4" vs 7" 8207 pads

[Garage Troll]

I'm getting ready to put through my next ADS order and I'm wondering that if there are any benefits of the 4 inch pads over the 7 inch pads besides size and costs.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

Obviously the 4 inch pads, make it a lot easier to get into tight smaller spaces.

[guy]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

I'm working on rock hard cc with car wash scratches and the 4 inch pads are really working well. I like them alot as you can get most anywhere with them. A word of caution though, it is about agressive as a DA can get, almost like a small, low speed rotary or forced rotation as that pad can really spin and really does not bog down. A note on backing plates, I was steered to the Megs S3BP (have it on order), the 3 inch plate from ADS will melt and the 3 1/2 inch urethane plate has a knife edge which will cut your pads or worse, (not enough cushion on edge). Also if working on plastic bumpers be aware they contain a flex agent in the paint which could affect adhesion if heated up, and the 4 inch pad will get it there with a long dwell time, as Michael Stoops pointed out,
Re: To many section passes or step it up?

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The 4" pads will definitely increase the amount of cut you'll get out of any liquid and the D/A. In your other post we talked about speed settings a bit, and how you can usually get away with a slightly slower speed. In your case here we would suggest doing a test spot on speed 4 and evaluate from there. If you need speed 5, then so be it.

One thing to watch out for though when using smaller pads on a D/A; when you get to the painted bumper covers be careful about excessive speed and pressure. The flex agent added to the paint that is sprayed on this material seems to be the culprit in creating some limited adhesion issues. We have seen cases of the paint actually twisting off in this area under very aggressive use of the D/A - and you don't more aggressive with a D/A than a small pad at high speed with a lot of pressure. You'll start putting a lot of heat into a small spot, and the urethane panel under the paint doesn't dissipate heat like steel or aluminum, and with the flex agent in the paint, well, things can get ugly very quickly. Just keep that in mind for those areas.
__________________
Michael Stoops
Internet Technical Specialist
Meguiar's Inc.
(800) 854-8073 xt 175
mstoops@meguiars.com

[Garage Troll]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

Very true. I didn't know if they made working the product any more effective since the pressure is being focused on a smaller area.

[Garage Troll]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

Maybe I'll play it safe and stick with the 7's since my body panels are composite and not metal.

[Shawn T.]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

I'm working on rock hard cc with car wash scratches and the 4 inch pads are really working well. I like them alot as you can get most anywhere with them. A word of caution though, it is about agressive as a DA can get, almost like a small, low speed rotary or forced rotation as that pad can really spin and really does not bog down. A note on backing plates, I was steered to the Megs S3BP (have it on order), the 3 inch plate from ADS will melt and the 3 1/2 inch urethane plate has a knife edge which will cut your pads or worse, (not enough cushion on edge). Also if working on plastic bumpers be aware they contain a flex agent in the paint which could affect adhesion if heated up, and the 4 inch pad will get it there with a long dwell time, as Michael Stoops pointed out,
Re: To many section passes or step it up?

---

The 4" pads will definitely increase the amount of cut you'll get out of any liquid and the D/A. In your other post we talked about speed settings a bit, and how you can usually get away with a slightly slower speed. In your case here we would suggest doing a test spot on speed 4 and evaluate from there. If you need speed 5, then so be it.

One thing to watch out for though when using smaller pads on a D/A; when you get to the painted bumper covers be careful about excessive speed and pressure. The flex agent added to the paint that is sprayed on this material seems to be the culprit in creating some limited adhesion issues. We have seen cases of the paint actually twisting off in this area under very aggressive use of the D/A - and you don't more aggressive with a D/A than a small pad at high speed with a lot of pressure. You'll start putting a lot of heat into a small spot, and the urethane panel under the paint doesn't dissipate heat like steel or aluminum, and with the flex agent in the paint, well, things can get ugly very quickly. Just keep that in mind for those areas.
__________________
Michael Stoops
Internet Technical Specialist
Meguiar's Inc.
(800) 854-8073 xt 175
mstoops@meguiars.com

What do you mean by the ADS backing plate? I was thinking of buying the 3" Buff'n Shine Adapter Kit: http://www.autodetailingsolutions.net/325.html.

[Jeff120]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

That buff and shine was the one I was thinking of getting as well, from the photo it seem to fit the meg DA pretty well.

[guy]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

I had that backing plate but not much luck with it, the adapter was stipping out and it melted under heavy use.I am going to try this one
The S3BP: Meguiar's Professional 3" Backing Plate

[Garage Troll]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

One last thing. I just noticed that my Porter cable says to only use 5.5" pads. Must I follow this? I used 7" pads with it before. Or should I go to a 5.5"? If so which ones for 105 & 205?

[guy]

Re: 4" vs 7" 8207 pads

The PC should take the 7 inch pads no problem. I really like the Soft Buff 2
pads, just wish they came in 5.5 inch. I guess it depends on what your working on, I have a Mustang that has more curves, hard to keep the rotation up with a 7 inch pad. As far as 5.5 pads can't help you out with selection as I have only used Megs.