PFC 08 on Track: What Owners Run, Car by Car
08 is the PFC pad most people start on. It is the compound PFC lists for track days and driver education, it is made for nearly every car we carry, and its reputation in the forums comes down to one word that keeps appearing: durable. It is not PFC's most aggressive pad, and owners who put sticky tires on a fast car do outgrow it. For everyone else it is a pad you fit and forget about for a season.
This article is part of our guide to PFC pads for track cars. Here we go car by car through who runs 08, at which end, how long it lasts and what it costs you in noise. Every shape we list is in the 08 collection.
What PFC says
| 08 | |
|---|---|
| Family | High temperature / endurance |
| Torque | "Slight friction rise with temperature with excellent release and modulation characteristics" |
| Initial bite | Smooth — PFC says it "gained immediate favour" in endurance racing "where smooth initial bite is a must" |
| Wear | "08 wears the longest of all PFC pads"; "very low abraded disc wear" |
| Intended use | Endurance, GT, touring cars, driving school, track days |
PFC publishes no temperature range for 08, and no friction value. Its curve for 08 rises gently with temperature, which matches what owners describe: a pad that is usable cold and gets a little stronger as it heats, without a sudden step in bite. The other number that matters is not on the sheet: 08 and 11 cost the same in almost every shape, so the choice between them is about the tire and the driver, not the price.
What owners actually use it for
The pad that lasts
Longevity is the first thing every owner mentions. On f87.bimmerpost, one M2 owner wrote "The PFC08 is bulletproof. Far outlasted any other pad that I've tried," and a year later called them "by far the most durable pad I've ever used." Another runs them because "they wear like iron so I plan to stick with them." An FR-S owner on ft86club measured about 1.5 mm of wear after roughly a dozen sessions and projected "at least 10 track days (5 sessions per day) until these are half worn." A 996 owner on 911uk said his "lasted a few years, rusted/fell apart before they ran out."
Usable cold, so you can drive to the track
08 is about as street-friendly as a PFC race pad gets, and owners use it that way. BimmerWorld calls it the pick "if you are looking for a street-worthy race pad". The same FR-S owner rated cold bite "6 usable on the street" and later wrote: "So I just run PFC 08 street and track. Great bite cold. Great bite hot. A bit of squealing. Whatever." A 996 owner found "no issues with cold braking". The catch is the noise, below.
Where it stops being enough
The ceiling is the tire. On street and 200-treadwear tires most owners find 08 plenty: a Spec E46 racer on m3post didn't think "you're going to see a big difference between the 08 and 11 on a tire like the PS4S." On stickier rubber with stock brakes, it starts to fade. An E90 M3 owner was "overheating the 08 compound on stock brakes and RS4 tires, leading to pad fade and accelerated wear on the front," and noted that "PFC 08 (endurance) also have a lower temp range than the sprint 11 pads." An M2 owner called it a "great pad for endurance racing, not so great for higher hp M2s with sticky rubber being pushed hard." That is when owners move to 11.
The feel argument
Not everyone likes the pedal. One M2 owner found 08 "a bit vague and hard to modulate the release"; another, coming from Pagid, wrote "I hated the RSL29 in comparison to the PFC08" and called the PFCs "much more confidence inspiring." On a 996, an owner trying Pagid felt the Pagid had "a bit more bite than the pfc." In a light car the smooth bite can feel like too much at the start of the stop: a Spec Boxster racer on Rennlist wrote that 08s work well on a heavier car, but in his car "there seems to be no way to engage without the initial bite robbing all the speed."
Which cars run it
Community practice, not PFC's. The last column links our 08 pad in that car's shape. Shapes are shared across cars, so confirm yours before you order.
| Car | How it's run | Our 08 pads |
|---|---|---|
| Miata NA / NB | Common first PFC pad: "I start my newbies on PFC pads, easy on rotors, long lasting, easy to modulate" (mazdaracers). 11 front is the next step. | 1.6: front 0525.08 · rear 0458.08 1.8: front 0635.08 |
| FR-S / BRZ / 86 | 08 front, street and track, is well documented on ft86club. 08 at the rear is debated: one owner with a Brembo kit found 08 rears "upset the balance" and runs a milder rear. | We do not currently stock 08 in the BRZ shapes; see the 01 article. |
| BMW E30 | The classic budget track and Spec E30 pad: "the PFC 08's are amazingly intuitive to trail and threshold brake with" (r3vlimited). | Front 0278.08 · rear 0279.08 |
| BMW E36 / E46 M3 | 08 for track days, 11 for time trial. An E36 M3 owner: "great for track days, but for sure not ideal for the street." | Front 0394.08 · E46 M3 rear 0548.08 E36 / E46 non-M rear 0396.08 |
| BMW E9x M3 | Fine on street tires; overheats on stock brakes with RS4-class tires. | Rear 0919.08 |
| BMW F87 M2, F80 M3, F82 M4 | The richest 08 data we found. Both ends, or 08 front with 332 rear. "No significant fade at big brake tracks like Road America." | Front 1609.08 · rear 1656.08 Not the M2 Competition / CS calipers |
| Porsche 986 / 987 Boxster & Cayman | The long-running default. "I ran PFC 06 and then 08 for 6 years in my Cayman S" (Rennlist). Spec Boxster racers split on its bite in a light car. | 986 base front 0737.08 S / R front 0776.08 · rear 0738.08 |
| Porsche 996 / 997 Carrera | "I've run PFC 08 before, which I found good" — and loud on the road (911uk). | 996 front 0776.08 · rear 0738.08 |
| Porsche 991.2 GT3 | Not available: PFC Europe says 08 is "not available for the 991.2." Owners run 11, or 331 / 332. | See the 11 article. |
| Classic 911 (to 1983) | Little owner data. | Front 0045.08 |
| Subaru WRX STI (2004–14 Brembo) | Little owner data. | Rear 0109.08 |
Front only or both ends?
On heavier cars with ABS, owners mostly run 08 at both ends and are happy with the balance. The richer M2 threads show both approaches: 08 front and rear, or 08 front with PFC's rear-specific 332, which one owner said gave "better modulation, better pedal feel, and better balance" than the Hawks he came from. On a light car the rear is where problems start. An FR-S owner with 08 fronts and a Hawk DTC-60 rear reported too much rear bite, and a BRZ owner with a big brake kit found 08 rears "heat up much quicker and upset the balance as they produce more braking torque sooner." If you are unsure, keep the rear the same as the front or milder, never stronger.
Where it falls short
- Noise. The most consistent complaint about 08 on every platform. "They are incredible loud" (M2); "the street noise is horrific" (M2); "squealed like crazy on the road" (996); "Definitely squeals on the street and even some on the track" (FR-S). Owners find 11 quieter.
- Dust. "Lots of dust all over the wheels" (FR-S). An E36 M3 owner found it "corrosive to wheel finish". Wash the wheels after a weekend.
- Rotor wear. PFC claims very low disc wear, and many owners agree. Others do not: "a bit hard on the disc, not that I mind" (FR-S). Cold street miles seem to be harder on rotors than track laps.
- Heat ceiling. On sticky tires and stock brakes, 08 fades before 11 does. That is the signal to move up, not a fault.
- Fitment gaps. No 08 for the 991.2 GT3, and none for the M2 Competition and CS calipers. Carbon-ceramic rotors are a separate question — see the hub article.
08 pads ready to ship
In stock when we wrote this, for cars in the table above.
 08 Front — Miata NA 1.6 (0525.08) $205.95 Shop on Enzuca → |
 08 Front — BMW E30 (0278.08) $179.95 Shop on Enzuca → |
 08 Front — E36 / E46 M3 (0394.08) $419.95 Shop on Enzuca → |
 08 Front — M2 / M3 / M4 F8x (1609.08) $384.95 Shop on Enzuca → |
 08 Front — 986 S / 987 S / 996 (0776.08) $419.95 Shop on Enzuca → |
 08 Rear — Boxster / Cayman / 996 / 997 (0738.08) $407.95 Shop on Enzuca → |
Browse every shape in the 08 collection.
The Bottom Line
If you are on street or 200-treadwear tires and want a pad that lasts a season, 08 is the PFC to buy. Run it at both ends on a heavier car, or put 332 or a milder rear behind it on a light one. Move to 11 when the 08s start fading on stickier tires, and expect squeal on the street either way.
Not sure of your shape? Tell us the car and caliper and we will confirm before you order.
Related guides
- PFC brake pads for track cars: which compound, car by car
- PFC 11: the new 01, and where it beats the 08
- PFC 01: the benchmark pad
- PFC 97 as a rear pad, and why 08 replaced it
- Best PFC brake pads compared
- Pagid brake pads for track cars, car by car
- Hawk brake pads for track cars, car by car
- How to choose track brake pads
- Track day brake fade: prevention and recovery