Using 4" pads with PC for entire car?

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Miketphoto

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Greetings,

I have a selection of 4" pads that came with my Polishing Pal. If I bought a PC and the 3.5" backing plate to use those pads would there be any drawbacks versus getting a larger backing plate and pads. Obviously, I would assume that there is a time savings using a bigger pad but that is not a concern for me. I can save a significant amount of money if I can use what I already have instead of buying a complete kit.

Thanks
Mike
 
The polishing pal comes with 3.5" pads, so with a 3.5" backing plate you have very little room for error. I've used the polishing pal pads on my DA to apply wax and made sure to keep it flat and not get close to edges so the backing pate won't hit anything.
 
TornadoRed said:
The polishing pal comes with 3.5" pads, so with a 3.5" backing plate you have very little room for error. I've used the polishing pal pads on my DA to apply wax and made sure to keep it flat and not get close to edges so the backing pate won't hit anything.
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He hit the nail on the head pretty well here. You will have little to no room for error and it's generally not something I would personally suggest.

You can use the 4 inch CCS pads with that 3.5 inch backing plate. I would just add a 5 inch backing plate with 5.5 or 6.5 inch pads to your arsenal. If you plan on doing more correction then polishing, go with 5.5 inches.
 
Thanks. I was thinking they were 4" pads. Glad I asked. Guess I need to wait a little longer and throw down for a complete package.
 
It will take you forever to polish a whole car using 4" pads. 5.5" or 6.5" for large areas, 4" for the smaller areas.
 
07 z-oh-6 said:
It will take you forever to polish a whole car using 4" pads. 5.5" or 6.5" for large areas, 4" for the smaller areas.
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Some great advise here! :props:

While I wouldn't even attempt to polish a vehicles finish by hand I suppose if you were up for a challenge you could do it.

Machine polished is more consistent, quicker, and easier.
 
Just to play devil's advocate here...

A 4" pad would give faster correction (especially for an under-powered DA) so the overall time spent might be the same.
 
Thanks for all of the advice. I figured if I could use what I had with a PC then it would be faster than by hand (especially for swirl removal) then I would go for it. I will just wait until I have the funds to order a PC and pads together.
 
TornadoRed said:
Just to play devil's advocate here...

A 4" pad would give faster correction (especially for an under-powered DA) so the overall time spent might be the same.
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Agreed. But, just to put another layer on here.....it would also be extremely dependent on the paint one is attempting to correct.
 
Kevin Brown created and posted this chart on another forum...some good info that may help people choose a pad size. ;)


IMO 4" pads will take a lot longer

Kevin Brown said:
With so much chat pertaining to pad diameter, I decided to post this chart.
I made it for use in my paper, but it could sure come in handy now.
It compares pad diameter, surface area, and shows the percentage of increase between the most popular pad sizes.

Small pads are great for focusing work on a small area.
They are especially handy when we wish to concentrate machine motion and applied pressure in order to efficiently remove defects.

Larger diameter pads can be beneficial for final polishing, since they can be used longer before they load up with buffing residue.
This can be the difference between a pristine finish, or one that is mildly marred with ultra-fine hazing.

Even a minor change in pad diameter makes a big difference in surface area.

pad-diameter-chart-kb.jpg


More food for thought. Enjoy! :Gift:
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TornadoRed said:
Just to play devil's advocate here...

A 4" pad would give faster correction (especially for an under-powered DA) so the overall time spent might be the same.
Click to expand...

The 4" pads heat up faster and break down faster too. IMO, the 5.5" pads are a good compromise between cutting speed, heat and area/time between pad cleaning.
 
I use 4in HT pads for the entire car. Pick up truck to exotic cars.. i think the time spent is almost the same..
 

I typically use 5.5'' LC pads. I also use the 4'' LC orange pads for more abrasiveness. A 5.5'' pad may cover more area at a time, but may prove more difficult to remove stubborn defects than a 4'' pad, thus possibly taking more time using solely a 5.5'' or larger diameter pad.





 
I'm a recent convert to using the 4" HT pads and I've got to say I really find them quite helpful and a huge time saver on vehicles with wavy hoods and narrow lines. I've recently done a few Mercedes and Jaguars with a lot of neat design features that are easily navigated with the 4" pads. They are also great for doing the A pillars, above doors and around the front and sides of sunroofs. I would recommend giving them a try along with the 5.5" pads.

Tim
 
I agree with everything said in this thread. I have buffed/polished cars with rotary and DA using only 4" pads just to see if it could be done and it can be. I think with a DA it takes little to no technique to keep 4" pads rotating which makes for an easy day IMO even if it takes a little longer to obtain the results. With a rotary I feel that larger pads definitely get more work done faster but the smaller pads do come in handy for small panels and tight areas.
 
With a rotary, I find that the 4" pad works best in tight areas and along wavy lines. They heat up a lot faster which means that you have to adjust your RPM lower. This not the case with the DA. even with the 4" pads, cutting can be a pain when working on larger areas.
 
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