PF brake discs - are they really any good!?

[shimmy]

Do you just mean discs Rob or are you doing calliper refurb as well?

Last time I was there for brakes they got me a calliper seal set and refurbed the fronts as the car had done 3 years + of track days

[glendog74]

My car is booked into Simpson this Friday for a full AP replacement. Anthony initially convinced me to go the PF route on the fronts but listened to my experience of APs and said that i must have a good set.

Incidentally, PF discs have recently gone up in price by £35 per disc and are now £285 + VAT per disc. APs are £60 cheaper per disc.

APs again for me :thumbs:

Not looking forward to the bill though... :banghead:

[shimmy]

so my PF front discs finally bit the dust at Rockingham. Just one crack to the edge but a bad one which I could straight away feel thru the brake pedal.

They covered 2100 track miles, same as the last AP set, but using RS14 pads instead of RS29, which are meant to be a little softer and kinder to the disc.

Overall I think the PF are certainly no better and possibly a little worse than the AP DISCS.

So I've just put the AP discs on I got from Lawsy. If the scouser ain't sold me a bent set then with the little wear they have they should last 1500-1800 track miles.

[s.mac]

only if you know it :whistle:

[glendog74]

the ring is less heavy on your brakes tho than a normal circuit......

Yes - i know Jim...

P.S. I love you too :smt055

[northernjim]

I have read this thread with interest as i have a very positive experience of my AP disc setup.

I had APs fitted all round in November 08 - initially with Ferodo DS2500 pads. I quickly realised that the Ferodo pads weren't up to the job after just 2 track days so swapped to Pagid RS29s and have used these since with good results and am almost through my second set of front pads. The original rears are almost dead too.

I had the APs fitted at around 50k miles - my car has recently just turned 63k miles...

During these 18 months/13k miles, i have done a further 5 track days as well as 6 trips to the Ring totalling around 250 laps (approx 3275 Ring miles).

Apart from the usual thin hairline cracks in the centre of the disc contact area extending out towards the edge, i have had no issues with cracking on the disc outer edge as mentioned earlier. The discs are probably good for another 2-3k miles i reckon.

I had always heard good things about PF discs and had planned to swap to those when my current discs die soon. BUT - with the experience i have had with AP discs so far, i have to say i am very tempted to continue using them in the future - especially if they are cheaper than PF :thumbs:

BTW - i love you Shim :smt055

the ring is less heavy on your brakes tho than a normal circuit......

[glendog74]

I have read this thread with interest as i have a very positive experience of my AP disc setup.

I had APs fitted all round in November 08 - initially with Ferodo DS2500 pads. I quickly realised that the Ferodo pads weren't up to the job after just 2 track days so swapped to Pagid RS29s and have used these since with good results and am almost through my second set of front pads. The original rears are almost dead too.

I had the APs fitted at around 50k miles - my car has recently just turned 63k miles...

During these 18 months/13k miles, i have done a further 5 track days as well as 6 trips to the Ring totalling around 250 laps (approx 3275 Ring miles).

Apart from the usual thin hairline cracks in the centre of the disc contact area extending out towards the edge, i have had no issues with cracking on the disc outer edge as mentioned earlier. The discs are probably good for another 2-3k miles i reckon.

I had always heard good things about PF discs and had planned to swap to those when my current discs die soon. BUT - with the experience i have had with AP discs so far, i have to say i am very tempted to continue using them in the future - especially if they are cheaper than PF :thumbs:

BTW - i love you Shim :smt055

[_Nathan_]

I really rate them still, obviously possible you got a bad set though.

[shimmy]

third set AP 2100 miles on track and PF 1800 miles on track BUT i guess they are not as badly worn as the APs yet.

i think these PF have had a harder life as the pads have worn a little low occassionally (like at Snett) so the extra heat might have had some effect.

[AlexGTT]

Shim - road miles mean nothing in this do they? The PF disks have done 100 more track miles than the AP disk in your picture and aren't as bad as the AP disks? You also said you ran the pads really low which isn't going to help much?

Good point Nathan, on both counts. In fact, the only reason I had to replace my first set of PF's was because I ran my pads down to the metal at Spa last year.:banghead: Had to have a part worn set of RS15's off Curly to get me home.:whistle:

[_Nathan_]

Shim - road miles mean nothing in this do they? The PF disks have done 100 more track miles than the AP disk in your picture and aren't as bad as the AP disks? You also said you ran the pads really low which isn't going to help much?

[s.mac]

were the disks bedded in till they turned blueish in colour?

[AlexGTT]

Mmmmm, strange. I have to say I found the opposite.

My AP discs were cracked to the edges like your pic within 5-6000 miles. Probably 1000 of those on track.

My first set of PF discs lasted 10-11000 miles. About 1500-1700 miles on track (mostly Ring laps).

My second set of PF's are still on the car. I think I've done 5000 miles on them, probably half on track, mostly Ring but at least 4 UK trackdays. They still look spot on and performed great again at Snetts last week. Look as if they'll easily last another 5000 of the same.

I think the differences in wear could be down to driving style.

[shimmy]

AP are shit, just look on the outer crack on the AP disc that could well be a serious accident.
.

but i have to say i run the APs far too long to get that crack, much longer than the PFs so at the same lifespan i think PF would have been worse tbh

[TANKSLAPPER]

AP are shit, just look on the outer crack on the AP disc that could well be a serious accident.

PF use the best steel and are prefect balance without the use of grinding and clip weights in the cooling vein like AP do.