4 inch CCS Pads Discontinued?

[charlestek]

I have a Porter Cable polisher. I was looking in the store for orange 4 inch Lake Country CCS pads and could find none. I called customer service and they told me there are a few colors left in the outlet section, but it looks
like the pads are discontinued. I will call during the week to confirm this with a customer service manager. You can buy 3.5 inch CCS pads, but only for a Griot polisher. There is no backing plate sold for a Porter Cable
that is 3 inches. I have the 3.5 inch backing plate that at a minimum must use a 4 inch pad. Even at 4 inches I was wondering if the counterweight in the polisher could really handle a diameter that low. It is a mystery to me why the 4 inch pads are discontinued.
HydroTech pads are still available, but I thought those were only for water based polishes, and I'm not entirely sure if the polishes I use are water based. Can anyone comment???

[Chevota Guy]

I have a Porter Cable polisher. I was looking in the store for orange 4 inch Lake Country CCS pads and could find none. I called customer service and they told me there are a few colors left in the outlet section, but it looks
like the pads are discontinued. I will call during the week to confirm this with a customer service manager. You can buy 3.5 inch CCS pads, but only for a Griot polisher. There is no backing plate sold for a Porter Cable
that is 3 inches. I have the 3.5 inch backing plate that at a minimum must use a 4 inch pad. Even at 4 inches I was wondering if the counterweight in the polisher could really handle a diameter that low. It is a mystery to me why the 4 inch pads are discontinued.
HydroTech pads are still available, but I thought those were only for water based polishes, and I'm not entirely sure if the polishes I use are water based. Can anyone comment???

If you need a 3" backing plate for the PC, they are available. I just purchased a Lake Coutry 3" plate last week from a large online seller. AGO has them here Porter Cable 7424 Backing Plates- Dual Action Hook & Loop backing plate for your porter cable 7424, The best backing plates for the Porter Cable 7424

[charlestek]

It looks like the 3 inch, really 2 7/8 inch backing plate on Autogeek:3 Inch Dual Action Flexible Backing Plate, da backing plate, random orbital backing plate does
fit the Porter Cable, according to the reviews, even though the ad itself suggests a Griot polisher.

It does make more sense to use a 3.5 inch pad for small areas vs the 5.5 for normal flat surfaces on the car.

The Lake Country Part number is 43-073DA : Lake Country - Category Products

[charlestek]

Because of the heat concentrated in a small surface, does it make more sense to use the 3M convoluted waffle type pads instead for a 3.5 inch diameter pad??

In this case, for Autogeek stock, there is a Lake Country Waffle pad in a 4 inch diameter: Lake Country Waffle Pro 4 Inch Foam Pads, buffing pads

[Chevota Guy]

Because of the heat concentrated in a small surface, does it make more sense to use the 3M convoluted waffle type pads instead for a 3.5 inch diameter pad??

In this case, for Autogeek stock, there is a Lake Country Waffle pad in a 4 inch diameter: Lake Country Waffle Pro 4 Inch Foam Pads, buffing pads

I had similar questions. When I read Mike Phillips' book Mike Phillips' The Complete Guide to a Show Car Shine E-book - Download, he commented that the design of the pad is the least of one's worries as long as you are using great quality products (pads, compounds, polishes and waxes) and perfect technique. I have let that be my guide and have used different pad designs than I had originally intentioned based on size availability and had great results.

[charlestek]

Rick,

The reason I say this, is that weeks ago, I was heavily polishing the inside of an alloy wheel with a 3.5" backing plate and initially the wrong color pad, so I was really leaning into the pad with too high a pressure
as I detached the handle from the Porter Cable to fit more easily inside the 19 inch diameter wheel and was using one or two hands to push the polisher on the inside of a cylindrical surface inside the wheel.

The backing plate failed from excess heat and I managed to nick the metal in a few spots when the arbor section separated from the the urethane backing.

I believe using a wool bonnet or microfiber would have been the best thing, but it would take a week to get those from Autogeek.