Where do people buy their track pads?

[02rsxpilot]

You can do without rotor swapping as long as you pay attention. Like Ginger has mentioned, a good race pad will actually clean a rotor when cold. So to bed in the race pad, swap it in, do some normal street driving for an hour or a day or whatever you want, then follow the manufacturer's bed in process to get them hot and apply a transfer layer.

Swapping back to street is a little trickier. Some guys like to swap in a different, even harder track pad and use that cold to scrub off the old track pad's transfer layer, leaving a clean surface to re-bed with your street pad. But I've found you can just use the existing track pads for another day or so, drive them cold, and they'll scrub off their own material after a while. Then install the street pads and bed them in and you're back where you started.

[Klepper1]

Originally Posted by 02rsxpilot

You can do without rotor swapping as long as you pay attention. Like Ginger has mentioned, a good race pad will actually clean a rotor when cold. So to bed in the race pad, swap it in, do some normal street driving for an hour or a day or whatever you want, then follow the manufacturer's bed in process to get them hot and apply a transfer layer.

Swapping back to street is a little trickier. Some guys like to swap in a different, even harder track pad and use that cold to scrub off the old track pad's transfer layer, leaving a clean surface to re-bed with your street pad. But I've found you can just use the existing track pads for another day or so, drive them cold, and they'll scrub off their own material after a while. Then install the street pads and bed them in and you're back where you started.

This is the exact procedure I use. I swap to my track pads the weekend before the event, and drive with them for the week (and put up with all the stares from other drivers because of all the louds squeaks and squeals!). By the end of the week, my rotors look perfectly clean! I then bed the track pads right before I head to the track. After the event, I leave the track pads in for a few days while I drive on the street, and because they stay cold and in "abrasive" mode, they clean off their own transfer layer and I am left with a nice clean rotor again. I put my street pads in and bed those again and I am back to where I started!

[dcaron9999]

speed-freaks.net ...

Finally settled on Carbotech Xp10 front and rear pads for my 135i.
Got a 10% rebate.
Nice people to deal with!

[Groundpilot]

Originally Posted by dcaron9999

speed-freaks.net ...

Finally settled on Carbotech Xp10 front and rear pads for my 135i.
Got a 10% rebate.
Nice people to deal with!

Can you give us some feedback on Carbotech pads?

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

Can you give us some feedback on Carbotech pads?

I will let you know as soon as I get them, and install them. Taking forever to get them.

Carbotech does not carry the 135i fitment on their shelves, so needed to "cook" a set for me. I ordered these about three weeks ago, and should be getting them delivered here in Canada by this week.

Will get chance to test them on the track by end of April, but will drive them on the street a little before then, to clean off my rotors, and test their cold "noise level".

[BMWbab1]

Knsbrakes.com hands down the lowest prices and best support. Have to call and talk to ken to get good pricing. Usually 20%+ off retail

[Groundpilot]

Originally Posted by BMWbab1

Knsbrakes.com hands down the lowest prices and best support. Have to call and talk to ken to get good pricing. Usually 20%+ off retail

20 percent would be great. Thanks for the heads-up

[jafo1701]

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

Can you give us some feedback on Carbotech pads?

I ran the Carbotech XP 10 pads last year on my 135i. They worked great. No brake fade and good brake torque. I was also running some dedicated rotors for the Carbotechs. I had Stoptech Street performance pads in the rear.

[dcaron9999]

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

Can you give us some feedback on Carbotech pads?

When I installed my CT XP10 pads about 1.5 months ago, Ive also installed 0.5mm Titanium Heat shields from Hardbrakes.com (to protect my calipers pistons and boots, and F30 Retrofit Brake Cooling dust shields.

As I visit the track as often as once a week with my dual duty 135i, I want to avoid switching between street and track pads/rotors on a weekly basis.

I finally settled on Carbotech XP10 front and rear pads on my 135i, because PFC are still not available and may never be for the BMW 135i caliper.

I have absolutely no screeching noises on the street so far. I cleaned and then used copper paste on all pad contact points, both surfaces of the Titanium heat shields, and guide pins.

Did three days of tracking and street driving on my XP10 pads.

The minor inconveniences with the Carbotech's, if you are willing to accept them are:

#1 - CT XP Pads move around when cold, as they are smaller than street pads. This design allows plenty of room for the endurance XP pads to expand under extreme heat at the track.
(a) So any time you change direction with the car (forward to reverse, or reverse to forward) you will hear a slight clunk sound as the pad slightly moves from top to bottom of the caliper. This will only happen once after you change direction.
(b) when you drive over bumps at slow speeds, you occasionally hear the brake pads rattling around.

#2 - CT XP Pads are a little abrasive to the rotors when cold (street use), with a hidden benefit that they will clean deposits off your old rotors. You only will need to bed them just before hitting the track. When you are done at the track and drive them on the street again, you will automatically scrape off the pad transfer layer. Surprisingly, the pads work well on the streets, without any transfer layer or bedding process required, until you hit the track again.

#3 - CT XP Pads are dusty. About the same or a little dirtier than OE street pads. The difference is the dust is sticky and abrasive, so hard to remove off of the rims without burring micro scratches in them. That what's happened to mine. That convinced me to buy special wheel cleaner and wheel sealant.

#4 - CT XP wear sensor cutout is wrong. Not molded properly to hold OE sensor, so you must secure your sensor cable out of the way. No problem for me as I check pad thickness very often because I track my car.