# Impressions: Carbotech Bobcat brake pads



## Kaz (Dec 21, 2001)

I really didn't need new brakes, but I was getting really sick of the brake dust from the stock pads, which in recent months seemed to become worse than ever for some reason. I wanted something with OE-like performance (or better). Since BMW OE performance is quite good, I figured that would be a good target.

Here are the models I considered:
Axxis Deluxe Plus
Axxis Ultimate
EBC Green Stuff
Pagid Blue
Hawk HPS
Carbotech Bobcat

Of these, the only one I eliminated outright was the EBC. I've heard too many stories about EBC Greens falling apart after some hard use. But I'm somewhat of a sucker for new products, and Carbotech had recently released the Bobcats after not having a street compound for some time. It was recommended to me by a friend who has them on his A4, and Carbotech's more aggressive pads are highly praised by the track regulars.

I did have some difficulty ordering them, as it seemed like Carbotech wasn't completely sure what FMSI numbers I needed. This was probably compounded by the fact that I have stock brakes in back, but larger 330 brakes up front. The front pads are for E46 330, E36M3US, and E46M3US. Rears are E36/E46/Z3/Z4.

Comparing them to the stock pads, there is a bit less overall friction surface area, and the cutouts in the friction material to accomodate the wear sensors are cut out square, which takes away more material than the rounded cutout of the OE pads. The Carbotechs are also beveled on the ends, which means there's even less surface area for the first several thousand miles. The clips on the inner pads that clip into the caliper pistons are rather flimsy and a bit harder to install than OE, but that wasn't a big deal.

After installation and bed-in on a lightly-traveled stretch of road (this was also ~11PM), they were ready to go.

The most noticeable thing was that these aren't nearly as grabby as the stock 330 (Jurid) pads. I'd gotten quite used to those, which were pretty aggressive with very little pedal pressure. This was the one thing that took several days to get used to. With the Jurids, I would get almost all the way off the brakes as I came to a stop to keep from coming to an abrupt, jerky stop. The Carbotechs felt more like my old stock 325 Textars in this respect. The next most noticeable aspect is that these are very easy to modulate. Under hard braking, it's very easy to get on them hard, to the edge of ABS activation without actually activating it. They work perfectly well when cold (OK, it doesn't get much below 50F around here) but they do seem to improve a bit with some heat in them.

As for dust, I've put about 300mi on since washing the car after installation, and the wheels still look pretty clean. If I run my finger between the spokes, it does leave a clean line, but not nearly as dramatic as the Jurids after a week. The roads were a bit wet today, and there aren't streaks of gunk all over the wheels like there used to be. The next test will be the next time I wash the car, where I'll see how easy any dust comes off. Stocks sometimes leave big splotches of dust as well, so I'll see if those develop here.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with these pads from a performance and dust standpoint. The one real question is that of value. These are about _twice_ the cost of Axxis Ultimates and almost half again more than Hawk HPS. I'm curious to see how long these last.


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## Raffi (May 18, 2002)

Out of curiosity, was noise the reason you didn't consider the Porterfields? They work much better than the stock pads imho, whether hot or cold. They're just noisy as heck...


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## Raffi (May 18, 2002)

The HACK said:


> FedEx delivery truck comes to mind.


 Yeah, which is why I brought it up. What Carbotechs do you have? Yours are pretty darn loud too!


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## JonW (Jan 6, 2002)

Kaz- Thanks for the nice writeup. I'm going to order a set of Carbotech XP pads for track use. We'll see how that goes. They seem to be well liked.


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