Skip to Main Content

Skip to Main Navigation


CL Brakes Overview

CL Brakes Sintered Pads are the most user-friendly brake pads ever developed. The revolutionary new sintered material allows you to spend more time on the track, and less time in the pits chasing brake problems. No more vibrations, trashed rotors, warm-up laps, and constantly swapping pads. Some features of CL Sintered Pads include:

  • Incredible cold bite
  • Nearly impossible to fade
  • Last twice as long as most semi-metallic race pads
  • Little to no bed-in required
  • Semi-porous: retain bite in rain, snow, dirt

For a more detailed explanation of the sintered technology employed in these revolutionary new pads, please click here.

Watch CL Brakes in action on the Nordschleife

Dodge Viper- 2009 VLN Endurance Racing Championship

Front compound is RC8, rear compound is RC6E

CL Brakes Pad Compounds

The RC5+ is CL’s latest offering, and was developed with the autoX and track day crowd squarely in mind.  It is a well-mannered race pad, with lower noise, low dust, and a lower coefficient of friction.  The beauty of this compound is that despite its mild manners, it still retains a very high max operating temperature.  It is a great choice for lighter cars on race tires, or heavy, high power cars on street tires.  The failure mechanism of this pad is one of its greatest strengths.  If you do happen to push it over its temperature threshold, bite slowly tapers away rather than falling off a cliff, so you’ll easily recognize when it’s time to back off.  It’s extremely wear resistant, and doesn’t destroy rotors with pad deposits when pushed to their temperature envelope.  The RC5+ is a great rear pad option for those who like a more front biased setup with the RC6 or RC6E compound up front. View Reviews for this compound

cl_pad_mu_comparison_400

cl_compound_wear_rate_chart_400

*Note on Pad Size

Sintered materials tend to expand more than other types of pads under high heat track conditions. CL allows for greater expansion by manufacturing their pads to a smaller initial size. You therefore may experience some movement of the pad within the caliper, which can result in a clunking sound, and is most noticeable when changing directions (front to reverse, etc.). Please keep in mind that these are racing pads, and some NVH can be expected!

Hide Reviews

There are currently no reviews for this compound.

The best way to describe the wear rates on this compound is ‘ridiculous.’  You can hammer them over and over, and they just don’t wear out.  In independent dyno testing, the RC6E showed wear rates that were as much as five times lower than some of the currently popular semi-metallic race pads.  While having slightly lower bite than the RC6, the RC6E still has more bite than most other race pads on the market.  They’re also extremely easy on rotors.  They initially appear expensive, but when you factor in how long they will last (along with your rotors), they’re actually a tremendous value. View Reviews for this compound

cl_pad_mu_comparison_400

cl_compound_wear_rate_chart_400

*Note on Pad Size

Sintered materials tend to expand more than other types of pads under high heat track conditions. CL allows for greater expansion by manufacturing their pads to a smaller initial size. You therefore may experience some movement of the pad within the caliper, which can result in a clunking sound, and is most noticeable when changing directions (front to reverse, etc.). Please keep in mind that these are racing pads, and some NVH can be expected!

 

Hide Reviews

There are currently no reviews for this compound.

The first thing you’ll notice about them is the incredibly high, yet controllable bite.  You’ll likely use less pedal pressure than you’re accustomed to, which means no more standing on your brake pedal praying for the car to stop while diving into turns.  You’ll also have incredible cold bite, which is of great value to autoX and Time Attack participants, who typically have little or no time to warm up their brakes prior to timed runs.  Regardless of your engine package, tires, or the track you’re driving, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever fade the RC6 compound.  Since the material is so dense, the RC6 feels rock-hard underfoot.  The RC6 has become a bread and butter pad among rally drivers in Europe due to its relentless bite in every imaginable track and weather condition.  Most experienced drivers have a ‘wow’ moment the first time they drive the RC6, as they’ve never felt anything quite like it before.  The RC6 is typically used on the front of most cars, although it’s a great rear pad option if RC8 is being used on the front. View Reviews for this compound

cl_pad_mu_comparison_400

cl_compound_wear_rate_chart_400

*Note on Pad Size

Sintered materials tend to expand more than other types of pads under high heat track conditions. CL allows for greater expansion by manufacturing their pads to a smaller initial size. You therefore may experience some movement of the pad within the caliper, which can result in a clunking sound, and is most noticeable when changing directions (front to reverse, etc.). Please keep in mind that these are racing pads, and some NVH can be expected!

 

Hide Reviews

There are currently no reviews for this compound.

Bite, bite, bite, and more bite.  If you like a pad with a high coefficient and low pedal effort, then you’ll love the RC8.  These pads are reserved for heavy, fast cars on race rubber, or pure race cars with downforce.  Due to their extremely high coefficient of friction, it’s recommended that you only mate these pads up with other CL pads in the rear. View Reviews for this compound

cl_pad_mu_comparison_400

cl_compound_wear_rate_chart_400

*Note on Pad Size

Sintered materials tend to expand more than other types of pads under high heat track conditions. CL allows for greater expansion by manufacturing their pads to a smaller initial size. You therefore may experience some movement of the pad within the caliper, which can result in a clunking sound, and is most noticeable when changing directions (front to reverse, etc.). Please keep in mind that these are racing pads, and some NVH can be expected!

 

Hide Reviews

There are currently no reviews for this compound.

Learning Center

learning center

Know Brakes 1: How to Bed-in Brake Pads and Rotors

Know Brakes. with Jeff Ritter Episode I: Preparing Brake Pads and Rotors

Properly bedding in your brake pads and rotors is absolutely critical if you want to squeeze the most performance from your brake system. Unfortunately, many enthusiasts don’t understand how or why they should be doing this important procedure. In this inaugural episode of “Know Brakes,” Jeff Ritter teaches you everything you need to know to prepare your brake pads and rotors for heavy use. Highlights include in-car footage of the process, before and after component photos, and an interview with AP Racing engineer Steve Hood. Armed with the knowledge in this video, you’ll be able to get...