Technical Articles

Tetsuya is a racing driver who races the Ferrari F430 equipped with the Specom-α brake pads in the SUPER GT series. DIXCEL interviewed Tetsuya about the Specom-α/Specom-β.
This interviewed is based on testing with the DIXCEL Subaru Impreza GDB F-type equipped with Specom-α, and the DIXCEL Nissan GT-R equipped with the Specom-β. Please be aware that some of the commentary may be only specific to those vehicles.

■About the Specom-α

Q.What was the feel of the Specom-α?
A.Compared to the ‘Specom-β’ and the ‘RA-type’, the braking power was a level higher. The brakes were easy to control and the pedal feel was just right.
The braking power was so significant, that on a street-use car, the ABS would kick in.

Q.What kind of competitions and conditions are the pads best fit for?
A.The pads are ideal when you are especially seeking brake power. They are ideal for time trials with high grip tires or you want a fast lap time with few laps.
If comparing with tires, they are like having the special ‘soft compound’ for the fastest lap.

※The pads use special compound made for SUPER GT cars and formula cars which do not have brake boosters. Please be aware, if used on a car that is equipped with brake boosters, the brake pads may cause too much braking.

■About the Specom-β

Q.Please tell me about the OEM Nissan R35 GT-R brake system.
A.I was involved in the development of the R35 GT-R, and the damage from high heat was a major problem. Since the car is very heavy, running aggressively on the race circuit causes the oil and water temperatures to rise. The car is also severe on the brakes and tires. Fast lap times are possible on the first few laps, but fast lap times becomes more difficult on long extended runs. Still, the brakes are able to complete thirty minute runs on a circuit, so a complete product for an OEM brake system.

Q.Tell us about the difficulties in the development of the Specom-β
A.As I said before, I was very concerned with ‘heat damage’. At the beginning of the development, we were unable to solve the problem with the heat damage; the development team was struggling. Although as a result, I am very comfortable and confident of the final product of the Specom-β. The product was so advanced that the oil and water temperatures were starting to become a problem before the brakes. Next, ‘pad wear’. Regardless of how high the brake performance, it’s a problem if the pad wear is fast. At the end, we were able to extend the pad life to double that of the OEM brake pads. (The result of the race circuit testing of the Nissan R35 GT-R) The DIXCEL research and development team materialized the extremely difficult task of making a brake pad with high braking power and long pad life.

Q.How do the ‘Specom-β’ brake pads feel?
A.Very stable with high braking power. The pads also feature superior pad life.

Q.What kind of competitions and conditions are the pads best fit for?
A.If the statement is limited to the Nissan R35 GT-R, I can confidently recommend the pads for race circuit-use and street-use. Long repeated laps on the race circuit cause no problems; the brakes work well even with a light brake pedal touch which makes it easy to use on the streets. If you were to use the pads for racing, it would have to be for an endurance race; the long pad life and stable braking power is ideal for it. If comparing with tires, they are like the ‘hard compound’ tires for long stints.

※Please be aware that aside from the Nissan R35 GT-R which uses race quality brake compound as an OEM product, the Specom Series may increase brake dust and brake noise, and also decrease brake disc life if used on the street on a street-use car.