pads get bedded in again. Also check for cupping, where the center of the pad is either thicker or thinner than both sides. That means that there's either excessive braking force (unlikely on a non-boosted Atom brake cylinder) or the pad is overheating and distorting.

[silver]

Based on thickness, they seem Ok. However - you should look at the pad surface to see if there are any deep gouges or chunks missing. Also, check the thickness of the pad for unevenness - take a caliper, measure the pad at 8 points - each of the corners and on the middle of each side. You'll probably find that there is at least a slight bevel. A significant bevel can be worked around by swapping a pad from the other side (if there's an equal and opposite bevel), but beware of different brake reaction until the pads get bedded in again. Also check for cupping, where the center of the pad is either thicker or thinner than both sides. That means that there's either excessive braking force (unlikely on a non-boosted Atom brake cylinder) or the pad is overheating and distorting.

wow good info, ok I don't have a caliper but I'm sure I can pick one up and check them out more closely.

I just changed the pads and rotors on my daily driver and the atom pads look immaculate to the naked eye versus the pads on the other car...so that's visually a positive.

[silver]

I PM'd Lane from the other forum b/c through a search over there I saw he had previously posted generalities on brake pad upgrades and he has wilwoods all around.

He said he uses DTC-70 Hawk pads and purchased them from HRPWorld

Here's a link for future reference

http://www.hrpworld.com/index.cfm?fo...action=product

It seems currently their website might have a glitch b/c the product number is identical for the DTC30 and DTC70 so you can't purchase ONLY the DTC70's online, I'll probably call them If I decide to go ahead and upgrade.

Nonetheless this was what Lane had to say about them.

Hi Aaron,

Quote from: silver on April 27, 2011, 04:41:32 pm GMT Standard Time
not sure if you are on both forums


Not on the newer forum yet. Sometime soon.

Quote from: silver on April 27, 2011, 04:41:32 pm GMT Standard Time
You mentioned that you went to the hawk pads all around and were happy with the results. I have a few quick questions you can PM me or you can go to my thread on the other forum if you are so inclined.

Do your new pads squeal?

Occasionally, but only under light braking. And it's a very faint sound - barely noticeable. No squealing under moderate to heavy braking.

Quote from: silver on April 27, 2011, 04:41:32 pm GMT Standard Time
Do your new pads work better on the street, track, or both.


I've tried them out on the street, but only use them on the track. For that purpose, they're worlds better than the Wilwood pads that Brammo originally put in the Wilwood calipers for the 'street' package on these cars.

Quote from: silver on April 27, 2011, 04:41:32 pm GMT Standard Time
Do your new pads have an easier time getting up to temp

The events I've done with them probably haven't gotten them very hot. They work extremely well cold or warm, and I haven't noticed any difference in how they work as they heat up. They work extremely well cold and could easily be used for street. But they do make some low growling/grinding noises and put out a TON of dust. I mean, the dust level is amazing. But they work very well. It's easier to get max braking out of the car and can now be done with a manageable mount of pedal effort (with the Wilwood pads, I had to use an extreme amount of pedal effort). But as a trade-off, it's also easier to lock them up if you're not careful.

Quote from: silver on April 27, 2011, 04:41:32 pm GMT Standard Time
What are the models of your pads and do you have a place I should look for purchasing.


These are Hawk DTC-70 pads (HB1200U.480) I'm using on the advice of Mark Swain, as they're the pads that TMI used on AAE cars. I picked them up from HRPWorld for around $70 per axle a few years back. That's an outstanding price for some very good pads that easily take the car's braking to the next level.

Please feel free to post this on the other forum.

Lane

[Gage]

Thanks Silver and Lane.

[silver]

I decided to go ahead and buy the hawk dtc 70's I searched online for a bit and found the best overall deal was


http://www.lpiracing.com/HB100U-480-...-5470p9962.htm

free shipping and $10 off if you become a fan of their facebook page.

They only stock 1 set so they immediately replied stating they would get another set from hawk in a week then ship them. so far so good.

[bolus]

do those replace your front pads too? You want to go new pads all around if you are changing

[silver]

yep, they are the same pads back and front.