Pagid pad types

Pagid pads seem to be widely accepted as the best pads for the Coupe (although definitely not the cheapest).

However, there is some confusion as to which Pagid pads are most appropriate, so here's the list of pads, with their various properties.

The main types for the Coupe are Blue, Yellow or Grey, but I've listed the less common compounds as well.



RS4-2 BLUE (Carbon Based)

Still our most popular material, (known as ‘Pagid Blue’), RS4-2 gives a good low temperature response. It is very stable, with superior modulation and feel. RS4-2 has a medium co-efficient of friction with good pad and disc life. Suitable for many applications especially gravel rally and wet tarmac, where a high level of control is required.

Friction Level Cold 0.40
At 100°C 0.42
At 300°C 0.43
Max at 0.46 @ 550°C
Constant working temperature 350 – 600°C
Max temperature for short period only 650°C

RS4-2-1 BLACK (Carbon Based) (Sport Pad)

A very stable material with low disc wear. It has a wide operating range with good low temperature performance and low brake noise. Fitted as original equipment on many high performance road vehicles, this is the best all round pad for road and light track day use.
Also available in a small range of Sport Type Pads (Dark Blue Coating)

Friction Level Cold 0.36
At 100°C 0.38
At 300°C 0.42
Max at 0.45 @ 500°C
Constant working temperature 300 – 500°C
Max temperature for short period only 550°C

RS4-4 ORANGE (Carbon Based)

This material has a slightly higher average friction level than RS4-2. It is better for high temperature applications than RS4-2 and has a very stable torque pattern during the stop. Suitable for rear axle use on Touring Car applications and very popular in Porsche and BMW club racing circles.

Friction Level Cold 0.39
At 100°C 0.40
At 300°C 0.43
Max at 0.49 @ 600°C
Constant working temperature 350 – 650°C
Max temperature for short period only 700°C

RS-14 BLACK (Ceramic Based)

A high friction, high temperature material with enviable pad life at this level of friction. Very kind to discs, easily modulated, and resistant to wheel lock in extreme use. Suitable for Touring Car, WRC, GT and other forms of medium weight single seater race cars that have good levels of grip.

Friction Level Cold 0.44
At 100°C 0.47
At 300°C 0.49
Max at 0.54 @ 600°C
Constant working temperature 400 – 700°C
Max temperature for short period only 800°C

RS-15 GREY (Ceramic Based)

A development of RS-14 which combines a 20% higher friction level with an improved initial bite. RS-15 has good life and exceptional release characteristics, combined with good cold operating properties. It is also very easily bedded in comparison to its competitors. Suitable for Touring car, GT and other applications requiring very high levels of friction and high temperature stability.

Friction Level Cold 0.50
At 100°C 0.54
At 300°C 0.57
Max at 0.62 @ 600°C
Constant working temperature 400°C– 800°C
Max temperature for short period only 900°C

RS-19/RS-29 YELLOW (Ceramic Based)

These materials provide very good performance at all temperatures with immediate brake response. Very stable pad on ceramic base, with excellent fade resistance and low disc wear. Suitable for endurance racing, or applications where exceptional life is required. RS29 has similar levels of performance but has improvements in bite and better pedal feel at higher temperatures, along with slight improvements in life under extreme conditions.
Multiple 24 hour race winner at Le-Mans, Daytona, Spa, etc, etc.

Friction Level Cold 0.40
At 100°C 0.43
At 300°C 0.47
Max at 0.49 @ 550°C
Constant working temperature 400 – 700°C
Max temperature for short period only 750°C


To summarise:

Blues - great for everyday use - good balance of price & performance
Yellow - will work OK from cold, but need a bit of heat to work at their best - good balance of performance and life
Grey - will work OK from cold but need a bit of heat to work well - once hot will leave steering wheel imprints on your forehead. I challenge anyone to get them to fade.

Great stuff nigel Isn't there also some sort of blue 4-2-2 compound? I use the Greys, which are awesome when warm but I definitely find you have to be aware when they are wet because the bite is pretty low!

Yes - there is a 4-2-2 - think of it as a "Super-Blue"

Really? I have these fellas and I found them to be a lot better than standard. But then they were standard as in 'not OE standard'. They would cook after three 90-30mph runs. Maybe you meant to say that they aren't as good as the previous pads you had when cold, but they weren't standard?

Personally I love the grey, for me they are great even after a good hour or two on the motorway. Simply awesome when warmed up.

Nice post Nigel

Perhaps put this as a sticky in tuning/part of my tuning parts list or tuning stages post?

This post is another little gem from Nigel for people looking for help or advice on a brake set up and should be stickied imo

I just find that when cold and wet they take extra effort than when dry or warm, and that's with reconditioned calipers too. Previously I was using Red Dot fast road pads IIRC but I don't remember them feeling much different to original Fiat pads.

Do we have the same sort of explanation on the forum for yellow stuff,red stuff etc. ?
It would be useful too.
Paul

Totally agree, I had grey's on and they give unbelievable bite. Their stopping power is immense when warmed up, however, I changed to yellow's because I was sick of the amount of brake dust everywhere that the grey's leave on each brake application. You could have a clean set of alloys, then 5 minutes later they are filthy...

Just to revive this - I've know I needed new front pads and discs for a while so sourced some replacements for Paul to fit whilst in for her MoT at MMechs...... Fiat are now selling a 'Fiat Classicline' parts range for out of production cars. Conscious of not wanting Pad squeal I wanted some near as dammit OE pads. I bought a set of these front pads from Research Garage in Nuneaton - a Fiat Main Dealer. They came in a Magnetti Marelli box but were stamped as PAGID on the pad backs. I'm more of a cruiser than bruiser at the moment but seem to be performing very nicely

Interesting. I am using OEM pads too to avoid the squeal; perhaps I am a cruiser too