[Triton88]

I switched to Cobalt race pads after stock pads only lasting128 track miles and EBC Blue's only lasting 252 track miles. i was daily driving the Cobalts but man are the Loud, like unbelievably loud.

I finally decided to swap them out. Looking at them it looks like i am getting uneven wear on the pad, left to right and top to bottom have a 1/16" difference in thickness. The rears are between 6/16" on the thin side and 7/16" on the thick side. Fronts are 8/16" thick and 7/16" thin. Is this normal variation or should i be worried? This is after ~400 miles of track time plus a few thousand commuting.

I also noticed the fronts have surface cracks and cracking at the backing plate, any issues? Also how low can i wear the pads, iv heard 3-4 mm (2/16" - 3/16")

[r33_RGSport]

Originally Posted by Triton88

I switched to Cobalt race pads after stock pads only lasting128 track miles and EBC Blue's only lasting 252 track miles. i was daily driving the Cobalts but man are the Loud, like unbelievably loud.

I finally decided to swap them out. Looking at them it looks like i am getting uneven wear on the pad, left to right and top to bottom have a 1/16" difference in thickness. The rears are between 6/16" on the thin side and 7/16" on the thick side. Fronts are 8/16" thick and 7/16" thin. Is this normal variation or should i be worried? This is after ~400 miles of track time plus a few thousand commuting.

I also noticed the fronts have surface cracks and cracking at the backing plate, any issues? Also how low can i wear the pads, iv heard 3-4 mm (2/16" - 3/16")

Let me know if you want to give iSweep IS3500 a shot.
I have it ready in stock.

[PLF69]

All this seems pretty normal to me.

[PDOT]

Originally Posted by PLF69

All this seems pretty normal to me.

Normal. Direction of the track can make a difference

[LuvMyE92]

Holy smokes! That's some serious wear, stock pads in 128 miles!!! What's that, like a single weekend track event?

I would be very concerned about the cracks where the pad meets the backing plate. Potential for catastrophic failure there.

FWIW, I've had good luck with performance friction pads. I don't know if they make a set for the G8x platform, but if not, they should be able to. Back in the day, they'd make custom pads...

[PLF69]

This car really needs a kit like this for regular track use...

https://southernbm.com.au/products/s...8x-m3-m4-nzlnm

[Boomer 2019]

Originally Posted by PLF69

This car really needs a kit like this for regular track use...

https://southernbm.com.au/products/s...8x-m3-m4-nzlnm

In my experience it is not the front calipers that generate excessive heat, but the rear calipers. This car is heavily rear brake biased no matter what pads are installed. My car has always indicated higher temps at the rear than the fronts, and my rear calipers looked like charcoal briquets. What this car really needs is rear brake ducting, but it doesn't exist.

As to the pad wear, it looks normal to me. I have been using Cobalt pads since last December. It was my used OEM pads that Cobalt used to manufacture their product, and I served as their test mule, and have used their pads ever since. I have gone through 4 sets of rears and 3 sets of fronts so far (average 10 track days Rear; 15 track days Fronts), and the wear has been consistent. Uneven wear is normal, and a fact of life on heavily driven track cars. The wear difference is much more pronounced on the front pads than the rears on my car. This is due to the greater length and 6 pressure points (pistons) on the front as opposed to the small size and single piston on the rear. As a word of caution, anytime you are below 5mm remaining watch your pads closely while at the track. No matter who made them, they will wear really fast past this point and you could end up with that dreaded grinding metal sound. Ask me how I know.

[PLF69]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

In my experience it is not the front calipers that generate excessive heat, but the rear calipers. This car is heavily rear brake biased no matter what pads are installed. My car has always indicated higher temps at the rear than the fronts, and my rear calipers looked like charcoal briquets. What this car really needs is rear brake ducting, but it doesn't exist.

As to the pad wear, it looks normal to me. I have been using Cobalt pads since last December. It was my used OEM pads that Cobalt used to manufacture their product, and I served as their test mule, and have used their pads ever since. I have gone through 4 sets of rears and 3 sets of fronts so far (average 10 track days Rear; 15 track days Fronts), and the wear has been consistent. Uneven wear is normal, and a fact of life on heavily driven track cars. The wear difference is much more pronounced on the front pads than the rears on my car. As a word of caution, anytime you are below 5mm remaining watch your pads closely while at the track. No matter who made them, they will wear really fast past this point and you could end up with that dreaded grinding metal sound. Ask me how I know.

The caliper is too small to dissipate all the heat, it's a casual trackable car (like 2-4 times a year half days and stuff)