Brakes!

[LacrosseGod23]

Hey All,

Im installing SS lines, rebuilding the cylinder and installing new pads. For street riding and some track time, which would be a better choice of brake pads, HH or GG? I know CyberPoet mentioned that with his HH and SS lines three finger stoppies ain't no thing, and I am not sure if I really consider that a desired effect....any suggestions?

Plus I am assuming that a lockup is more probable with HH pads...true?

[md86]

HH pads are alot stronger . Good to have if you need it , but yeah , could be easier to lock up if you panic . But once you practice with them , you'll love them .

[KatDan]

i've heard not to put HH pads on the rear because they lock up easier.

[md86]

Well , I thought he was just talking about the front ones . But yeah , I wouldn't want HH in the rear . I can lock mine up easy enough if I want to .

[BearKat]

On my list of stuff to do to the Kat before I Trackday it again.

[The CyberPoet]

Note that HH ratings vary from manufacturer to manufacturer (since unlike lower letters which only represent a 10% variance in friction rates, HH covers everything from 55 to 99% friction rates). I run HH all around, but would never suggest HH pads at the rear to any rider who doesn't have several years under his belt -- it's just way too easy to lock the rear in a panic reaction. Stock pads are GG and the OEM rear pads (Suzuki-branded) are thicker than any of the aftermarket pads I've seen, so they should last longer as well.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[The CyberPoet]

On my list of stuff to do to the Kat before I Trackday it again.

PLEASE DO NOT RUN HH RATED PADS AT A TRACK DAY EVENT!
IT MAY RESULT IN BRAKE FAILURE AND AN ACCIDENT!
Because of the higher friction rates, HH pads build heat far faster than less grabby compounds. With HH pads, the heat generated in a typical track event doesn't get enough time to disipate (because you're on the brakes heavily every 10 to 30 seconds going into another corner, unlike typical street traffic), meaning you'll start cooking the brake fluid and seals (and possibly even lines and wheel bearing grease) -- possibly with catastrophic results.
As a result, all brake pad manufacturers who I've spoken to (3 to date) have the same advice for street bikes at track days: use either the stock pad friction rate (GG in our case), or if the track is particularly small & heavy on braking/curves, swap to one range lower formulation (FF) to combat this heat issue. Professional race set-ups use pads & rotors that are designed to operate at far higher temps than our set-ups, but at the expense of cold-performance (i.e. - our bikes' brakes work well even when the pads/rotors are cold; race bikes brakes often have to reach temps of 500 degrees to really start biting, although the newest carbon/carbon brake systems work as low as 250 degrees).

TIP:
Because track days stress brake fluids' boiling temps, and brake fluid boiling temps vary heavily by water content (i.e. - why they are rated by wet and dry boiling temps), always fully flush your brake fluid the day before any track day event to ensure your brake fluid is as dry as possible. Using a higher-than-spec-temp brake fluid that is compatible (DOT 4 or DOT 5.1 for our bikes, but NOT DOT 5!) with your system is highly recommended -- I recommend Castrol's GT LMA or ATE SuperBlue specifically for track days.

Cheers
=-= The CyberPoet