[bossman2024]

I have been taking my M5 Competition (F90) on the track which is a ton of fun, and one of the reasons I got it in the first place. Alas I am quickly discovering that the M5 is a pretty heavy car for the track so it burns up brakes REALLY fast. I got bumped from HPDE to solo within one track day at CMP, as while I had only just started on the track in a car I have been riding motorcycles on the track for the last two years and ride intermediate on the bikes (BMW S1000RR of course ). So I picked it up pretty quickly including the lines and trail braking so am posting pretty quick lap times.

But my problem is the brakes. With the stock pads I got 1.5 track days out of them before the rear brakes overheated and were dusted with no pad left. For my first two track days my instructor had me leave traction control on to get used to the car and track, and the way traction control works on the M5 it burns up the rear pads quickly. The front pads still had some meat left on them, but it turns out they had cracked from the heat also so we replaced those.

Now I don't use the same pads on the track and the street as I have a second set of wheels with all seasons pads on them, and I have Carbotech low dust pads for the street so I swap the brakes and the wheels when I hit the track.

We have already flushed the brakes and put Castrol CRF fluid in there. We did that after the first track day.

After burning up the first set of stock pads the shop suggested I put Yellow stuff pads on there for the track, and the guy who suggested left and the owner didn't think that was a good choice when I asked him (he was at the track with me on Friday) and he was right. They just didn't feel great on corner entry, a bit soft and long in the throw. I changed the car to MDM mode for all subsequent track sessions since I got the Yellow stuff pads on there. But they just got worse during the day as they wore out. But the thirds session they were getting super hot and bottoming out with bad modulation and my lap times were tanking. I had the guys check it out after lunch and we bled the front brakes again and they felt a lot better on the next run (but clearly the fluid was getting hot). But they didn't feel right so even doing lift and coast for a few laps to let them cool and then doing a push lap, they just didn't feel great.

Finally on the second session as I was coming in the brake light went off saying they were dusted and I had worn them down to the sensor. Rain was coming in anyway so I headed home and ditched the last session.

So long story short, those Yellow stuff pads sucked. So I am hunting to find a better solution for the pads, so any good suggestions on what pads to consider? The shop is suggesting that I use the pads we just burned up and take them to a shop in Charlotte who does custom pads so we can get a compound that will have good stopping power but also generate less heat and last longer. My instructor suggested looking for Ferodo endurance pads, but I am not able to find anything for the M5 F90.

So any suggestions on pads?

Finally should I just turn off traction control completely to avoid destroying the rear pads? I only ever saw the traction control light come on a couple of times during the day and in MDM mode the car can certainly swing out the rear unlike with traction control on. But perhaps it's still over working the rear pads and I should just turn it all off and learn to drive it that way?

[PDOT]

I run Carbotech XP-12. They’ve been great. I would run XP-20 in the front but the Carbotech rep said it was too much pads for Cup2s. Still may be something I try this season.

As for TC. I finally ran with everything off during an autocross and the car was predictable. If it wasn’t for the up hill esses at VIR or the Chute at Summit I would track that way but still kind of nervous so probably stay with MDM

[shawnhayes]

These fit:

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-pagid-ra...8302-rs29~pdr/

They don’t fit WELL (the wear sensor cutout isn’t quite right). They are the longest lasting pads I’ve tracked so far.

But, if you can swing it, get the rear pads for the carbon ceramic option (the BMW ones). They last well. Not perfect, but well.

The front pads for the carbon ceramics are great on track. I’m not sure they’ll fit the blue calipers though. They’re bigger toward the center of the rotor.

Shawn