FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Got a new part? Is it the best thing you've ever seen? Is it a complete ripoff? Let us know about your parts and service.

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Ghost
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FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by Ghost »

Just got done installing these. The pedal feels twice as firm. My pieces were from an 07, and originated from eBay.

The fronts bolted up just like how everybody says. I kept the backing plate. I used Kartboy brackets in the rear, getting them to fit sucked, read my review. But now they are on the car and everything is great!

My brakes were in terrible shape before this. So take what I say with that in consideration.

Absolute night and day difference. Brakes went from being the weak spot of the car to its strongest suite. The most awesome part (and the part I haven't adjusted to yet) is that now under firm braking, the brake pedal is in a good spot to blip the throttle. On stock brakes it used to sink too low into the mush. That mush is now gone.

I am going to follow this up with the single stage brake booster in a few weeks.

Pads are easy enough to get in and out of the calliper. Although the shims on the rears can be a little annoying.


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The pads? Well I need more time with them. But after an initial bedding... wow!

If you don't know, their operating range starts at 150 degrees. Everybody on the internet said you would feel them come up to temperature during a cold stop. You can absolutely feel them come up to temperature from cold.

Slowing down on cold brakes from 80 to 10? 80-75, feels a little like pad fade. 75-70 you can feel the friction ramping up. 70-10 A blur of g-forces and slight light headedness. I felt like my spedo couldn't keep up with how fast the car was slowing down.

I was able to get in 7-8 80-10 back to back stops before I started to experience fade. And the fade came in very progressively, feeling like a reduction in friction coefficient. The pads might need to off gas a little more... I won't know until I try and see if the performance improves.

Very easy to modulate braking pressure. Not difficult to lock Bridgestone S04s on RS 6 spokes. Low to no noise when cold. None when hot.

A set comes out to around $300 for front and rear. They also require virgin rotors so new or refinished. At this point I could not care less about the costs.
Legacy777
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Re: FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by Legacy777 »

Thanks for the feedback and review.

Most modern pads do not off gas any more, but the bedding procedure is important for pad longevity and performance.
Josh

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1990 Legacy (AWD, 6MT, & EJ22T Swap)
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Ghost
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Re: FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by Ghost »

I put these same pads on an FD3s I used to own. Same amazingness.

My friend that bought the car likes these pads with stock calipers better than the standard StopTech ST40 kit + 929 larger MC he put on his other FD. I'm sure the factory equipment wont dump heat like the BBK, but man these are some sweet pads.

I have a set of Hawks something (I'm guessing street) on my Baja, they are nothing like the Carbotechs.
Ghost
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Re: FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by Ghost »

So years later I am still runing these pads. Couple of notes.

Single stage master cylinder booster combined with FHI 4/2 pots is a wonderful mod. Add in a grimspeed MC brace for an even more solid pedal. Having brakes with this much bite, that are this easy to modulate opens up a ton of potential in the chassis. If you are not one of those drivers that turns the wheel and pushes pedals but drives through slip angles and weight shifting, you have to at least do 4/2 pots and the single stage master booster, it is a whole new world.

1. The CarboTech pads hate rust, If you do not drive your car for a while and the rotors rust, prepare for uneven adhesion of friction material to the rotor. I ended up cracking a OEM rotor radially when I brought my car out of retirement. It was nearly new.

2. They don't seem to like sane daily driving. Same problem as letting the rotors rust, unequal adhesion of fiction material on rotor surface. When coming to a stop you can feel the deceleration coming in jerks, which has a decreasing frequency in tune with reduced vehicle speed. Getting them hot and doing a bunch of 80-10 decelerations seems to fix this, but I don't think this is ideal.

3. Even with the above, if you want to stop, these pads will stop.

4. Once you go from pad material on the rotor braking to pad against naked steel braking they shut up. I had some terrible sequel (to the point I would let off the brakes because I could not deal with the ear pain). Driving around normally for a while a wearing away the pad material on the rotors eliminates this. My rotors used to be blue.
MConte05
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Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by MConte05 »

FYI, most of that improvement for pedal feel came from a properly bled brake system, not so much the calipers themselves.
Pntaste4evr99
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Re: FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by Pntaste4evr99 »

I'm running EBC Red Stuff pads with the 4pots up frt and stock in the rear with there rotors, good street pads but I wouldn't mind something with more bite under big loads, kinda fades a little, but still stops. Defiantly will be looking into different pads when these wear out, and carbotech was one of them, hawk as well.
94 Winestone SS 5MT Rob 550 20g. (Pickle)
Original WA car with 460k miles and climbing
MConte05
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Re: FHI 4/2 Pots + Carbotech AX6 Pads

Post by MConte05 »

I use Carbon Lorraine RC6 pads for the rally car. I'm honestly surprised at how streetable they are as well.
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