Pensieri di un lunatico minore

First stopping impressions

Friday, I got the Porterfield R4S brake pads put on my car, and swapped out the brake fluid for Silkolene synthetic. The brake pads were an upgrade, both in power and in fade resistance, whereas the fluid was mostly for fade resistance. I have a tendency, as anyone who has ridding with me would know, to brake hard and late into a corner sometimes, and doing that repeatedly could set up the brakes for serious fade.

So how does it work? Well, I took the first day to bed the pads in, so they will wear correctly. Mostly that consists of repeated stops that are smooth and progressive, increasing in firmness. Last night I had a chance to drive with them bedded in on Rock Creek Parkway, especially once you get above the Art Barn. Wow, much tigher, more responsive (less pressure needed), and they grab cleanly. Can’t speak to fade issues yet, but they seem to hold well.

At some point, I’ll probably switch to Willwood 6-piston calipers on the front, and 4 on the back. That will be more like throwing the anchor out.