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Anybody use Porterfield R4-S brake pads/shoes?

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jdubois

jdubois

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I'm due for a new set of brake pads and shoes, and I've heard good things about Porterfield R4-S pads on other cars. Wondered if anybody was using them on their Triumphs. At $160 for a complete set (fronts & rears), it's not exactly cheap. But considering I almost t-boned a 1982 Buick luxury liner yesterday when the 170 year old woman driving it decided to use the wrong side of the road as a parking spot, I'm happy to pay for quality.
 
I haven't.
But I will say that, if you can't lock all 4 wheels with whatever pads/shoes you put on, then there is something else wrong with the system that should be fixed.
 
The Porterfield R4S is highly regarded as a street pad in the Miata world. And for performance pads, that's not a bad price.
 
TR3driver said:
But I will say that, if you can't lock all 4 wheels with whatever pads/shoes you put on, then there is something else wrong with the system that should be fixed.
Click to expand...

Sure, but there's more to pads than locking up the brakes. Modulation, fading, pedal effort, etc.
 
Of course. I'm not suggesting that all pads are created equal, or that there aren't gains to be made by switching them.

But the stock brakes should work pretty darn good, with easy modulation, reasonable pedal effort, no pulling, and no fade during a single stop even from 100 mph. If yours don't work that well, I am suggesting you should probably find and fix the problem first, before trying to cover it up with "upgrades".

Find a deserted road and try them out sometime. You just might learn, as I did on the Stag I bought last year, that one or more wheels isn't doing it's share in stopping the car.
 
Yeah, good advice. My brakes aren't actually very bad, they *did* after all stop me before I careened into that old lady in her boat, and she didn't give me much room to run it out. But I know my pads are almost completely finished, and the old hoses feel like they've got some give to them. So since I've got to go in anyway, I'm planning on taking both the front and rear apart and rebuilding as necessary. It's an afternoon job and I can replace most everything for less than $300 (or $400 with the Porterfield stuff), as long as the calipers and drums still look ok.
 
I use Porterfield on all my cars. The main reason aside from a little better braking is less DUST. Aluminum wheels hate brake dust..... and the Porterfield's create less dust than other "performance" pads...

Just my 2c.
 
TR3driver said:
no fade during a single stop even from 100 mph.
Click to expand...

That's funny. I don't think mine will do 70! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif

Do the back drum pads move if there is no weight on them? I had the wheels and drums off of mine (79 Spit) the other night to see if the pads were being moved when I applied the brakes neither of the back pads moved. I know one of my brakes on the drivers side is bad but the working side didn't move either. I wasn't sure if it had to have the drum and wheel on to work. They appeared siezed up from rust and I wanted to see if they were working properly or not.
 
Sounds like both rear cylinders are seized ... they should move easily when you press the pedal. In fact, pressing the pedal with the drum off is usually a bad idea because it's so easy to push a piston all the way out & spill brake fluid. Once the linings are contaminated with fluid, they should be replaced.
 
I know it's not good to do but I had finally gotten desperate to try and find out what was going on with them that I resorted to that. It sounds like I will be buying a brake replacement kit.
 
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