0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

Looking for new brake pads for the track and are not sure of what to get?

The decades of racing that we have done, many pad companies have been through our doors and on our race cars. There has never been a pad company that has held up this long on our cars, nor taken over the paddocks in more pro ranked racing series than Cobalt. Not only will you find them on your local regional racers, but they are also stopping most of the field in Indy, Indy lights, ALMS, IMSA, GrandAm, and SCCA.

We have made fitments for all OEM calipers from the C5, C6, C6Z, and the new C7 including many popular BBK's like StopTech, AP, and Brembo.

Have a question on what pad compound might be right for you? Give us a ring here at the shop and we can go through the different options. Below are the three most popular compounds for the cars and what we typically carry on the shelf.

Not only is the stopping power unreal with them, they are one of the very few race pads that will still safely stop the car when the brakes are 100% cold, making them great for those that want to install the night before and drive the car to the track.

Wear rates at temperature, again one of the best in the business. Rotor life is very gentle so you can be assured you will not be going through pads and rotors every time you hit the track


Cobalt XR1 is an extremely high torque material with an aggressive initial bite and medium-high, linear rising torque curve. Excellent friction stability and consistency coupled with very good modulation, threshold control and release characteristics over the industry's broadest operating temperature range. The XR1 material has unmatched disc life and finish versus any other competing friction material of comparable torque. Well-suited for a wide range of platforms, including those with active aerodynamic profiles as well as limited downforce applications, and/or ABS-equipped as well as non-ABS vehicles, due to the direct line pressure to generated torque relationship.

Cobalt XR2 is a high torque material featuring an initial bite that is 8-10% lower than XR1, but with the same controlled transition to a linear, rising torque curve. Improved modulation, threshold control and release characteristics make the XR2 particularly well-suited for chassis and tire combinations which do not respond well to excessive initial brake energy, but still require a high average torque level. Similarly, vehicles normally equipped with XR1 can move directly to the XR2 when low-grip conditions present themselves unexpectedly (e.g. qualifying in the dry, but rain/wet conditions on race day) without sacrificing or experiencing a change in pedal feel, consistency, or brake capacity.

Cobalt XR3 is a versatile, medium-high torque material with a solid initial bite and a slightly rising torque curve. Unsurpassed cold performance, torque stability, consistency and modulation/release for this level of friction make the XR3 an ideal compound for Club Racing and Track Day/HPDE customers, particular in moderate to lower inertia vehicles. Also recommended for rear-axle use on vehicles over 2800lbs, delivering optimal straight-line braking performance, stability and controlled rotation while trailbraking.

dvandentop

love the cobalts been using the for 5 year so so

YYZ06

+1 Me too. I love not having to go through the hassle of bedding prior to use.

taken19

Is this a pad that can use the same friction material front and rear? Most guys running Carbotech or Hawk use a less aggressive compound in the rear.

Also, are they made for Wilwood brakes?

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

I have them for a number of Wilwood caliper fitments but let me know what you have and if it isn't made now, I sure can have them made.

As for front to rear differences....depends on the car, the driver, the tires, the brakes.....

For example the new C7 likes to have matched pads front and rear with the OEM brakes on it, while the new Camaro's have a huge difference front to back.

C5/6, depends on the setup. In some cases I'll do a XR2/XR2 or XR1/XR2, again depends on the setup.

taken19

Thanks for the response. I have a 99 C5 FRC caged track only car with Z06 driveline running on Pirelli race slicks. It also has the standard Wilwood SL6 brake kit typically run on T1 cars.

Do you have a rough idea on cost relative to competitors such as Carbotech or Hawk? Also, how long do they last relative to the competitors? I know that's a loaded question, but with the same driver and car, would you get an additional xx% more hours or laps out of them?

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

I have both 16mm and 20mm pads for the SL6/4 on the shelf so that is a pretty normal pad for me to keep here.

If you are running a full slick, XR1's would be the only way to go on the front. I need to know what you are running for brakes on the rear to pick pads for the back.

I would say Cobalts are comparable to most other pads on the market, but it also depends on the shape and how many are ran at a time. More popular fitments are generally less expensive than odd one off race car stuff.

The RC7 pad that fits those calipers lists at $229 a set.

taken19

Good to hear. I'm running the 4 piston Wilwood brakes in the rear - can't remember the pad size, but it's the standard Wilwood setup most T1 guys are running (front and back).

I really like the initial bite of the Carbotech's as well as the modulation they have - looking for something comparable for less overall cost (pad wear, rotor wear or initial pad cost).

63Corvette

AND...................Andy Linn makes XR1 and XR2 pad material in original Delco C2 brake caliper sizes for us who RACE Vintage Corvettes

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

Shoot....he can make them for any setup if you want him to.

Ludedude

I was a Cobalt direct stocking dealer back in the day. Great company and great products. Ran them on my personal track cars for years.

C6psi

Anyone have any comparisons between these and the Carbotech pads? I have run the XP 10/12/20 and curious of difference of performance/life if any?

Anthony, what would you recommend front and rear for 3200 # C6 with ST60/ST40 setup on coilovers with MPSC's? 99% track, I swap pads if I drive it on the street.

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

Cup tires, and that brake setup I would run XR2 front and rear on it.

I have a number of customers that have made the switch and no one has reported any loss of life. Most are seeing 2-3 more weekends from their rotors and almost a 30-40% increase in pad life.

C6psi

Thanks for the feedback Anthony, I will give you guys a call on pricing the next time I need pads. I could certainly appreciate any extra pad life!! I usually get about 7.5 hours up front on my current setup.......the addiction isn't cheap.

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

I wish there was a rule of thumb on how they are going to wear, and for most of us that really isn't something we keep track of. When we did endurance racing, the practice sessions where typically 1-2 hrs long and you had time to measure your pads before and after the session and figure how much pad wear rate you had...then you could figure out how long they would go on any given 'green' stint.

On the ALMS car we could run almost 8.6 hrs on one set of 32mm thick pads...not quite enough to do the 10hr race so a pad change was always setup in the mix...but then yellow flags throws that off too

C6Vette1

Which Cobalts do you use? How is the dust? I don't mind a lot of brake dust as long as it is not too difficult to remove.