Is there a softer brake pad for the 458

Same here: I find the braking performance horrible in regular driving (i.e. possibly cold brakes). Very low stopping power, feels like glass-on-glass to me, and very hard to make a difference with the pedal force... the feeling is permanently close to when one switches the engine off and runs out of servo assistance... but, before coming to any conclusion:
my car is just (and regularly) serviced at an official Ferrari shop, perfect rotors, no spongy feeling, new pads (which are a bit better than the old ones I replaced), an expert guy had a drive with the car and considered it "normal".
I read a lot about and know the stories about correct bedding-in procedures and detailing contamination... to me they are just bad brakes for daily use and that's it. I even considered "downgrading" do a steel system, but, on top of the cost and complication involved, I would consider that as someway profane.
Probably carbo-ceramic materials have improved a lot in 10+ years, but I have to say that the carbo-ceramic (front) brakes in my 2016 AMG C63S pops your eyes out at the minimum effort on the pedal, so just maybe a "better" design, or more regular-driving oriented? Also BMW stuff is ages ahead of ours, and I don't know about Porsche, but I am told they are even better.
So I subscribe to the OP question: any "grippier" pads for regular low-temp conditions?

 

You may try Pagid - RSC1 is the softer (reported as "disc friendly"), it may have less bite but the friction coefficient is very stable (if slightly lower compared to more aggressive pads) across the temperature range.

 

I'd bet your brakes just need to be bed in. Search for and do the bed in procedure. You can do it at anytime.

 

It has been a problem for the entire 4x8/F8 range. The stock combo has poor modulation with an on/off switch feeling, and somewhat mediocre brake feel when cold.

You can improve them.

Firstly know that EBC does not offer anything, so forget all about that.

As suggested, use the Pagid RSC1 pads. However, also upgrade the brake fluid and brake lines. The Castrol React SRF Racing DOT4 is one of, if not the best fluid on the market. It has,a bit more compressibility which works well with Ferrari as it adds a bit to the modulation.

HEL Performance makes an awesome set of braided lines which are plug and play, and help precision. The rubber lines do deteriorate over time on cars that sit, so give it serious consideration. HEL Performance is a very well known and respected name in motorsports and quality is top notch.

Here are the pads
https://www.evox-performance.com/en/458-italia/730-sport-brake-pads-for-ceramic-discs-pagid-rsc1-ferrari-458-italia.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw4KyJBhAbEiwAaAQbEwP_nMfhKd4du_V8TLZTmCquRv5c4SO3MiC_B2jv-63z0-TIMWaraxoCANwQAvD_BwE#/144-pads_type_rear-pagid_rsc1_ceramic/143-pads_type_front-pagid_rsc1_ceramic

Here are the lines.
https://www.helperformanceautosales.com.au/products/hel-performance-braided-brake-lines-ferrari-458-4-5-v8-all-models

Here is the fluid. You need 3.
https://www.ogracing.com/products/castrol-react-srf-brake-fluid

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Cold brakes

 

Hello,

Sorry to hear about your brake challenges… I have a 2015 458 Italia with the original pads and rotors. I do not experience any cold stopping issues. Good feel through the pedal and excellent stopping.

I wonder if Ferrari made any changes to the pads between the 2010 and the 2015? One of the Ferrari techs on here might be able to shed some light on this, as I’m not seeing these issues at all on my ‘15.

I should note that my 458 is driven regularly and it has about 15,500 “s- miles” on it currently.


Cheers!

 

They didn't make any pad compound changes. Since 2004 and to this day, Ferrari uses the same old T4300 compound developed by Textar for brembo over 20 years ago on all their cars with CCM rotors.

How are you getting 15k miles on OE pads?

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The DCT is my brake……..

 

Most likely the pads or rotors are contaminated by a silicone-based tire dressing. I have run nothing but OEM pads and never have had a cold stop issue. I don’t know if there is any cure short of removing the pads and cleaning everything with a suitable solvent. Even then that may not work. Don’t ever spray that stuff on. If you want to use something on your tires, apply with a sponge.


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Discs can be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol.
If you want to clean pads, wet sand them with a 600-800 grit paper using a 50/50 mix of demineralized water and isopropyl alcohol. Just place a wet sheet of A4 sized sanding paper on a smooth surface and sand the pad for a minute. Use a clean sheet for each pad, so 8 sheets. Super easy to do.

Then bed them after.

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If you are UK based, let me get you a few other links for the parts locally. HEL is out of the UK so no need to muck about with overseas orders.

If you think your pads are glazed, you can use the cleaning process for the pads and discs described above prior to bedding. It will make it easier to bed glazed pads if you perform those steps and are unsure about the state of the pads.

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You should have lead with this. The Ferrari brake system does not like sitting. Fluid must be changed every 2 years and recommend annually. The feel and performance increase always amazes me. Go ahead and make the other suggested changes but can't skip on maintenance.

 

No. It is pretty simple, but it's the complete opposite. Doing what you suggest just adds to the glazing.

This proceedure is pretty easy to do on a quiet Sunday morning, just make sure you have a motorway stretch free of speed traps. Also bring a spotter to make sure nobody rear ends you and to keep an eye number of stops and speed etc. This leaves you free to drive.

Start by doing 15 stops from 100 mph to 60 mph. Do not apply more than 25% brake pressure. This seats the pads and gets heat to the system. Use moderate acceleration between the stops.

Then do 7-10 the following way.
From 115 mph to 50 mph as hard as you can without engaging the ABS. When accelerating, floor it. You need to get back up to speed as fast as possible between the slow-downs. You are trying to gas out the pads and get the discs glowing red hot. If you can't smell the brakes, you are not even close. After 4-5 reps you should start to smell them and after 7 or so, the smell will be pretty strong. Don't worry, it goes away. This step is the actual bedding.

Then keep the car running at 60 mph for 5 minutes WITHOUT touching the brakes if possible.

Then you do 5 reps in the same way as the first 15 soft reps.

Proceed to drive home and let the car sit for 24 hours to let the pad material on the disc cure. When driving home, be as gentle as humanly possible with the brakes.

It's easier than it seems, and the 7-10 hard stops are pretty much over before you know it if the roads are clear. The car is very quick to reach the target speed and even quicker to slow down. It's also worth noting that you spend next to no time at illegal speeds as you don't drive on at the high speed.

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You can order things here

Lines.
https://www.rhdperformance.co.uk/hel-stainless-brake-line-hose-kit--ferrari-458-45-v8-all-models-40456-p.asp

Front pads.
https://aju-motorsport.co.uk/shop/product/pagid-e8091-rsc1-pads-e8091rsc1/

Fluid.
https://www.demon-tweeks.com/dk/castrol-react-srf-racing-brake-fluid-cas15039b/

Rear pads.
https://aju-motorsport.co.uk/shop/product/pagid-e4906-rsc1-pads-e4906rsc1/

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Here’s what mine look like after a hard drive. Gobs of material. Look at the rims.

Here’s the funny part. Serviced it last week, mechanic put in super duper Castrol racing fluid after a flush and said pads are fine. 25k miles….

I change brake and coolant fluids every 2 years, oil every 4-6k. Runs like a clock.

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My experience matches what fFan5 reported above. I have a 2015 458 Spider and am the third owner. The first two owners put 2,500 miles each on the car before I purchased it. I attended a Track Day with my local FCA members and after taking a few cautious laps I found my brakes were terrible, compared to my Corvettes that I've run on that track. Fortunately, one of the Tech's from Continental AutoSports was on site and after an inspection he determined that the pads and rotors had not been bedded in properly by the previous owners. So in my next set of laps I followed his directions bringing the temp up and then letting the brakes cool. He also recommended a few fairly hard corner slow downs to get the temps up and then let them cool down. In my next session on track I could not believe the improvement. While the car was only on track once I can feel the improvement on the street. I would recommend the bedding in process first before spending money on pads. If the tech would not have been there I may have purchased new pads myself.

 

Thanks for the pad construction info… Humm, is 15k on a set of pads unusual? I do not track my 458, neither did the previous owner. Also, many of my drives are on the expressway, there is not a lot of stop and start driving.

I have the maintenance records from new (all F-dealer serviced) and there is no mention of pad or rotor replacement. In addition, it’s completed six of its seven annual maintenance inspections with no issues.

Plus an additional two inspections as well. One more to go on the freebie seven annual maintenance services before it rolls off the program.

I specifically asked at the last annual inspection in March and the (Ferrari) service department said the pads were fine (13,700 miles at the time) and not in need of replacement.

By the way, I just wanted to thank you for your posts… As a newbie Ferrari owner, I have found your posts very helpful in my quest to learn more about Ferrari’s in general. I sincerely appreciate your assistance!

Cheers!