Hard pedal without bite or a soft pedal - what does that tell me?

That's the quickest self-test: if the pedal stays hard but you have to press ever harder and the car still decelerates worse, the pad is usually at its limit (pad fade). If the pedal instead goes soft and travels through, that points to overheated brake fluid (fluid fade). You solve the one via the compound, the other via fresh racing brake fluid.

What do I do if the brake fades while driving?

Immediately back off the pace and let the brake cool down: with the car rolling and without dragging the pedal continuously, not by waiting with a stationary, hot brake. On the track drive a cool-down lap, on a mountain pass decelerate via engine braking. Only push on again once the pressure point is back.

Brake fade: recognize the causes and avoid fade

Understanding and avoiding brake fade

Brake fade refers to the safety-critical loss of braking effect through overheating - typical on long downhill drives or under heavy use on the race track. Why your pedal goes soft after three laps and which compound is the right one for your use is explained in this article.

What is brake fade?

Fade occurs when the pad exceeds the upper temperature limit of its compound. Through the heat the coefficient of friction drops, the braking distance gets longer and the pedal can go soft - the braking effect diminishes.

Two mechanisms are distinguished: pad fade (the pad's coefficient of friction collapses) and fluid fade (vapor bubbles in overheated brake fluid make the pedal spongy).

Avoiding brake fade: compound and fluid

A sport compound like MX87 fades earlier under sustained track day use. A race compound like ME22 or N39S shifts the temperature window upward. If you do four to ten track days a year, reach for ME22.

Against fluid fade, a racing brake fluid with a high wet boiling point helps, as does a fresh, complete change before the event. Both together - a heat-resistant pad plus a durable fluid - keep the pedal firm.

Mountain pass and long descents

On long downhill drives fade arises from continuous brake dragging. Better is to use engine braking and brake firmly and briefly in a targeted way, instead of pressing the pedal lightly all the time. That way the brake gets air to cool down in between.

Frequently asked questions

Hard pedal without bite or a soft pedal - what does that tell me?: That's the quickest self-test: if the pedal stays hard but you have to press ever harder and the car still decelerates worse, the pad is usually at its limit (pad fade). If the pedal instead goes soft and travels through, that points to overheated brake fluid (fluid fade). You solve the one via the compound, the other via fresh racing brake fluid.
What do I do if the brake fades while driving?: Immediately back off the pace and let the brake cool down: with the car rolling and without dragging the pedal continuously, not by waiting with a stationary, hot brake. On the track drive a cool-down lap, on a mountain pass decelerate via engine braking. Only push on again once the pressure point is back.

Next step

Choose a vehicle, then see matching brakes

Enter the HSN/TSN from your registration document (fields 2.1 and 2.2) or search by make and model.

All articles in the knowledge base