Click the image above to zoom in.
CL RC8 Brake Pads
Buy Now
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.
*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!
While most pads are formed from fibers and organic materials bonded together by resins, CL Brakes Sintered Pads begin as powdered metals such as iron, bronze, and copper, mixed with roughly ten other constituent materials including graphite and carbon. The mix is compressed in a tool under extreme pressure to give it shape, and then brazed onto a backing plate in an oven at 1800F. The resulting material is characterized by a consistently high coefficient of friction, stability at high temperatures, and an extremely low wear rates.
CL Brakes originally created sintered brake materials for military applications such as tanks, helicopters, and airplanes, as well as high speed freight and passenger trains like France’s TGV. After extensive development, the technology was successfully introduced in motorcycle applications. The most recent development has focused on aligning the sintered technology with racecars. CL Brakes have now been used successfully at the highest levels of motorsport, including World Rally Championship (WRC) and NASCAR Sprint Cup.
| Essex Part # | 07 4000 18.0 RC8 |
| Manufacturer Part # | 4000RC8 |
| FMSI # | |
| Composition | Sintered |
| Category | Full Race |
| Max Operating Temp* | 1800F |
| Dust | High |
| Noise | High |
| Bite / Mu | Very High |
| Judder/Vibration | Low |
| Pad wear | Moderate |
| Rotor wear | Moderate |
Because of their higher metal content, CL Sintered Pads don’t rely on a pad transfer layer to generate high levels of friction. The only recommended bed-in after install is to do a few moderately hard stops to seat the pads flush with the rotor face. That’s it. When the pads heat to a certain point, they will deposit a layer material on the face of the rotors, just like other pad types. That pad transfer layer is extremely thin however, and contains graphite (a lubricant), which protects the rotors from wear. Because of the abrasive nature of the sintered material when cold, that thin transfer layer will quickly be removed from the rotors during any cold brake applications. The transfer layer of CL pads is essentially self-curing, and only develops when required to protect the rotors.
Unable to retrieve comparison products. Sorry for the inconvience.
To find other products that match your vehicle try using our vehicle filter at the top of the page.
There are currently no reviews for this compound.
Learning Center
Know Brakes 1: How to Bed-in Brake Pads and Rotors
Know Brakes. with Jeff Ritter Episode I: Preparing Brake Pads and RotorsProperly 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...