Upgrading brake pad for GT4RS?

[Vivek]

Hi everyone,

I have a GT4RS that I primarily use on weekends and for track days. I’m considering upgrading the factory brake pads and would love to hear your thoughts or experiences.

Specifically, I’m torn between the Ferodo FCP4664/4665 pads and the FCP Clubsport pads. My car has iron rotors, so I’m curious about performance differences, durability, and overall feel between these options.

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Vivek

[J-Dub]

Asking about brake pads is a bit like asking about ice cream flavors. Lots of right answers, likely anybody that responds has not tried them all and is not an expert in the topic. That being said I have been very happy with the Ferodo 3.12s, I have recommended them to several and they have been happy as well. I put them on for a track day and never took them off, they are mostly squeal free and the dust is no worse than stock. The power is great, they don't seem to overheat, easy to modulate and the cold response is actually good.

Others I have heard positive feedback on but have not tried are Pagid RS-29, Endless MX20, Endless MX72

Welcome aboard the carpokes train!

[rbpeirce]

I agree with J-Dub.

[WillyDaP]

In my past life where I worked I had access to a ton of brake pads, tested quite a few , yet I took J-Dub's suggestion as I wanted to know from a Porsche Road Course Warrior what worked well on a Cayman GTS. So far the Ferodo 3.12s have exceeded my expectations and ironically I have found while Instructing with our local PCA quite a few of the fast drivers found these super pads. I have no problem spreading J-Dub's suggestion to others as I use the pads on the street as well and they do not seem to squeak much at all.

[blueline]

I also agree with J-Dub and WillyDaP.

I've been using the Ferodo DS3.12 pads for three track seasons and will start 2025 on my 3rd set of DS3.12 pads.

The Ferodos are phenomenal but they will wear out OEM rotors in a hurry.

I run Essex/AP Racing two-piece J-Hook rotors - amazing rotors. I just installed my second set of new AP rotors paired with a new set of Ferodo DS3.12 pads. I'm saving the hats off the old AP rotors so that all I have to buy next time are the discs. (Actually, I also saved the rear AP rotors I took off as they still have life left in them.) The new AP discs were burnished at Essex with DS3.12 material before shipping to me - a beneficial move.

A bit of advice to follow whenever possible and if in the budget, is to use new rotors with new pads. Also if possible, don't change pad materials once you settle on what pads you want. It's absolutely fine to install used pads later with the same rotors, assuming they are the same pads - ie: the same friction material. (There's no real harm if you switch to diff brand/type pads on existing rotors but doing so will affect burnish among other things. Rotors like consistent friction material.)

I save my used DS3.12 pads as long as sufficient friction material left. I've gone as low as 3mm but that's not good and I won't go that low again. Best to go no further than the backing plate thickness (5.1mm in the case of the Ferodo 3.12). At less than 5mm of friction material, the bonding material will begin to be exposed as well as the pad edges starting to break down. Just as detrimental will be the diminished heat dissipation that occurs to all pads once they get thin.

[Vivek]

Thanks you J-Dub, rbpeirce, WillyDaP, and blueline. The information is very helpful. I have just ordered the parts!!

Vivek

[Caymanorcarrera]

Boy are you right..........you can easily start a fight talking about pads and rotors and which are the best and what's really needed.

I just spent 90 minutes working through it. I'm a track rat / Instructor with a '18 718 base on 19s. I'm retiring from doing my own work, so am focusing more now on anticipated longevity. HOWEVER, spending $10K on a package with the J slots from AP seems like overkill, AND may not even be available for my car.

FCP Euro and ECS now offer lifetime replacement which is attractive because my volume participation isn't yet diminishing. I can get Sebro and Ferodo in a package from FCP, and can get Rennline with pads of my choice from ECS.

It's still not cleat to me whether GiroDisc is a clear quality improvement or not, but they are apparently not available with lifetime replacement (not dispositive).

The car is scheduled for next week, but season doesn't start until Feb 8th here in Norcal.

Am I overthinking this?

[blueline]

Boy are you right..........you can easily start a fight talking about pads and rotors and which are the best and what's really needed.

I just spent 90 minutes working through it. I'm a track rat / Instructor with a '18 718 base on 19s. I'm retiring from doing my own work, so am focusing more now on anticipated longevity. HOWEVER, spending $10K on a package with the J slots from AP seems like overkill, AND may not even be available for my car.

FCP Euro and ECS now offer lifetime replacement which is attractive because my volume participation isn't yet diminishing. I can get Sebro and Ferodo in a package from FCP, and can get Rennline with pads of my choice from ECS.

It's still not cleat to me whether GiroDisc is a clear quality improvement or not, but they are apparently not available with lifetime replacement (not dispositive).

The car is scheduled for next week, but season doesn't start until Feb 8th here in Norcal.

Am I overthinking this?

Regarding your overthink question, my opinion is that as long as the pondering doesn't interfere with time on track or other fun and/or necessary endeavors, then it's all good!

The 'Lifetime' option is quite compelling but the fine print and the quality of the goods is something I know nothing about. That would be paramount for me. (Lawyering is your profession so fine print won't bother you. )

I like my car to stop when I ask it to and I don't like fade so that's a big prerequisite (among others) and obviously the case for every one of us. For me, since my setup works very well in that and other aspects and since I'm familiar with the particulars of what I've been using, I'll stick with that. However, I know there are many really good and effective options out there, so my 2¢ is to go with what your research and gut tell you to.

Also, imo there's nothing wrong with giving a tryout to what strikes you as favorable and, if necessary, make adjustments from there. I keep detailed logs of pretty much everything of that sort which allows me to make objective, realistic comparisons.

Let us know what you choose and, more importantly, your analysis and perceptions of same after time on track. Hopefully we can build a set of experiences here that others can utilize for there own endeavors. There's nothing like a wealth of individual feedback!

[Caymanorcarrera]

Copy, Tim.

Also,......I found the thread on racing brake upgrades and it seems that thread is more focused on my topic even though this "new" 718 won't be doing any racing. Of course the title here involves 4RSs and my 718 isn't anywhere close!

I'll get settled in on one thread and keep folks posted.

[WillyDaP]

No worries CaymanCarrera, but do get a solid race pad before you go to the track as having Instructed for over 25 years with various groups and tracks I find one of the most common issues that drivers incur is brake fade or loss. This happens less today as most folks are warned about having a high quality DOT4 fluid in the car ( yet still changed often) and brake pads are better than in decades past. My safety lecture when Instructing is to tell everyone, regardless of skill level, that they are fast! Sure many drivers are not super quick, but they also may ride the brakes when beginning, so I push folks to get good pads. No Autozone, PepBoys, or NAPA cheap race pads , get a quality set. Now, after saying that, there are some pads that pretend to be for the track, but they will wear quickly or more importantly they will not take higher temps. That is where " Carpokes " come in and one can scour various threads here because you may be able to help someone from your past experience. Glad you joined and tell your friends about this Forum, it is a great place to share Porsche Passion !