[M2 Belgium]

Just ordered pagids. Did 4 light trackdays and had to replace all 4 rotors.... Don't use oem pads, I learned the hard way

[alex s]

It really depends on the track and pace.

My stock pads have a full day at Hockenheim, half a day at Salzburgring, one full day of BMW CCA autocross test and tune, one SCCA autocross with 6 runs, about 100 miles on the street and still have about 3-4 mm left.

[F87LUV]

I must be either really slow or I don't brake enough. I've done three full track days with my stock pads and I have 27k on the odo with no issues. I have one more day this coming weekend. I'd be surprised if they survive one more though.

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by F87LUV

I must be either really slow or I don't brake enough. I've done three full track days with my stock pads and I have 27k on the odo with no issues. I have one more day this coming weekend. I'd be surprised if they survive one more though.

It's all about how aggressive of a braker you are. I never used the OEM pads on track, and destroyed a set of new RS29s on my first track weekend. I'm on PFC 11s now and anyone using OEM pads on track will just trash their rotors once they begin to use the car's full braking capabilities.

[ZM2]

Originally Posted by F87LUV

I must be either really slow or I don't brake enough. I've done three full track days with my stock pads and I have 27k on the odo with no issues. I have one more day this coming weekend. I'd be surprised if they survive one more though.

And listen to Cosmos. Anyone using track pads on the front and OEM on the rear still isn't using the full braking capability of the car. As soon as you do, it'll be too late and the OEM pads will trash your rotors. You can learn the hard way, or from some of us on the forums.

[chief1richard]

Originally Posted by carl44

thinking about just flushing the fluid with endless650 . will the stock pads hold up for a 150 track miles?? The M2 is not my track car i have a GT4 for that but just want to see how it is on track. don't feel like spending 800 for a set of raybestos ST43s for one day. thanks carl

I have run 5 track days as a Novice on OEM pads on my 228 M/Sport Brakes, with Track Package. The brakes never came close to fading/overheating. They are the best brakes I have ever had. That being said, If I was in a higher class I'm sure that would be more of a factor. FWIW

[Twt]

Talking to a pro driver who did a test day on stock pads at Laguna, he said they lasted two sessions and dissolved

[CosmosMpower]

They don't dissolve they just smear all over the rotor and leave nasty deposits

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by chief1richard

I have run 5 track days as a Novice on OEM pads on my 228 M/Sport Brakes, with Track Package. The brakes never came close to fading/overheating. They are the best brakes I have ever had. That being said, If I was in a higher class I'm sure that would be more of a factor. FWIW

# because Novice

Originally Posted by F87LUV

I must be either really slow or I don't brake enough. I've done three full track days with my stock pads and I have 27k on the odo with no issues. I have one more day this coming weekend. I'd be surprised if they survive one more though.

See above? what run group?

Originally Posted by Twt

Talking to a pro driver who did a test day on stock pads at Laguna, he said they lasted two sessions and dissolved

Disintegrated is probably a better word... but yep!

Originally Posted by rich8566

Take it from me - if you are an advanced driver DON'T use the OEM pads on track. I did and I regret it. They can't stand up to the heat you generate with aggressive braking. Install track pads and then have some fun. Btw, no worries about the OEM brake fluid. I never had a problem in that department.

Can you make it through a weekend on OEM M2 pads at the track?

Novice - YES... and can probably make it 2-4 more events

intermediate - probably - but this may very well potentially be track /driver dependent- don't be surprised if you have to reduce speeds or shorten sessions.

Advanced - why try ? - you've been doing this awhile .. you know what to do. get some real track pads up front at least.

Upper advanced /Instructor - DON'T EVEN TRY. you will be MISERABLE before 3 sessions are up.. order front and rear track pads and high temp fluid and rock and roll

Racer- prepare for brake pad FIRES if you try....

[Rafstar]

pagid rs-29 /thread

[emdeuce]

Ugh...I purchased the brake maintenance package(mainly for the rotors). Makes it harder for me to justify purchasing aftermarket pads knowing BMW will replace everything. Conflicted. :

[tux2005]

BMW are probably not going to replace everything if they see signs of track use, you probably do want to buy track pads so you don't make a mess of rotors and then have to fight to get anything covered.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by Opplock1

Ugh...I purchased the brake maintenance package(mainly for the rotors). Makes it harder for me to justify purchasing aftermarket pads knowing BMW will replace everything. Conflicted. :

good luck trying to get a set of rotors. I was able to get my dealer to replace pads on my 1M twice... first time was at around 8K miles and then again around 22K miles. I used up several other sets of pads in the meantime.

Keep in mind that they will measure the thickness of the rotors each visit... and will only replace them based on thiukness (not the presence of hairline or even larger cracks in the rotor) and that they will ONLY replace the rotors if the pads are low at the same time.

[The HACK]

Look at all the track heroes here proclaiming "you've got to do it MY way!"

The truth is never as simple as "you have to use track pads for track use" or "I've done XX days with stock pads and they're fine, so YOU'RE fine too." The truth is, like all things on track it is all about MANAGEMENT. The truth, is you can put a set of über unobtainium pads that has MOT higher than the temperature of the surface of the sun*, and I guarantee you someone will find a way to fade it. Somehow. And you can put an OEM system or heck, god forbid, ORGANIC dustless compounds on a car and a deft, experienced driver can find ways to churn relatively fast laps without "destroying" the brakes.

In THIS reality, the capabilities of either a street pad or a track pad is elastic. There's no absolute in how well each set of pads will behave, except for its statistical MOT. Keep the pads operating within the maximum operating temperature and it'll continue to operate within its designed parameter. Go outside that MOT, and the über unobtaininum pads will also fail. Dive into each corner, brake at the last second, and trail it all the way to just before the apex, forcing it to maximize braking while minimizing the cooling available while the wheels are turned? Eventually there'll be enough heat built up in the rotors to overwhelm the best track pads available. Extend your braking zone, digressively ease off as you turn in, using the turn in portion of the turn to allow the brakes to cool down, use as little of the brake as you can and maintain high momentum through turns, pipe plenty of ambient cool air to the brakes and you might just be able to squeeze some more life and keep the brake temp just low enough to last through a 20 minute session on OEM pads.

A good driver knows the limitations of their equipment. An EXCELLENT driver extracts all they can from that limitation.

So having said all that. Think of this as an exercise in managing thermal capacity. If you know your thermal capacity is compromised with the OEM pads, as that is the only absolute that is in this equation, what is the reason that you want to increase your margin of error by going with the lower thermal capacity, and what do you need to compromise in order to achieve your goal (be it having fun, churning fast laps, or doing personal best with your car) given the reasons why you want to go with the lower thermal capacity of the OEM pads?

If you're saying, hey, all I want to do is to take the M2 to a local, low brake intensity track for a day and have some fun, not looking to drive past 7/10th and just stretch its legs on a cool, autumn day, and I'm too lazy to switch pads given the car is still on factory street tires and I just want to arrive, drive, go home without taking a jack and jack stands and spending 30 minutes in the morning swapping pads? I don't see why a capable driver can't make the OEM pads last through a few 15-20 minute long sessions.

If you're saying, I'm turning a buck fifty in my GT4 at a track where you've driven more laps than I've driven Laguna Seca on Gran Turismo, and there's 3 very heavy braking zones, going from triple digit to low 30mph's, and another half dozen moderate, slow turn combinations with few straights for the brakes to cool, and you're trying to see if the M2 is going beat the buck fifty that the GT4 pulled at 11/10th last time out on an 8hour long, free-for-all test and tune day? There's no way in hell the OEM pads will do what you want it to do. Heck there's probably no way the factory brakes, even with track pads, can do what you ask it to do without significant upgrade in cooling and potentially even rotors.

The answer for YOU, probably falls somewhere in between. If the reason is, hey, you drive the GT4 to the track all the time, but you WILL be tracking the M2 occasionally, don't mind the 30 minutes or so of swapping out the pads ahead of the session (or ahead of the track day) and want to and will see more track days in the future with the M2? And will be going to a moderately high braking track, with a ton of experience under your belt? It probably is in your best interest to buy some track pads. If, the M2 is only going to see the track this one time because, well, you've got the GT4 for your track use, and frankly, you're like me, no matter what car(s) you own or drive, they all have to see the track someday (believe you me, I drove a Hyundai to a track event. Twice. I sh*t you not), but the frugal side of you can't see paying $500 for a set of track pads that you'll only use ONCE and likely never again in the duration of the ownership of the M2? And the track you're going to is like Willow Springs where there's ONE single moderately heavy braking zone with the rest of the track being high speed straights and turns that require little to no braking (f**k it, even for a heavy braking track like Laguna Seca, I took a Hyundai there with stock pads and didn't DIE)? Learn to manage your braking zone, move your braking points back and do as much digressive braking as possible and you'll still have a great time on the OEM pads.

*Actually, I think if your MOT on your pad is higher than the temperature on the surface of the sun, you're pretty safe. The weak point then shifts to the thermal capacity and boiling point of your HYDRAULIC FLUID and ROTORS.

[chief1richard]

if there is someone who thinks their a "Track Hero" here , I think it's "YOU"!

[lax01]

Originally Posted by chief1richard

if there is someone who thinks their a "Track Hero" here , I think it's "YOU"!

He's not wrong...

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by The HACK

Look at all the track heroes here proclaiming "you've got to do it MY way!"

The truth is never as simple as "you have to use track pads for track use" or "I've done XX days with stock pads and they're fine, so YOU'RE fine too." The truth is, like all things on track it is all about MANAGEMENT. The truth, is you can put a set of über unobtainium pads that has MOT higher than the temperature of the surface of the sun*, and I guarantee you someone will find a way to fade it. Somehow. And you can put an OEM system or heck, god forbid, ORGANIC dustless compounds on a car and a deft, experienced driver can find ways to churn relatively fast laps without "destroying" the brakes.

In THIS reality, the capabilities of either a street pad or a track pad is elastic. There's no absolute in how well each set of pads will behave, except for its statistical MOT. Keep the pads operating within the maximum operating temperature and it'll continue to operate within its designed parameter. Go outside that MOT, and the über unobtaininum pads will also fail. Dive into each corner, brake at the last second, and trail it all the way to just before the apex, forcing it to maximize braking while minimizing the cooling available while the wheels are turned? Eventually there'll be enough heat built up in the rotors to overwhelm the best track pads available. Extend your braking zone, digressively ease off as you turn in, using the turn in portion of the turn to allow the brakes to cool down, use as little of the brake as you can and maintain high momentum through turns, pipe plenty of ambient cool air to the brakes and you might just be able to squeeze some more life and keep the brake temp just low enough to last through a 20 minute session on OEM pads.

A good driver knows the limitations of their equipment. An EXCELLENT driver extracts all they can from that limitation.

So having said all that. Think of this as an exercise in managing thermal capacity. If you know your thermal capacity is compromised with the OEM pads, as that is the only absolute that is in this equation, what is the reason that you want to increase your margin of error by going with the lower thermal capacity, and what do you need to compromise in order to achieve your goal (be it having fun, churning fast laps, or doing personal best with your car) given the reasons why you want to go with the lower thermal capacity of the OEM pads?

If you're saying, hey, all I want to do is to take the M2 to a local, low brake intensity track for a day and have some fun, not looking to drive past 7/10th and just stretch its legs on a cool, autumn day, and I'm too lazy to switch pads given the car is still on factory street tires and I just want to arrive, drive, go home without taking a jack and jack stands and spending 30 minutes in the morning swapping pads? I don't see why a capable driver can't make the OEM pads last through a few 15-20 minute long sessions.

If you're saying, I'm turning a buck fifty in my GT4 at a track where you've driven more laps than I've driven Laguna Seca on Gran Turismo, and there's 3 very heavy braking zones, going from triple digit to low 30mph's, and another half dozen moderate, slow turn combinations with few straights for the brakes to cool, and you're trying to see if the M2 is going beat the buck fifty that the GT4 pulled at 11/10th last time out on an 8hour long, free-for-all test and tune day? There's no way in hell the OEM pads will do what you want it to do. Heck there's probably no way the factory brakes, even with track pads, can do what you ask it to do without significant upgrade in cooling and potentially even rotors.

The answer for YOU, probably falls somewhere in between. If the reason is, hey, you drive the GT4 to the track all the time, but you WILL be tracking the M2 occasionally, don't mind the 30 minutes or so of swapping out the pads ahead of the session (or ahead of the track day) and want to and will see more track days in the future with the M2? And will be going to a moderately high braking track, with a ton of experience under your belt? It probably is in your best interest to buy some track pads. If, the M2 is only going to see the track this one time because, well, you've got the GT4 for your track use, and frankly, you're like me, no matter what car(s) you own or drive, they all have to see the track someday (believe you me, I drove a Hyundai to a track event. Twice. I sh*t you not), but the frugal side of you can't see paying $500 for a set of track pads that you'll only use ONCE and likely never again in the duration of the ownership of the M2? And the track you're going to is like Willow Springs where there's ONE single moderately heavy braking zone with the rest of the track being high speed straights and turns that require little to no braking (f**k it, even for a heavy braking track like Laguna Seca, I took a Hyundai there with stock pads and didn't DIE)? Learn to manage your braking zone, move your braking points back and do as much digressive braking as possible and you'll still have a great time on the OEM pads.

*Actually, I think if your MOT on your pad is higher than the temperature on the surface of the sun, you're pretty safe. The weak point then shifts to the thermal capacity and boiling point of your HYDRAULIC FLUID and ROTORS.

Somehow... I've deduced that you've actually NOT driven an M2 on track...

[The HACK]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

Somehow... I've deduced that you've actually NOT driven an M2 on track...

Not my own. But I've driven an M2 pretty angry.