CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS
Corvette C5 - GridLife Track Mod
In the past, I've bought pads from all the major performance manufactures for my track cars. I always assumed an inverse correlation between braking torque and modulation: the harder the pad bites, the less modulation I would have. The pads I've bought before have all followed this model pretty well. Despite that, I was able to put down competitive time attack laps with these pads by adjusting my braking habits: braking was just an edgy experience. The switch to Cobalt XR2 was an eye-opening experience. I can now have my cake and eat it too. I'm able to get a high bite pad but still keep pedal modulation. The modulation WITH braking torque gives me the confidence to run deeper into braking zones and brake much later than before. I'm able to consistently carry higher corner entry speeds. The bit of icing on the top is that the wear rates also seem to be as good or better than some of the endurance pads I've run with other vendors. I would recommend switching to Cobalt if you haven't already.
- Andy Hsiao
Porsche 911 GT3 RS - Track Day
“Over the last few years I have attended 30+ track weekends allowing me to experiment with many different brands. As soon as I tried Cobalt the answer was clear. Incredible braking power, no fading, and my rotors last longer. Their customer support is first class and the ability to custom size the thickness for my calipers is a total win. Keep up the great work!”
- Alex Beck
Chevrolet Corvette Z06 - Global Time Attack
“Brakes, the one thing you don’t want to worry about entering a 170+mph heavy braking zone… The winning combination of 25mm Cobalt XR-1 pads and AP Racing calipers on my Time Attack C6 Z06 means worrying about brake performance is a distant memory. At my home track of Road Atlanta, I pound the brakes in to turn 10a at 170+ lap after lap with the same great braking performance I have come to expect from Cobalt. At Circuit of the Americas, we are exceeding 175 mph as I enter Turn 12 in what is another incredibly hard braking zone. You don’t want to carry that sort of speeds unless you are absolutely confident in your equipment, and Cobalt Racing Brake Pads is one piece of that puzzle for me. Let’s face it, competition drives us to go faster year after year, so having a car that slows on command is paramount to not only our success but our safety behind the wheel.”
-Eric Fleming
LS Powered Toyota 86 - GridLife Touring Cup
“As a competitor in the GridLife Touring Cup, I need the best of everything. I've tested various rotors and pads over the past few years and now I'm set. Their team worked with me to make sure I have the correct pad compound for my setup. I run with stock ABS, AP Racing Sprint kit in front and stock rears. XR2 fronts with XR1 in the rear. Cobalt pads are consistently dependable...no fade, great trail braking and feel. I will not be out-braked.”
-Eric Jensen
Toyota GR Supra - Time Trials
“I love the feel, bite, and stopping power of your XR1 and XR2. They did very well on our short track that is very hard on brakes. I found myself braking to early from where I normally do on several sections of the course. Definitely a returning customer and spreading the word through our track community up here. I’ve been very happy with my experience since day one!”
-Ryan Fraser
Subaru BRZ - SCCA Majors T4 Class
“Now that I am starting my 6th season with the SCCA I find myself enjoying my touring car to the fullest, when it comes to my advantages over my competition I’m confident to say that my Cobalt brake pads give me a competitive edge over most. Touring 4 (T4) is very competitive and the BOP is on point, it really comes down to the driver as I find the T4 race cars basically have the same performance regardless of manufacturer. With my Cobalt brake pads I’m confident every time my foot hits the brake pedal, I enjoy the modulation feel, and bite the pads offer. When racing you have to have solid support! There is no question I have just that from Cobalt. “
-Angelica Sprehe
BMW E36 M3 - Endurance Racing
We use the Cobalt XR2 compound for the front brakes and XR3 for the rear. We’re big fans of Cobalt Racing Brakes, and use Cobalt brake pads on our personal track cars as well. Cobalt pads have the best brake feel, modulation, and release in the business, and we appreciate that once the rotors are bedded, no bedding is necessary for a new set of pads! This saves a lot of time and hassle on race weekends. We believe one of the biggest advantages we have with our BBR BMW M3 is its brakes, due in large part to the Cobalt pads we use. We typically can get through a full race weekend with just one set of pads.
-David Kelley, Blue Bulls Racing
Chevy Camaro ZL1-1LE - Track Day
“From the products to the customer service you cannot go wrong with this company. Everyone I've spoken to on the team is super knowledgeable and supportive. Cobalt came as a recommendation when I began tracking at Circuit of The Americas as the "magic pads". This came from many of the fast people in the area. After glazing other high bite endurance pads i decided to give the XR-1 a shot. I'm happy I did, we went 5 track days into the season with great stopping power, absolutely zero fade and decent life. We run zl1 1le (heavy car) and brake the car from 160+ to 40 lap after lap without skipping a bit. I'm very happy with these and the company will continue receiving my business.”
-Scott Velez
Brennan Stammer - NASA Spec Miata
My experience using Cobalt pads on my Spec Miata has been great! They continually have given me an insane amount of confidence in every corner! Great people as well.
-Brennan Stammer, Stammer Garage
BMW E46 M3 - NASA ES Endurance Racing
“I am a true believer in the Cobalt racing brake pads. I’ve personally run their products on numerous types of cars and in numerous types of racing. We’ve been running Cobalt for years. Where the brake pads really shine is long endurance races. As many of you know the car you start with in an endurance race, is not the car you end with. But one thing we’ve always noticed is how consistent and strong our braking capabilities stay throughout a long race like the 25 hour at thunder hill.
We can race the entire 25 hours without having to change brake pads and without any type of brake fade. While running Cobalt, we have finished on the podium there every time. I highly recommend trying Cobalt. I promise you will not be disappointed.”
-Scott B Peterson, Three Thieves Racing
Corvette C7 Grandsport - Track Day
“Cobalt pads are an awesome addition to my Grandsport build. I was very impressed with the way they do not tear up my rotors and are able to bite and hold on my full-weight car. I run a lot of hot days at COTA and have never felt any brake fade from the first corner all the way to end of the pads life.”
- Nolan Howell
Porsche 911 GT3 RS - Track Day
“I primarily track my car in DE’s. Usually 8-12 weekends a year. So between 20 and 30 full days on track. I’ve tried almost all of the major track-focused pads on the market. Some have great initial bite, but fall off before entering corners. Some are the opposite. Some bite and stop really well, but destroy rotors or don’t last very long themselves. Some lack at their performance, but give life longevity to the rotors.
I’ve found it extremely rare for a pad to do it all pretty damn well. Bite, stop, last, easy on the rotor and able to drive on the street. Hands down the Cobalt Friction XR1 succeeds at all of those things. And you can’t beat the price. Truly a great product. Could not recommend more for someone looking for excellent performance.”
- Greyson Aggie
BMW E92 M3 - NASA TT3
“Great pads, Great customer support!!
Started running Cobalt Friction pads in 2018 when I was searching for a more reliable pad for track/Autox all in one. Tried 2 other brands before switching to cobalt, one brand was grabby like an on/off switch and the other didn’t last very long. Decided to give Cobalt Friction a shot and was immediately blown away with the customer support even before purchasing. Cobalt recommended that I run the XR2 square for my car and application. I’ve been using that pad combo for the past 4 years and love it! Great bite, great modulation, excellent wear rates and they don’t need to “warm up” for a lap or 2 like some other brands, the second you get on track they’re on. Again... great pads.”
-Blake P
BMW E36 M3 - Endurance Racing
“The brake pads were amazing, zero fade. We put over 20 hours on the braking system in three days, we never came up short. In my opinion, one of the safest things you can do is provide a reliable braking system and pad for your drivers. I’m very confident when running these pads.”
-Grant Gilmore , T&M Racing
Porsche 911 GT3 RS - Track Days
“I have been using Cobalt pads in several of my cars ranging from 944 turbo, E92 M3, ZL1 Camaro, GT3RS and GT4. I’ve tried all the compounds from XR1 to XR3 and will not use anything else. The lack of needing to bed them in makes it incredibly easy to use. The support from this company is top notch with lots of knowledge to help in my decisions and applications. All great qualities to keep me coming back for all my needs.”
-Michael Chang
Subaru Impreza - ARA Stage Rally
“Stage rally is a lot like auto cross or even back roads driving: braking is unpredictable and the demands placed on brake pads are massive. We’ve loved our XR3 pads, which work great at cold temps, resist fading, and after 150+ stage miles have had very little wear. 10/10 would recommend.”
-Richard & Laura Nile, Group N Rally Sport
Spec Miata - NW Spec Miata Tour
“Running against some of the best in the country, I have chosen cobalt pads for years. I always have the confidence to out break my competition without hesitation, the pedal modulation and feel even on a non ABS car makes these a go to pad for me. I can easily get out of lock up if I go in to hot. From the first corner to the last lap of a race these pads are always so consistent and never let me down!”
- Thomas Micich
BMW E90 M3 - Global Time Attack / Super Lap Battle
“I tried various brake pad brands in my AP Racing calipers with ok results. Then, kept hearing about a brand called Cobalt Friction from a bunch of serious racers—they said great stopping power, easy on rotors and can really handle heat. I gave them a try and wow, the stopping power was awesome, the pads never get overwhelmed by heat and the rotors hold up well. The other thing I really like about Cobalt Friction pads is that a new set of pads don’t need any fancy break in procedure—just stomp on them a couple times and they are ready to go. Also, customer service has always been top notch. Since 2014, Cobalt Friction brake pads have been the only brand of pad in my time attack car.”
-Gabriel Shadid
Acura RSX - Endurance Racing
“We decided to upgrade the front brakes and try Cobalt Racing Brake Pads. The bigger front brakes eliminated our overheating issues and the Cobalt pads provided consistent braking and pedal feel in all conditions, time after time after time. I’ve been very impressed by how long the pads are lasting. We can get 2.5 endurance race weekends out of one front set. The rears have done 3 full race weekends and still look great and will keep going. This is extremely impressive.”
-Aaron Suchy, Ruckus Racing by Radium Engineering
Nissan 350Z - Endurance Racing
“Cobalt makes some of the best and longest lasting brake pads in motorsports, but what sets them apart for me is the awesome people behind the brand. Whether it’s helping me dial in the correct compounds for my setup or overnighting me a set if pads, Cobalt’s staff has consistently gone above and beyond to keep me in the race!”
-Zach Wright, Focus North Motorsports
Mustang GT350 - Track Days
“Recently I replaced my Raybestos ST-43 brake pads. A friend recommended COBALT so I did some research and decided to make the purchase for the front and rear of my 2018 Shelby GT350R. The car has a number of suspension and drive train mods including a tune for E85. I track the car routinely and my “home track” is at COTA in Austin, Texas. When the pads arrived I was immediately struck by the quality of the pads. They had a bright silver finish and the pad studs were a brass finish. Visually appealing. The pad material was tight grain, edges were crisp and overall the best I have seen out of the box. On the street and track they perform excellent. Quiet with minimal dust, they don’t take long to get to temp. We run in very hot weather here in Texas and fade is always a concern. This is especially an issue at the end of the really high speed straights at COTA. Not once have I noticed a reduction in performance even when our temps are over 100 degrees outside. The pads are smooth as silk and bite like crazy when I need them to. We have about 4 track days on the current set and they are better than 60% left. They seem to wear very well. Pad deposition on the rotors is very even and uniform. Needless to say, I am a fan. Lastly, one requirement I have of any vendor I use is “responsiveness!” If people don’t respond to questions via email or answer the phone, I just don’t use them. The team at Cobalt exceeded my expectations and I have recommended them to my entire club.”
-Bruce Middleton
Corvette C7 Z06 - Track Days
“Before I took my 2016 C7 Z06 to Circuit of the Americas, I wanted to make absolutely sure that braking on a high speed circuit wouldn’t be an issue. I’m no pro or advanced level driver, but Cobalt pads held up for all 5 sessions at COTA and have plenty of life left for my next track days. I would recommend Cobalt racing brakes to anyone else that’s a novice or beginner track rat that’s looking to improve their brakes.”
- Jason B.