Dixcel Zpad + Mintex F4 review

[Hancock]

I used both pads with dixcel slotted disc and standed rear disc + pad.

Z pad
Very good stopping power you need to be running semi slicks with these to get best out of them on track as even good quality road tyre such as the f'1's were really struggling for traction under hard braking. When dixon says they don't fade, they really don't fade i ended up out on a 30min session and they were still going strong. They work very well from cold and are a bit cheaper than the f4 pads. They don't seem to squeal when braking at low speeds as well which is a bonus. The downside is the wear rate, they are so soft i was doing maximum of 3 trackdays and i would need a new set, they would also cover the sides of my car in brake dust.

If you do sprints/hillclimbs i would recommend these as they do work really well from cold also a great trackday + race pad but they work out more expensive as the wear rate is shocking.

F4 pad
Only done one trackday in these which was at Cadwell on Monday but i promised paul g i would review them. I'm no expert on pads but I‘m guessing these are made of a harder compound. You need to get some heat into them before they work well, but it doesn't take much to get them up to temp, maybe stab the brake pedal couple of times and you are away, it's a bit like when you just washed your car and you take it for a spin and you brake for the first time :lol: . The stopping power is very similar to the z pad, again you need to be using semi slicks to get the best out of them. I couldn't say which one is better as they both want to throw you through the windscreen, but compared to mintex 1144 it‘s night and day. Again corner after corner i was on the brakes with no fade whatsoever. What impressed me the most with these though is i managed over 50 laps at Cadwell with hardly any wear on the pads. You could use these on the road but they‘re not going to be ideal plus they squeal a lot.

Conclusion
Though the initial cost of the F4‘s is more than the Zpad it does work out cheaper to buy the f4‘s as you will be getting through 3 sets of Zpads for every set of f4's. For that reason alone i will be buying the f4 pads again but I will only be using them for trackdays and possibly leave them in over the summer months. Probably stick the 1144‘s back in over winter months as they‘re cheaper and more than adequate for the road

 

[blueguy]

Great review =D>

Maybe the Z pads were performing near to the standard of the F4's as you were using matching Dixcel SDs or you weren't pushing hard enough? :green: It would be good to get a comparison between the R01's to the F4's given those are the equivalent Dixcel race pads, although they are recommended to be used with PDs.

 

[Stylesa]

1144 no good for track days then?

 

[Hancock]

Great review =D>

Maybe the Z pads were performing near to the standard of the F4's as you were using matching Dixcel SDs or you weren't pushing hard enough? :green: It would be good to get a comparison between the R01's to the F4's given those are the equivalent Dixcel race pads, although they are recommended to be used with PDs.

Thanks!

I suppose the pads are only as good as the tyres. Think the R01's are designed for full slicks, celox used them a while back and destroyed his tyres and melted his centre caps they were that powerful. Also the F4 pads may perform better with a different disc i may be wrong but they seem to generate more heat, if i was to use dixcel disc it would be the heat treated type next time as i'm not sure if constant hard braking will cause SD rotor to crack. The zpads are also a RACE pad and are used by himself and i think buddyclub car uses them also.

@stylesa I have only used the 1144's at the ring, they will be fine for track i'm sure but i would say these are more of a fast road type pad, can't really compare them to F4 or Zpads imo

 

[blueguy]

The zpads are also a RACE pad and are used by himself and i think buddyclub car uses them also

I only meant the R01's are probably the 'equivalent' race pad to the F4's, not that you can't compete with zpads. Dixon and Paul Hughes were using R01's.

 

[Hancock]

Re: Dixcel Zpad + Mintex F4R review

The zpads are also a RACE pad and are used by himself and i think buddyclub car uses them also

I only meant the R01's are probably the 'equivalent' race pad to the F4's, not that you can't compete with zpads. Dixon and Paul Hughes were using R01's.

Maybe i'm worng then Dixon told me that z pads were used for group n racing, which is what the f4 pad is designed for. I thought the R01's's were more comparable with the F1 pads but again i might be wrong.

 

[Dixcelbrake]

Yes all Group N using Z pad and I use Z pad in wet race and cold weather as well.

R01 is ok with semi slick if you are using with PD or HD, Celox was using it with SD thats why it kills his tyres as there was way too much braking power.

Buddyclub DC5 is using R14 compound which is a new compound from Dixcel this year that can use with Slot disk and have lower operating temperature but brake better than Z pad and last 15 times longer :wink:

 

[blueguy]

Thanks for clearing that up Dixon.

When will the R14's be available?

 

[Paul G]

I used both pads with dixcel slotted disc and standed rear disc + pad.

Z pad
Very good stopping power you need to be running semi slicks with these to get best out of them on track as even good quality road tyre such as the f'1's were really struggling for traction under hard braking. When dixon says they don't fade, they really don't fade i ended up out on a 30min session and they were still going strong. They work very well from cold and are a bit cheaper than the f4 pads. They don't seem to squeal when braking at low speeds as well which is a bonus. The downside is the wear rate, they are so soft i was doing maximum of 3 trackdays and i would need a new set, they would also cover the sides of my car in brake dust.

If you do sprints/hillclimbs i would recommend these as they do work really well from cold also a great trackday + race pad but they work out more expensive as the wear rate is shocking.

F4 pad
Only done one trackday in these which was at Cadwell on Monday but i promised paul g i would review them. I'm no expert on pads but I‘m guessing these are made of a harder compound. You need to get some heat into them before they work well, but it doesn't take much to get them up to temp, maybe stab the brake pedal couple of times and you are away, it's a bit like when you just washed your car and you take it for a spin and you brake for the first time :lol: . The stopping power is very similar to the z pad, again you need to be using semi slicks to get the best out of them. I couldn't say which one is better as they both want to throw you through the windscreen, but compared to mintex 1144 it‘s night and day. Again corner after corner i was on the brakes with no fade whatsoever. What impressed me the most with these though is i managed over 50 laps at Cadwell with hardly any wear on the pads. You could use these on the road but they‘re not going to be ideal plus they squeal a lot.

Conclusion
Though the initial cost of the F4‘s is more than the Zpad it does work out cheaper to buy the f4‘s as you will be getting through 3 sets of Zpads for every set of f4's. For that reason alone i will be buying the f4 pads again but I will only be using them for trackdays and possibly leave them in over the summer months. Probably stick the 1144‘s back in over winter months as they‘re cheaper and more than adequate for the road

Glad you like them

I Stand by wt i said: Pound for pound the F4's were the best pad for me for race, or T.days in my DC5..

 

[Dixcelbrake]

R14 and all other racing series pad only available for aftermarket Alcon, Brembo and AP racing caliper.

 

[lockwood77]

1144 no good for track days then?

Up to a point, they're fine, but if you brake hard for long enough, they will fade - depends on the track and your style, but on mine with Paul G discs I would usually get a few laps before the pedal went a bit long and the braking started to drop off. The F4Rs are fantastic, as Hancock said.

One thing to bear in mind is the wear rate - if the pads don't wear, something else probably will, i.e. the disc. I'd be interested to know how the Dixcel discs hold up after a few trackdays of F4R abuse. I've got Paul's AP discs and they seem to be standing up to it pretty well - in fact, they're my second pair after I bought a somewhat used set that are still perfectly serviceable and must have done 15+ trackdays and 30,000+ road miles between owners! In fact, I must get those up for sale...

You can definitely use F4Rs on the road, but they do need a little heat and on days like today, I wouldn't fancy doing 30 miles at 80mph on the motorway without touching the brakes then having to do an emergency stop. Also, if you leave them in long term, I would expect the discs to take a real hammering.

 

[Yella Fella]

I'm planning on trying out some Mintex F4 pads at Snetterton next month, currently using Paul G's discs. However, I'm possibly looking at changing and trying another variant...

What dixcel discs are recommended to be used with the F4's? Possibly heat treated/slots?

I'll be using normal tyres, no semi/slicks

 

[mugen-r]

i had dixcel sd disc and z pads on my dc2 and loved them. highly recommend them. will deff be buying them for a dc5 when i get it 8)