[DeTomaso] Wilwood Pads

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/3/08 16 42 20, wdemelo at cogeco.ca writes:


> Is anyone using BP-20 pads from Wilwood? Any feedback appreciated.
> 

I am using them on my Pantera, and they are terrific.   My car had a Dennis 
Quella Wilwood setup circa 1992, which came with Wilwood "Gator" pads 
(so-called because they were painted green).   They worked great, but put out enormous 
amounts of brake dust.

I knew technology had advanced, and last year I spent some time poring over 
the Wilwood website, looking at brake pad torque curves.   The BP-20 seemed to 
be the best possible compromise for a street pad that would work well on the 
track.   What I liked about it is that it had a fairly high torque value (that 
is, the pads are grippy), and a broad temperature range (they work when cold 
and hot).   Even better, the torque curve climbed very slowly, meaning that 
they deliver slightly better performance as the pads heat up, but still work well 
when cold.   Some pads need to be heated up before they work properly (scary 
when you pull out of your driveway and then sail through the first stop sign 
you encounter), and others fizzle out when the pad temperature climbs (scary 
when you've been braking at a certain point on the track lap after lap, and then 
on the seventh or eighth lap, you do the same thing as before and the car 
doesn't stop).

I was concerned about brake dust (honestly, that was the main reason I was 
looking to change the pads, as the dust from the green pads is actually quite 
corrosive, and if it's left on the wheels, it will pit and corrode them, 
especially if it gets wet) so I called the Wilwood tech line.   The dude there told 
me the BP series of pads are the only ones that are specifically 
street-friendly, delivering great stopping performance without squeal or excessive dusting.  
 He said that the Polymatrix pads stop great (arguably better than the BP 
pads under extreme use), but that they make enormous amounts of noise and dust, 
and he strongly urged me to stick with the BP line.

Having settled on that, I called Dennis to order them (he's a Wilwood dealer, 
so might as well give him the business since the prices are fairly uniform 
from one dealer to the next).   He had never even heard of the BP-20, as it was 
a relatively new product.   He had been selling his kits with the Polymatrix 
"Q" compound.   Looking at the graph, those work well enough, but their peak 
temperature is relatively low.   He was excited to hear about the new pads that 
Wilwood was now offering.

Incidentally, he told me that all Wilwood pads are actually manufactured by 
Raybestos, so they feature OEM quality.

Having put them in my car and subsequently put quite a few miles on it (in 
gentle street driving, fairly aggressive street driving, and some track 
driving), I have to say that I am quite pleased.   They did generate a bit more dust 
than I had hoped, but profoundly less dust than the old pads did.

Highly recommended!

Mike


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