For the 3 of us who still have RX-8's...

[jwalton]

Looking for suggestions on brakes. I've had a 2009 Touring for about 3 years and am tired of the OEM brakes not handling higher temps very well. I'm not tracking the car so don't need to go to those compounds, but I do "enjoy" the car in the canyons quite a bit. I'm not abusive (or stupid enough) to get into fade on the streets, but I'm putting enough temps into the OEM pads/rotors to overheat them and get pulsating. I don't want to turn the rotors again.

Anyway, suggestions on pads? Hawk? Porterfield? Other?

[JustinM509]

2011 RX-8 R3 here! Who's the third? :]

If my research is any indication, you'd likely be happy with the Porterfield R4-1 or Carbotech XP8.

I'd likely be running the Carbotech XP8 myself if I didn't have Racing Brake rotors with their weird pad compatibility issues.

Barring Carbotech (sadly), the Porterfield R4-1 is probably the pad I should have bought in retrospect. Lots of bite and a massive operating temp range. The only penalties are a slight excess of noise, dust, and wear at low temps.

Instead, I chickened out and got the Porterfield R4-S. It's fine, but I don't know how much better it is than stock at high temps; it's supposed to be, but I haven't explored the limits enough to say for myself.

As for Hawk, their only pad that looks decent is the HPS 5.0, and there are better options. Everything else generates way too much noise and/or dust and/or rotor wear for its performance level. I find it hard to see the point of that entire brand, honestly. Their pads would likely eliminate your pad transfer problem, just because they're so abrasive. But that's kind of a silly price to pay IMO.

[Brian]

I am a fan of Porterfield R4-1.

Some notes on it. I use it here in California where temps are warm. It will make a little noise on a cold morning. The bite is great and they have low temperature performance that other race pads can't seem to deliver sufficient for use as your ONE choice for BOTH autocross and track...and I use them on the street.

[JamesP086]

Ordered the R4-1 (Wilwood Superlite 7420 front / Stock RX-8 rear -- Installed on brand new front and rear rotors) based on the recommendation on the website that it is a good "dual use" pad.....that has NOT been my experience at all! First of all I was actually sent the wrong pad shape, so I was hopping perhaps they had sent the wrong compound as well...at least that might explain my experience.

While the R4-1 does provide good initial bite from cold, and fading (at auto X) is a non-issue. It is horrendously loud, it doesn't squeal, it SHRIEKS! -- cold, warm, hot, on track, on the street, in the garage. It's so loud corner workers were complaining. I called Porterfield directly and they were less than helpful.... "...A race pad will make some noise....we don't quantify squeal....ect "

Increased dust is just a fact of life, and I'm willing to accept "some noise" for increased performance, but these things are ridiculous. Literally EVERY time you think about touching the brakes, from any speed the entire county knows. You would have to be deaf to consider these acceptable for more than an interstate cruise to /from the track.