[PLF69]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

I just found this today and even though it is major expensive, and only a handful of die hard track rats will ever purchase it, it is the best existing solution to the brake/pad conundrum for these cars. As such it is a very interesting read, and painfully tempting. Only the fronts are available right now, but they are working towards making the rears as well.

https://www.essexparts.com/now-shipp...he-bmw-g80-g82

I had full kit front and rear on my M2, one my track buddy too, we had the 18mm calipers and still had to swap pads and ended up cracking rotors after two seasons.

You can brake like a mofo but the wear is still proportional to your usage/driving, when you have a kit like that you drive harder wich accelerates wear so unless you really need absolute max performance your just spending a huge amount of $$ to gain some confidence.

Most ppl would be better served investing in private sessions with a good instructor or ex series driver.

[Boomer 2019]

The perfect brake pad and rotor is a Unicorn. No one has ever seen one, nor are they ever likely to. That said, I think what you really lacked was sponsors. Lots of sponsors.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

The perfect brake pad and rotor is a Unicorn. No one has ever seen one, nor are they ever likely to. That said, I think what you really lacked was sponsors. Lots of sponsors.

The perfect brakes are Carbon Ceramics like the ones on my CSL, the only caveat is the running cost

[silvermanor]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

Many of us G80/82 drivers who are determined to track our cars have been struggling (in my case since last May) with the complete inadequacy of the OEM brake pads on a racetrack. The stopping power is sufficient for occasional HPDE use, but the rears literally melt in a day or two at most. Over a period of 9 track days with BMW OEM pads I have never had a set of rears last more than a singe day, and dozens of others have reported similar experiences over the past year. Starting last summer some brake pad manufacturers began introducing their own line of pads for these cars. However as it turned out, every one of these offerings has been a street pad (despite some manufacturers claims otherwise) with little if any improvement in performance, and most importantly longevity over stock. The route I decided to take was to send off my worn pads to a reputable manufacturer of track pads in the hope that they could make real honest to God racing pads for these cars.

From the first day with these pads in early January I have been ecstatic with their performance and reported as such in the "Brake temps, rear accelerated wear and power reduction on track" thread, post # 16. At the time I did not identify the company because I had only the one day of experience, and wanted to wait for more. Well, I have now finished track day # 8 with plenty of compound remaining, and I am fully convinced that these pads are the real deal. I have confidence that the rears will last a minimum of 10-11 days, and possibly longer, and the fronts much longer than that (larger pads / thicker compound). There are no other pads available for our cars at this time that can come close to matching the performance and longevity of these pads.

The manufacturer of these pads is Cobalt Friction Racing Brakes. https://www.cobaltbrakes.com They have been making race pads for racing teams and individuals alike for over 20 years, and are widely known and respected in the Sport and industry. They have now added pads for the G80/82 to their XR line of racing pads. Even given that not everyone has identical experiences on a track, just too many variables, I cannot imagine anyone being disappointed with these pads. Also, they are an American company located in Ann Arbor, MI. so fast delivery, and no overseas shipping issues. Oh, and they are livable on the street as a daily driver. I leave them on. Very little and infrequent noise. Oh again, I forgot to mention that these pads do not require any bedding. You can mount a new set and go directly onto the track. They also have the lowest fully operational temperatures in the industry, 100F for the fronts, and even lower for the rears.

Front Pads total thickness: 19.5mm / backing plate 4.5mm / compound 15mm
Rear Pads total thickness: 17.2mm / backing plate 4.5mm / compound 12.7mm

Total Compound Usage To Date: 10 days / 22.5 hours / 1,380 miles

Front Left Usage: 3mm Front Right Usage: 5mm

Front Left Remaining: 12mm Front Right Remaining: 10mm

Rear Left Usage: 11mm Rear Right Usage: 11mm

Rear Left Remaining: 1mm Rear Right Remaining: 1mm

Hope this helps someone.

Addendum: I have now used up the rear pads from this set. There is still plenty of meat left on the fronts. The final total for the rears was 10 Track Days - 22.5 Hours - 1,380 Miles. This is track time and distance only, and does not include the street driving. I will continue to update the usage of the front pads as time goes by. Judging from the current rate of wear on the fronts, I fully expect to see 20 or more Track Days from these pads.

Any updates on these? Wondering in particular about how much faster these wear rotors out. Otherwise very tempting.

[Boomer 2019]

I am still using the Cobalts, and am quite happy with their performance. My usage (number of track days) has gone down over nearly 2 years of use, but I think this is due to improvement in my driving. I am driving faster; braking later and harder; cornering faster, and otherwise using the pads harder than I did when the car and the pads were new to me.

I am now getting between 8 - 10 track days from the fronts, and between 6 - 9 Track days from the rears.

[ash4390]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

I am still using the Cobalts, and am quite happy with their performance. My usage (number of track days) has gone down over nearly 2 years of use, but I think this is due to improvement in my driving. I am driving faster; braking later and harder; cornering faster, and otherwise using the pads harder than I did when the car and the pads were new to me.

I am now getting between 8 - 10 track days from the fronts, and between 6 - 9 Track days from the rears.

Do you do any street driving with these? I'm lazy and not keen on swapping back and forth with street and track pads. How are the noise levels on street?

[Boomer 2019]

Yes, I use them exclusively, street and track. The only time you will hear them is when slowing down at low speeds. They will squeal, but not horribly. Damn sure not enough to get me to start swapping pads again. Your tolerance may vary.