[not.ramos]

Picked up my M2C about a month and a half ago and I've driven about 3,000 miles and just last weekend took it to Thunderhill West. Stock pads are not cutting it and I wanted to check out recommendations from other owners that daily-drive and occasionally track their M2C.

My "tolerance" is fairly high, in other words some squeaking and aggressive bite won't necessarily phase me too much.

I was looking at EBC OrangeStuff, Hawk Ceramic, or anything in that range.

Any useful recommendations and reviews are welcome.

[n8dgr84]

I'm going with Ferodo DS2500.
FCP4712H
FCP1281H

[tux2005]

I think DS2500 are probably about the only more capable street pad that won't die almost instantly on track. The M2 is a pretty heavy car and that seems to result in not really being much of a middle ground for street pads that work on track or vice versa.

I haven't really heard good things about EBCs for F8x cars, I have heard that they wear really quickly.

If you go for the more track oriented pad, the noise can be really bad. The popular choices for track use are PFC 08/11, Pagid RSL29, Ferodo DS1.11, DS3.12, DSUNO. I've used PFC08 and Pagids with my OG M2 and like both for track use but they are unbearable on the street, part of that may be mixing pad compounds between the stock BMW pads and the track pads.

I'm not that familiar with which compounds are available in the pad shapes for the larger M2C calipers though, so not all compounds may be applicable. I've heard some people say that the larger calipers are perhaps a little easier and require a slightly less aggressive pad but I'd look for first-hand opinions there.

One advantage of the DS2500 is that you could try them, if they do leave deposits then just get a more aggressive Ferodo pad and they will then transition nicely. The Ferodo options aren't going to need bedding in each time you switch pads like you will if you're swapping between other track pads and stock/street pads.

[detroitm2]

Any reason you do not want to just swap pads out before track events? That's what I do.

[tropicatango]

I run Ferodo ds1.11 in the street and track. On track they are very good on the street they are quiet 80% of the time

The other 20% of the time they make some noise but it's nothing compared to my old pfc08 on my e46 m3

In the street, they have really good initiall bite, even when cold

[iWayne]

Depends on how fast/hard you are on the brakes. If you're in the faster run groups, I would think you'll need more track focused pads. I swap mine out all the time, it sucks esp w/ the bigger brakes on the M2C. If anybody has any tips to get those pins back in easily, I'm all ears!

[jritt@essex]

The Ferodo DS2500 is arguably the best dual-purpose pad compound available today, and actually has been for many years. They have great street manners, with good cold bite and only a tiny bit of occasional noise on the final roll-up to a stop.

We are typically pretty conservative with our recommendations, but I'll let everyone know that we have had some customers pummel the DS2500 without fading them. A couple examples are two C7 Z06s that rand them on VIR with our AP by Essex Competition Brake Kits. In one case the customer accidentally ran them (he thought he had his DS1.11 installed), and in the other he was in a pinch and didn't realized he had burned up his track pads at his last event. Neither of the owners was able to fade the DS2500, and the C7Z is a very fast vehicle!

With that said, both of these gents were running our complete brake system, which means the system was going to run considerably cooler than an OEM brake setup would.

We've had some Porsche customers really pounding on the DS2500 lately as well. Below are a couple recent reviews from 991 owners and a 992 owner running their cars on both the street and track with the DS2500. They haven't had any fade, uneven pad deposits, etc.

https://www.essexparts.com/boosted-9...ical-brake-kit

https://www.essexparts.com/9912-carr...ing-oem-brakes

https://www.essexparts.com/experienc...essex-road-kit

https://www.essexparts.com/porsche-9...-brake-upgrade


One of the best features of the DS2500 is that it is made from the same core materials as the DS1.11, DSUNO, and DS3.12. That means you can swap amongst all these compounds on the same disc as needed, without having to worry about stripping the material off the discs and rebedding them. You can just pop them in, get them seated, and go. This is a HUGE advantage if you run several tracks, and have one that is a beast on brakes, and others that maybe aren't so bad on brakes. For example, you can run DS2500 at Limerock, and then when you go to Watkins Glen you drop the DS1.11 in. You won't have to do anything special when crossing amongst those compounds.

That isn't the case when switching pad compounds across brands, or even within some other brands. In those cases you run a serious risk of developing severe judder due to pad materials not mixing well on the disc face, or laying down on top of each other in clumps. It can turn your discs into a real mess, and cross contaminate your pads...not fun.

Anyway, the DS2500 is a tremendously versatile compound, and we've sold a ridiculous number of sets across a very wide range of makes and models. We have Porsches, Corvettes, BRZ, Mustang, S2000, M2/3/4, Camaro, STI...all the usual suspects running them successfully in a wide range of usage environment. They aren't the cheapest available option, but they are extremely high quality, consistent, and do things we haven't seen other pads do.

[jritt@essex]

Originally Posted by iWayne

Depends on how fast/hard you are on the brakes. If you're in the faster run groups, I would think you'll need more track focused pads. I swap mine out all the time, it sucks esp w/ the bigger brakes on the M2C. If anybody has any tips to get those pins back in easily, I'm all ears!

That's why you need our Competition Brake Kit. It will shave 40 lbs. of unsprung weight from your car, will enable you to run lightweight 18" wheels, and will make changing pads a whole lot faster and easier. They also eliminate pad knockback, the finish doesn't get trashed, everything near them runs cooler...the list goes on.

[SEAT TIME RULES]

Originally Posted by not.ramos

Picked up my M2C about a month and a half ago and I've driven about 3,000 miles and just last weekend took it to Thunderhill West. Stock pads are not cutting it and I wanted to check out recommendations from other owners that daily-drive and occasionally track their M2C.

My "tolerance" is fairly high, in other words some squeaking and aggressive bite won't necessarily phase me too much.

I was looking at EBC OrangeStuff, Hawk Ceramic, or anything in that range.

Any useful recommendations and reviews are welcome.

First off, there is no true street/track safe pad.

With that said if you can tolerate some squeel and dust I have 3 track pads that can also be used on the street.

Porterfield R4
CarboTech 12's
Raybestos St43's

These 3 pads all will be gentle on your rotors when cold, have good cold bite on the street and will hold up on the track until you start chasing that last couple tenths..

All these pads I have multiple years experience on 5 different cars.

HTH,
HAZMAT

[not.ramos]

After several recommendations, I ended up going through with the DS2500 pads and Castrol SRF fluid. I’ll report back soon regarding my one-take on them.

[PackPride85]

Originally Posted by not.ramos

After several recommendations, I ended up going through with the DS2500 pads and Castrol SRF fluid. I’ll report back soon regarding my one-take on them.

Subbing this thread as I'm curious how these hold up on a heavier car like the M2.

[not.ramos]

Originally Posted by detroitm2

Any reason you do not want to just swap pads out before track events? That's what I do.

Why waste time and money on constantly swapping from street to track pads when I can just have an efficient dual-duty pad?

I'll report back as soon as pads arrive and are installed.

[M090]

Originally Posted by not.ramos

Why waste time and money on constantly swapping from street to track pads when I can just have an efficient dual-duty pad?

I'll report back as soon as pads arrive and are installed.

I'm using endless me20 up front and mx72 rear, with stoptech ss lines and rbf660 fluid.
Done two track days, zero fade. And still able to daily

[detroitm2]

Originally Posted by not.ramos

Why waste time and money on constantly swapping from street to track pads when I can just have an efficient dual-duty pad?

I'll report back as soon as pads arrive and are installed.

It's going to be a compromise between the two. You either have good street pads, or good track pads, but not both. Folks can chime in here all day long and tell you "X Street pads work great in the track!" but it's not likely they are pushing them that hard, or they run on tracks with easy braking zones.

If either of those apply to you, than that's fine. But don't let it make you think that you can beat on street pads on the track and be fine.

Also, someone mentioned brake fade in a previous post. Running proper track pads is less about fade, and more about longevity. Ive seen many people beat through street pads on a single day at the track. "heavy duty" street pads like the Ferodo DS2500 are a bit better, but they will still wear fairly quickly compared to a proper set of track pads. (like the DS1.11). You'll actually end up spending more money trying to dual duty your pads, depending on how many track days you plan on doing. I can make a set of DS1.11s last 15+ days at the track before having to replace them, and that's with some fairly heavy brake zones.

It only takes about 5-10 minutes per corner to swap pads, once you've done it a few times it's extremely simple and can even be done at the track if you'd like. I typically swap mine out before I leave and just deal with the noise for the day.

My 2 cents.

[Saanen]

I agree, DS 2500 are a great starter track pad (and great on the street) but once you start going deeper into the turns you are gonna want/need DS 1.11 or another dedicated track pad. My third track day I literally melted the DS 2500 onto my rotors (it felt like I had warped them) thanks to an excellent instructor who helped me go up a significant notch. Harold at HP had it right, I used the DS 1.11 pads to clean off the DS 2500 material (it took a week!?!)...

[nando_514]

I’m surprised no ones mentioned the Endless MX72! They’re one of the best pads I’ve ever felt, that are truly “streetable”. It’s difficult trying to daily drive a track pad... The screams and howls alone of a Carbotech or Pagid as you pull to the stoplight is enough to make you second guess the decision lol! With the MX72, they’re dead silent, with the occasional sQwEeEeK as you finally roll to a halt. It’s a lot more tolerable... Seriously

On the track, they’re phenomenal! Upon initial pressure, you’ll feel a slight compression of the pad— like you would in any other street pad. But once you bury your foot deeper and deeper, the pad starts to feel solid— like any other track pad. Extremely confidence inspiring stuff when you really lay into braking. The threshold for heat before they drop off the table is extremely high as well! On courses like Lime Rock, where braking isn’t too intensive, I can run the same braking point all day and never bat an eye. On tracks with multiple, high decel zones, the pad will last about 3/4 of the entire 20-30 min session before you start experience fade.

Now, they’re definitely not the cheapest option in the bunch, but I genuinely believe you get what you pay for with these pads. As an option that satisfies both street and track checkboxes, I wholeheartedly believe that MX72 is the one of, if not the best pad compound I’ve ever felt, that can be driven on the street. Hands down

EDIT:
To chime in on detroitm2’s point— he’s right, if you plan on doing more than a handful of track days per year, you may want to entertain the idea of a track pad. I do anywhere between 5-12 track days per year AND daily drive, at its highest, I can easily go through 2 sets of the MX72s throughout the span of a season. However, if you plan on doing a few track days here and there, and some spirited mountain driving, you can definitely make the pads last the entirety of a season

[M090]

Originally Posted by nando_514

I’m surprised no ones mentioned the Endless MX72! They’re one of the best pads I’ve ever felt, that are truly “streetable”. It’s difficult trying to daily drive a track pad... The screams and howls alone of a Carbotech or Pagid as you pull to the stoplight is enough to make you second guess the decision lol! With the MX72, they’re dead silent, with the occasional sQwEeEeK as you finally roll to a halt. It’s a lot more tolerable... Seriously

On the track, they’re phenomenal! Upon initial pressure, you’ll feel a slight compression of the pad— like you would in any other street pad. But once you bury your foot deeper and deeper, the pad starts to feel solid— like any other track pad. Extremely confidence inspiring stuff when you really lay into braking. The threshold for heat before they drop off the table is extremely high as well! On courses like Lime Rock, where braking isn’t too intensive, I can run the same braking point all day and never bat an eye. On tracks with multiple, high decel zones, the pad will last about 3/4 of the entire 20-30 min session before you start experience fade.

Now, they’re definitely not the cheapest option in the bunch, but I genuinely believe you get what you pay for with these pads. As an option that satisfies both street and track checkboxes, I wholeheartedly believe that MX72 is the one of, if not the best pad compound I’ve ever felt, that can be driven on the street. Hands down

EDIT:
To chime in on detroitm2’s point— he’s right, if you plan on doing more than a handful of track days per year, you may want to entertain the idea of a track pad. I do anywhere between 5-12 track days per year AND daily drive, at its highest, I can easily go through 2 sets of the MX72s throughout the span of a season. However, if you plan on doing a few track days here and there, and some spirited mountain driving, you can definitely make the pads last the entirety of a season

I have Me20 in the front , they r phenomenal on track.