The stock single piston calipers, rotors and drum units, though adequate for the street, are insufficient for high speed and racing applications. A large increase in stopping power can be achieved through the use of these brake pads however. I chose compound 83 which is a street compound and does not require high heat content to effect good brake binding.
The purpose of a brake system is to convert motion to heat and disburse the heat. Brake fade comes about from the vaporization of friction materials into gas. The gas is trapped between the pad and the disk and this creates a sort of air hockey effect. This in turn reduces the friction causing increased stopping distances. To combat this, manufacturers will carve slots into the pads or rotors to allow the gases to escape. In a more radical application the disks are cross drilled to allow continuous venting and cooling. Cross drilling has two side effects. First it weakens the disk making it subject to cracking. Secondly it reduces the mass of the rotor which decreases its ability to absorb heat.
By using a brake material that does not produce gas upon heating (called outgassing) one can reduce brake fade. These pads do just that. Under normal driving the pads wear the rotors at the same rate as any normal pad. However, as I found out from a recent excursion to the race track, the increased fade resistance allows a heat buildup in the rotors high enough to begin to melt the rotors. In other words the rotors melt on the surface enough for the pads to begin stripping the iron from the disk surface. In a very short time, the rotors can become very scarred. The cost of these pads should be about $50.
Performance Friction, Clover, South Carolina 29710 USA (803) 222-2141 (800) 521-8874 Fax: (803) 222-2144 www.performancefriction.com