Quote:
Originally Posted by TrackClub
Before you fully surrender, just what is your definition of a "race pad"? Higher mu?
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At its most basic, it doesn’t matter. It could be any pad that has a higher coefficient of friction at a given moment in the braking event, all else being equal. The higher torque pad will decelerate the car faster at the same pedal pressure, creating more heat and a shorter stopping distance. The natural compensation is to then brake later to execute the corner in the theoretical fastest line. That results in higher speeds before braking. Again, more heat. I can guarantee that when people switch to race pads, they are braking later because they can decelerate faster at a given pedal application, to achieve the optimum speed at turn in for the theoretical best line. With OEM pads they are, carrying less speed, braking earlier and decelerating at a slower rate. Thus less heat. Throw in any of the infinite number of variables and the results are different. But the basic principle is the same.