Drift Specific Brake Pads

[tankslapperauto]

Hi everybody.

A little over a year ago, Cobalt Friction developed a brake compound that was specifically intended for drifting purposes, called the D1 pad. This pad is similar to the already marketed Cobalt GT Sport, with extremely high initial torque, and no need for warming before achieving full bite. The difference is that the D1 pad has better fade resistance to allow for left foot braking throughout the entire run, with no change in pedal feel. Cobalt was worried though that the market wasn't big enough, so they didn't go into production on them, and have recommended the GT Sport for drifting purposes.

I've been prodding them for a while about the pad, and they have agreed to do a trial production run of 20 sets of front pads for the 240SX. Since my company has only been in business for about three weeks now, I don't have the cash to front all 20 sets, so I'm looking for people who are interested in trying them out. I'm willing to cover the extra money associated with such a small run, so I'll sell them for the same price as the GT Sports. If I can get 10 pre-orders, I'll give them the go ahead to start production on the trial run. So is anybody interested in giving them a try?

Also, for those of you who use the GT Sport, have any of you ever had fade or any other problems? Please let me know your thoughts.

Matt

Matt@tankslapperautosport.com

P.S. This will be cross posted to other drifting message boards to try to reach the critical mass I need, so please don't be offended by that.

[J-BloodAE86]

its only for the fronts? thats kinda backwards, drifting pads should be more rear-biased...

[J-BloodAE86]

i mean more rear biased than stock, not like more gripping power in the back than the front, just to clarify.

[requiredoption]

Originally Posted by J-BloodAE86

its only for the fronts? thats kinda backwards, drifting pads should be more rear-biased...

No, as he said in his message, the "drift specific" pads are meant to have a lot of bite without warming that many race pads need. The pads were designed to work well with the short break intensive runs of D1, or even autocross, and other applications where there isn’t the time to heat up the pads and therefore no need to have a pad that works optimally at extremely high race temperatures.

[s13/350z]

whats the price and how long should one expect to wait untill the order is filled? JW thanks.

[tankslapperauto]

Originally Posted by s13/350z

whats the price and how long should one expect to wait untill the order is filled? JW thanks.

The wait will be 45 - 60 days, since this is an experimental pad that has to be created from scratch. I'm still working on pricing with them, and that will depend on whether I can order more than just the 20 sets. Cobalt's prices are very much in line with other high performance brake pads, so it should be under $100 per set.

J-Blood, it is only for the front, as a good high-torque pad induces rotation because of weight transfer, not from locking up the rears. It's much more consistent that way. Requiredoption is dead on with his comments. Think of it this way:

race compound: lower initial torque, requires heat to work well, no fade

street compound: VERY high initial torque, does not require heat, could fade if pushed hard enough

drift compound: high initial torque, does not require heat, no fade

That is why I asked those people who drift on the GT Sports (street compound) to share their thoughts. If the GT Sport never fades under drift conditions, then the drift specific compound isn't necessary. However, if people are modifying their drifting style, or are not able to left foot brake the way they want because they have to worry about brake fade, this pad has a purpose.

The really good news is, when we are done with this I'm working with a road racing splitter manufacturer on creating a front splitter for the 240 SX that is extremely effective. I know, because I run their splitter on my road race car, and it makes a huge difference in the attitude of the car. It's another situation where they don't realize how strong of a market drifting is, so I'm educating them. More on that later though....

Matt

[J-BloodAE86]

makes sense, thanks. if i had a 240 id try them out. too bad i'm the only drifter with a 510...

[illegalgarage]

so its 100 dollars for just the front pads?

seems kinda steep

i have made very metalic (not semi metalic) pads front and rear for the AE86 and they work great

you can get all four coners for about 85 bucks

but for a 240 why not just buy akebono's?
i am pretty sure its the same formula as the NISMO brake pads
those run 65~75
and if you buy 10 you could probably get a whole sale price
i think last time i paid 38 bucks for them

Max