Hi Guys, You guys have been a great help. I know you guys told before me that FHP cars will make squealing noise (annoying) when the brakes are applied. However, I have noticed that mine makes a softer squealing noise even when driven very slowly like during parking. It is barely audible with the windows closed but very audible when opened. Is that normal or should I bring it to the workshop to have it checked? I am actually thinking of changing the pads to a "normal" one that do not make so much annoying noises. Thanks again guys. Regards, Hendra
Hendra- They tend do do that until well broken in. Mine have 16K miles and rarely make a noise. I just bought a set of FHP take-offs because someone thought they squealed too much. Here is one possible solution: http://www.autobarn.net/ch05016.html Taz Terry Phillips
The FHP brake pad really is not a very good pad for driving on the street. There is no 'Ferrari magic' in the pad, its nothing more than a Pagid Orange pad compound. I have used it in my 911 race car (since replaced with Performance Friction pads) and currently use it in my Spec Boxster race car. It was designed for racing and therefore has several drawbacks on the street. Racing pads are designed to work at significantly higher temperatures than street pads because the braking techinique employed on a race track is very different than on the street. On the track you attempt to go from 0 brake force to 1.3g or so as quickly as possible. On the street you generally brake gently approaching stop lights. Perhaps on VERY aggressive drives on back roads you get into the low end of the ideal temperature range, but even for the most adventurous I bet this is a small amount of the miles they put on the car. On the downside, unless a racing pad reaches the temperature it was designed for you'll never get the full braking torque its capable of delivering. At low temperatures the braking efficiency will be less than that of a normal street pad! The Pagid Orange is a relatively old technology at this point. If your mind is set on a racing pad there are better choices out there. Even then, every racing pad I have used has been noisy at temperatures below their designed operating range. Once I left Pagid Orange pads in my 355 GTS after putting them in for track work and drove on the street for a few weeks with them in - the squealing was horrible and it took hours to clean all the dust out to kill the noise, even after switching pads. Unless you are doing track work, I would suggest a pad that is designed for the street with the capability for light track duty. I have had good success with Porterfield R4-S, with some anti-squeal applied to the back of the pad. I have run that in my Porsche 911 and Ferrari 355 GTS and it has held up to the most spirited runs on the road without any of the drawbacks of a racing pad. I have also heard good things about some of the Hawk compounds but I have never used them myself. Bottom line, don't just default to the FHP pad because Ferrari spec'ed it that way. There are better choices out there that cost less money which will give you all the performance you need on the street, are quieter, and even allow for light track work. If you are a serious track guy, get a track pad but also have a different set of pads for the street.
Rob- My Pagids have caused no problems and squeal only rarely. When I first got the car, I thought someone had changed the pads because they did not squeal for the first six weeks or so I drove it. The squealing seems to be worse on new or low mile pads and the CRC compound may help get over the hump. Braking power has been great even when cold on my broken in pads. Hendra- I forgot to mention, if you have a high pitched squealing at low speeds, that could be the pad wear indicators. You also have a warning light for the pads, which comes on when they are nearly completely gone. You might have your pads checked for wear and make sure that is not what it is. You could apply the anti-squeal compound to the backs of the brake pads at the same time if the pads prove not be worn. I believe very few people have gone through the break-in procedure recommended by Pagid, and this may also contribute to the squealing. Taz Terry Phillips Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wow, Taz, I do not think that the pads are properly broken in as instructed by the bulletin you showed me. And since my car has less than 3000kms, I think its probably not the wear indicator too. Perhaps its just that its not up to "working" temperature like Jaker mentioned. Jaker, thanks for the input on the available racing pads. I'm not into racing the car and so do not need those high performance pads. I do not drive the car that fast on the roads anyway. So do you think that I should just change to the regular maranello pads? Regards, Hendra
Hendra- The Porterfield pads Rob recommended are available from Ricambi and I believe Daniel can also set you up with anti-squeal shims for them. They are cheaper than the OEM pads. You can probably sell your Pagids. I bought a set of take-offs like yours for $500, as did Henry, from Continental. Lots of people did not like the squealing, apparently, and undoubtedly none of them did a proper break-in of the pads. Hard to find a place to brake from 100 mph (160 kph) several times without getting arrested anyway. Taz Terry Phillips
I think the Porterfields are a great choice for the money. One downside - if I remember right the notch is not cut out for the brake pad wear sensor. You can either cut a notch out with a Dremel tool, or do what most people do which is just tie the sensor wires to each other to keep the warning light from coming on. This obviously disables their function but if you are maintaining your car correctly you should be doing checks that catch the pads before they are worn down too far. For an easy, hassle free pad, the regular stock Maranello pads would be a better choice than the FHP (Pagid Orange) pads given how you described your driving patterns.
