Brake fade
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'06 clk55 : '18 Canyon Duramax: :91 325i : #33 So Cal Spec E30
Brake fade
Took the CLK out for a few laps of Buttonwillow while I was there. The brakes faded pretty much instantly. Like, within a lap if I wasn't careful.
I figure I'll flush with some good fluid, but I don't know how much that will help. Will it?
What else would aid things? Pad selection? I don't want to grind up those expensive rotors too bad.
Also, does hitting the ESP button allow real tail out shenanigans, or do I have to put it in "dyno mode" to let that happen? I want to keep ABS up, but I kinda stood on it and didn't get much wheelspin or any real drifts. Granted it was the first time I'd driven it in anger...I probably need a little practice.
I figure I'll flush with some good fluid, but I don't know how much that will help. Will it?
What else would aid things? Pad selection? I don't want to grind up those expensive rotors too bad.
Also, does hitting the ESP button allow real tail out shenanigans, or do I have to put it in "dyno mode" to let that happen? I want to keep ABS up, but I kinda stood on it and didn't get much wheelspin or any real drifts. Granted it was the first time I'd driven it in anger...I probably need a little practice.
Last edited by priapism; Feb 3, 2013 at 10:42 AM.
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From: SCV SoCal
2002 CLK430
The joys of late braking and passing cars with 50+ more HP comes at a cost. 
As you've guessed, fade usually comes from one of two things, cooking the fluid or cooking the pads.
First, what type and how old is the fluid? If "I don’t know" is the answer to either question, that usually means a flush is due (and depending on your driving skill, that could be the entire problem). Many flush after track days as a normal policy. Once the fluid has boiled once, it's toast, so you're due now either way. Which fluid? The short recommendation is ATE Super Blue or Typ200. A longer answer is here.
The pads . . . . . .honestly, most street pads can be cooked in a few laps. The attached photo is one of my front OE pads. They were overheated to the point where the glue that holds the friction material to the backing plate melted. It's my opinion that if the car is a street car, a second set of "track pads" are not a bad choice. On the street, those track pads will screech, dust, and have less bite when cold. However, they won't overheat at track events. Many people swap wheels & tires before/after track events. At that point, pads will only take a few minutes, and since the fluid has to be changed anyway . . . .
Which pads should you buy? Depends. Will you mind if the pads devour your rotors? Other than to/from track events, will they be used on the street? If used on the street, a lot will depend how much annoyance you are willing to put up with.
As you've guessed, fade usually comes from one of two things, cooking the fluid or cooking the pads.
First, what type and how old is the fluid? If "I don’t know" is the answer to either question, that usually means a flush is due (and depending on your driving skill, that could be the entire problem). Many flush after track days as a normal policy. Once the fluid has boiled once, it's toast, so you're due now either way. Which fluid? The short recommendation is ATE Super Blue or Typ200. A longer answer is here.
The pads . . . . . .honestly, most street pads can be cooked in a few laps. The attached photo is one of my front OE pads. They were overheated to the point where the glue that holds the friction material to the backing plate melted. It's my opinion that if the car is a street car, a second set of "track pads" are not a bad choice. On the street, those track pads will screech, dust, and have less bite when cold. However, they won't overheat at track events. Many people swap wheels & tires before/after track events. At that point, pads will only take a few minutes, and since the fluid has to be changed anyway . . . .
Which pads should you buy? Depends. Will you mind if the pads devour your rotors? Other than to/from track events, will they be used on the street? If used on the street, a lot will depend how much annoyance you are willing to put up with.
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'06 clk55 : '18 Canyon Duramax: :91 325i : #33 So Cal Spec E30
It's actually my wife's car, so it will see occasional track duty when she's visiting, but nothing too hardcore. I'm going to flush with some RB600 and see if that helps things. Thanks.
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'06 clk55 : '18 Canyon Duramax: :91 325i : #33 So Cal Spec E30
Just to revisit for archive's sake, I ended up doing another track day (@ Streets of Willow) and I had zero fade. Now, the ESP not being able to be fully disabled, that was another issue. But flushing the fluid with RB600 eliminated the problem.
