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Brake Wear Question


sf4018

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I just finished the first track day of the year, the rear brakes I’ve changed one time already and are already half worn, the fronts are on the first set of pads still and about 80% pad left.

 

Is this normal? I would have thought the fronts would go first...

 

Thanks!

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Its only normal if you are trying to induce oversteer to get the car to turn. The weight shifts to the front under braking and the front should wear more. If the brakes are working properly have someone slowly step on the brakes. with the car in the air and someone turning a front wheel and someone else turning a back wheel the fronts should stop first. Racecars have ways of changing that balance and it is sometimes used to get a car to turn better.

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I just finished the first track day of the year, the rear brakes I’ve changed one time already and are already half worn, the fronts are on the first set of pads still and about 80% pad left.

 

Is this normal?

 

No

 

 

I would have thought the fronts would go first...

Thanks!

 

Yes

 

Rule of thumb for me with Caterham track usage is rear pads get double the life of the fronts.

 

Anker likely picked it - your brake bias is off, OR you have different brake pad compound on the front vs rear OR your rear brake is dragging on the caliper. Caterham brakes work pretty well out of the box with the standard master cylinder and even better with the upgraded "race" master cylinder. You normally do not need a proportioning valve unless you are really competitive so my bet is wrongly set up calipers or a master cylinder issue.

Edited by Croc
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Wow, thanks for all the advice, you guys are great!

 

Anker - Fronts locked up last weekend, nice flat spot to prove it!

CarlB - that was a good test, the brake bias seems fine (the fronts were somewhat harder to turn than the rears at different pressures).

Croc - Rears Dragging: rear disc rotates by hand though I do hear noise as they do seem to be in contact, but I can’t see how that wouldn’t happen.

KnifeySpoony - fronts are air cooled discs with quad calipers (the uprated version), rears are the standard solid ones and standard calipers. Rear pads are the uprated ones from Caterham...

https://caterhamparts.co.uk/calipers-pads-discs/668-brake-pads-rear-use-with-4-pot-front-brakes.html?search_query=30B013A&results=1. The picture shows 507CC but they shipped 507CP.

I just discovered I can’t get to the front pads - one of the 2 brake retaining pins is blocked by the cycle wing frame grrr.

attachment.php?attachmentid=18206&stc=1

Maybe add air ducts to the rears?

1D9E15EF-415C-4E47-AB80-F60513AB6D03.jpg

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Caterham sells an uprated rear brake package. I have it on my track-only car. As I recall it includes vented discs. My pads seeem to last forever, front and back. If your Cat is like mine and has a brake bias adjuster, you can play with that and dial in a better balance.

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Caterham sells an uprated rear brake package. I have it on my track-only car. As I recall it includes vented discs. My pads seem to last forever, front and back. If your Cat is like mine and has a brake bias adjuster, you can play with that and dial in a better balance.

I contacted Caterham about the upgraded rear brake package Problem is there's no handbrake and would not be road legal, which after the effort and cost to get the title and tag seems overall a step backwards. I think for now I'm going to try and add some ductwork and see if I can make them last 2 weekends at least, swapping rear pads out isn't the end of the world.

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My '87 Supersprint has been driven hard for over 20,000 miles on autocross courses where it constant brake and accelerate. It is still on its original front pad and rear shoes!

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Anker: I put 10K on my ‘97 Super Sprint, including 5-8 track days a year over a 5 year period. Sold it with the pads it came with. I have owned my track-only Caterham for 5 years and am on the original fronts. The rears got replaced only after I lost the pad when the rear wheel went it own way when the half-shaft sheared off....

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So I researched brake pads some more, starting with the 2 caterham types on offer. The “uprated” pad is a bog standard Delphi 407CP. The “standard” pad is AP racing brand with ferodo material DS25 type material (and more expensive). The descriptions seem upside down. I could not find any AP Racing pads online that I was comfortable with, Ferodo didn’t seem to sell the shape needed. Then I found Pagid racing which sells the right shape in 2 compounds - RS14 and RS42 (shape 1163). I guess it’s going to be a guessing game which compound to use.

 

Has anyone used these pads or have any other pad suggestions?

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