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Speed Freaks USA: Project Mu HC+800 Introductory Special
Speed Freaks USA is excited to introduce the Project Mu HC+800 to Lexus IS-F enthusiasts. In short this is the most versatile pad compound in its price range and is what we believe will be the new go-to brake pad for aggressively driven IS-Fs.
The HC+800 bridges the gap between the popular luxury street pad, the NS400, and one of my personal favorite sprint race/track pads, the Club Racer. It offers a truly usable temperature range that allows the pad to be used as an every day street pad capable of grossly outperforming any street pad short of an Endless MX72 or MXRS during aggressive driving in the canyons, autocross and especially on a race track for an HPDE event.
Our goal in making the HC+800 available to the IS-F community was to provide an excellent pad compound from a premium brand at a price aimed directly at the budget brands like Winmax and Hawk. Compared to other brands in the price range the Project Mu option simply offers more- HC+800 has similar street manners to a Winmax W2 yet offers more performance than a W4 during aggressive driving. It produces less dust and noise than Hawk HP+ yet has a usable temperature range nearly 500*F beyond where the Hawks overheat and give up. It even offers higher friction levels, better modulation and feel than the Ferodo DS2500 and at a lower price point!
Project Mu’s Official Description:
HC+800 is a premium Performance Street, Race and Rally brake pad. HC+800 has more bite than both NS and B-Spec and has excellent fade resistance. Capable of operating at temperatures up to 800°c, this pad will handle almost all serious braking conditions.
HC+800 is a genuine ‘cross over’ pad suitable for both road and race. HC+800 is extremely capable in competition environments so you can use this pad if you are involved in serious track day, rally etc.
Along with temperature capabilities, HC+800 is renowned as a ‘drivers pad’ with unmatched driver feel and control.
Fade Resistance
When brake pads operate at high temperatures, high pressure gases can be created in the pad and can cause a 'gas layer' between the pad and rotor. This can make the driver feel like the brakes have lost performance as the brake pedal feels the same, but the car won't slow down as normal. This phenomenon is known as 'fade'. A slot is manufactured in all Project-Mu pads to offer the gases an escape route.
※ Rotor slots also assist to provide the same solution.
Noise Suppression
Brake pads manufactured without a chamfer on the leading edge of the friction material, are more likely to produce unpleasant noise. This noise known as brake squeal is actually a high frequency vibration created by the friction between pad and rotor. The vibration can manifest in caliper, rotor or suspension vibration. This 'problem' is reduced or eliminated by the chamfer on the pad material.
※ Brake squeal is more likely to occur in some models, and not others. It can also depend on the condition of the car.
Heat Treatment
Project-Mu brake pads are subjected to heat treatment as part of the manufacturing process. This process 'burns out' unwanted materials in advance, reducing the gases that can cause fade. As a result, Project-Mu brake pads only need light 'bedding in' to match the pad to your rotor surface.
Brake Pad Structural Stability
Brake pads are subjected to huge pressure from caliper pistons in unequal proportions across the pad. Brake pads must remain flat to offer optimal performance so Project-Mu use only the highest grade quality steel at the correct thickness to ensure this stability. Project-Mu pads are up to 20% stronger than some competitors.
To get the cost down we have ordered a large batch and will be running a special introductory price on full sets of front and rear pads to kick things off. Pricing will be limited to the first 25 sets of fronts and rears so act fast!
Please post up with questions or comments. You can also send a PM, email matt@speedfreaksusa.com or call us at (888) 263-1842 if you need to get ahold of us directly. Thanks!
What is the dust level of these pads? Similar to OEM, less than OEM, or worse than OEM? Comparing to Hawk does not help me understand.
It is pretty good on dust, at nearly OEM levels - a good trade off between the additional performance benefits and relatively low noise/dust considering they will hold up to occasional track day use.
-Matt
Last edited by SpeedFreaksUSA; 12-18-15 at 08:25 AM.
I put these on the car with new Raybestos rotors January 10th. I bedded them this morning on the freeway - didn't exactly follow the procedure, but got the pads nice and warm. First reaction is they are very high friction. It takes a very light foot on the brake just like my Carbotech XP-12. They're still a little noisy - not squeaking, but more of a grinding sound - and I am certain as the pads and rotors mate better it will go away. The Raybestos rotors may be an identical design to the Lexus provided Brembos, but the surface finish is definitely more rough. As the pads take the roughness away I am sure what I am hearing now will subside.
FWIW, my rear rotors had over 122k miles on the car and they were just barely 50% worn. I chose to replace them because the previous Carbotech "Bobcat 1521" pads didn't exactly align with the rotor properly, and I really wanted to be sure everything was in first class working order again. The Carbotech street pads were also less than 50% worn, and I've had them on the car for about 100k miles. They just don't seem to wear out, but they do cause excessive wear at the root of the rotor compared to the outside edge.
The all new theme extended to the hardware - new pins, anti-rattle springs, bridge bolt, etc. with genuine Brembo snot on both sides of the shims to avoid any squealing. It seems to be working so far.
The follow up test will have to be at the track, but if these pads tolerate heat, they will become my new all around pad. They kick the ***** off the OEM pads for feel and feedback. You'll know if I like them at the track - I'll have some brand new Carbotech XP-12s for sale in the classifieds.
Full Disclosure - I paid full sale price for the pads from SpeedFreaks, and they did not solicit a review, but I really like these pads so far.
I ordered a pair of the rear pads to go with the Ferodo's I have up front. I checked with Speed Freaks to make sure it was a good match, and they said it was. Frodo doesn't make rear pads for the ISF.
Based on Lance's advice, I also have a set of Earl's Solo Bleeders. I will be bleeding my brakes soon and will be installing the Project Mu rear pads at that time. I'll report back here.
I put these on the car with new Raybestos rotors January 10th. I bedded them this morning on the freeway - didn't exactly follow the procedure, but got the pads nice and warm. First reaction is they are very high friction. It takes a very light foot on the brake just like my Carbotech XP-12. They're still a little noisy - not squeaking, but more of a grinding sound - and I am certain as the pads and rotors mate better it will go away. The Raybestos rotors may be an identical design to the Lexus provided Brembos, but the surface finish is definitely more rough. As the pads take the roughness away I am sure what I am hearing now will subside.
FWIW, my rear rotors had over 122k miles on the car and they were just barely 50% worn. I chose to replace them because the previous Carbotech "Bobcat 1521" pads didn't exactly align with the rotor properly, and I really wanted to be sure everything was in first class working order again. The Carbotech street pads were also less than 50% worn, and I've had them on the car for about 100k miles. They just don't seem to wear out, but they do cause excessive wear at the root of the rotor compared to the outside edge.
The all new theme extended to the hardware - new pins, anti-rattle springs, bridge bolt, etc. with genuine Brembo snot on both sides of the shims to avoid any squealing. It seems to be working so far.
The follow up test will have to be at the track, but if these pads tolerate heat, they will become my new all around pad. They kick the ***** off the OEM pads for feel and feedback. You'll know if I like them at the track - I'll have some brand new Carbotech XP-12s for sale in the classifieds.
Full Disclosure - I paid full sale price for the pads from SpeedFreaks, and they did not solicit a review, but I really like these pads so far.
Thank you for posting up! I am glad to hear the initial review is positive. We have had so much success with this compound on other vehicles and don't believe the IS-F will be any different, especially at the price point which we were able to make these available at. These seem to punch well above their weight on track but you're used to a tried and true track only compound (XP12) so I'm very curious to hear how they stack up in your opinion given that they are technically a street pad. Thank you for giving these a shot!
Originally Posted by flowrider
I ordered a pair of the rear pads to go with the Ferodo's I have up front. I checked with Speed Freaks to make sure it was a good match, and they said it was. Frodo doesn't make rear pads for the ISF.
Based on Lance's advice, I also have a set of Earl's Solo Bleeders. I will be bleeding my brakes soon and will be installing the Project Mu rear pads at that time. I'll report back here.
Installed the HC+800 today and bled the system. Replaced the fluid with Project Mu G-FOUR 335 Hi-Po fluid. I cleaned and reused the old shims and lubed them with Permatex Brake lube. As I indicated above I used Earl's Solo Bleeders and they worked well. Thanks for the idea Lance. I used a bit over 500ml of fluid.
I bedded in the rears, and on way home (from my bedding shenanigans on the freeway) the brakes worked great. No noise and from what I can see less dust than OEM. The HC+800 mated well with my Ferodo DS2500s up front. My rear rotors measured a bit over 27mm so I did not replace them.
Installed the HC+800 today and bled the system. Replaced the fluid with Project Mu G-FOUR 335 Hi-Po fluid. I cleaned and reused the old shims and lubed them with Permatex Brake lube. As I indicated above I used Earl's Solo Bleeders and they worked well. Thanks for the idea Lance. I used a bit over 500ml of fluid.
I bedded in the rears, and on way home (from my bedding shenanigans on the freeway) the brakes worked great. No noise and from what I can see less dust than OEM. The HC+800 mated well with my Frerodo DS2500s up front. My rear rotors measured a bit over 27mm so I did not replace them.
I'l know more with more use. But so far, a BIG
Lou
Is it safe to use that brake fluid on the F? im buying the ns400 form speedfreaks, wonder should i try out some new fluid.
^^^^Sure, as long as you purge all the old stuff out. To make sure, I did the first wheel (rear right) twice, and all was good. It is a DOT 4 fluid and SpeedFreaks knew it was going into my F. Had they had any qualms their experts would have said so. It came highly recommended.
I have found these pads are a bit more challenging to bed than average. They need a lot of heat to put on a good even transfer layer. I ended up mashing the gas and left foot braking for short intervals on the freeway to get a good bed completed. Before bedding they squeal just like full race pads. I also started with new rotors which is never ideal, and I am not entirely convinced the Raybestos rotors are as well made as the OEM rotors - the surface finish on them is definitely not what I got from Lexus.
But, they are working well now, and the one thing I can say with certainty is the ABS is not calibrated for pads with this much friction. It is easy to overwhelm the ABS in cold weather on summer tires. I imagine once the roads warm up it won't be a problem, but right now it is forcing me to brake as if I have no ABS.
The pedal pressure required for a solid stop with these pads is very small. You will need to recalibrate your foot unless you've been using nothing but race pads.
Also, a small but important note on installation in the front - even with the pistons fully retracted, it was difficult to get the pads in place with the caliper installed. I struggled with it on one side, and I loaded the caliper on the other side before I put it on the rotor to make it much easier. I really doubt there would be enough room to use RRRacing's 32mm thick rotors with these pads when new. I don't believe there is enough room available even with the pistons fully retracted. These pads are very thick when new.
^^^^You know, I didn't do my front pads because as I mentioned above I'm still extremely happy with the Ferodo's. But, even with my bad mouthing of Adams Rotors, when I measured them while doing my bleeding, they measured 30.5mm and that's with 15K miles on them. So, they must be thicker than stock was well. The Ferodo's also were very thick when new, but I really don't remember them being a problem to install.
12-16-15, 03:14 PM
Speed Freaks USA: Project Mu HC+800 Introductory Special
