Brake Pad Review - Track, Autox, Street

[thekid]

So I'm needing a new set of pads.
What I use them for:
(1) Street use (moderately aggressive, but I downshift more than I brake; the OEM pads i have now have lasted over 60K miles)
(2) Autocross frequently

What I'm looking for:
(1) Low to no dusting
(2) No squeaking

You're asking for alot from a set of pads that you want to use for street and AutoX... the best suggestion I can make is using the Hawk HPS pads. When installed properly they generally don't squeek and are fairly low on dust. They aren't the perfect pad for AutoX, but you won't do much better with out getting something that dusts.

 

[khaosman]

Yea I'm pretty sure my HP+ were the cause of The Dust Bowl in the early 1900s.

 

[aMaff]

khaosman, you've never had EBC's have you? lol

 

[TurfBurn]

EBC's will NOT squeak if properly installed. It is frustrating because I get this over and over and over and over... You HAVE to turn your rotors or put new ones on when you put on new pads.. plain and simple. And for the first 1000 miles as pads cure and bed in they will potentially squeak some but it will die down once they are fully set. Again, you also need to do a proper break in of the pads and that will additionally help eliminate. I have yet to see a set of pads that were taken care of properly and installed well that end up squeaking. Some EBC's from a while back would do it before they started chamfering etc and they also now include shims with every set of pads.

Plain and simple if done right they will not squeak, and the reds do not dust much at all.

 

[TurfBurn]

khaosman, you've never had EBC's have you? lol

I've run several grades of EBC's and the hawks, and Hawk's dust about twice as much as EBC Greens and even more than EBC Yellows... soo...

 

[TurfBurn]

So I'm needing a new set of pads.
What I use them for:
(1) Street use (moderately aggressive, but I downshift more than I brake; the OEM pads i have now have lasted over 60K miles)
(2) Autocross frequently

What I'm looking for:
(1) Low to no dusting
(2) No squeaking

Closest thing you'll get is the EBC Red's or maybe one of the Carbotech pads...

 

[low_psi]

I'll update mine a bit..

Fronts

OEM MSP Pads:
Pros- Great for daily use and the 3 autoXs I did with them. They even did well at the track with not too much fade. They were good enough for my first trackday. They didn't seem to dust much either.
Cons- Expensive and not ideal for tracking. They glazed each day so I don't think they'd deal well with the heat I'm putting into the brakes now.

EBC Yellows:
Pros- Good bite and quick to heat up. They are very affordable(purchased from NSN/Turfburn). It took 125*F+ track temps and 20mins for fade to progressively appear. They faded at the time tires started falling off, so maximum braking wasn't possible anyways.
Cons- Not fun on the street(poor cold bite) but ok for driving to and from the track. They also dust quite a bit. I never noticed this until I switched from gunmetal to orange wheels.

Performance Friction OEM style compound:
Pros- Cheap and low dust. Good street pad. They were a rush purchase as I thought I may need to replace the OEM pads during the trackday. PF is a quality company.
Cons- Been fighting with the pad/rotor contact patch on the outside pads. Not as good as OEM MSP pads and for a few bucks more I could have bought EBC Greens.

Rears- I've been using the OEM rear pads for 45Kmiles and 3 trackdays and they've been great. They will last atleast one more trackday.

I'm sticking with EBC pads when it comes time for replacements.
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[Rogue]

Closest thing you'll get is the EBC Red's or maybe one of the Carbotech pads...

ended up getting a set of Carbotechs. haven't put them on yet. Waiting on a new set of SS brake lines.

 

[FSCatalyst]

Has anyone tried Wagner Thermoquiet pads? Any feedback?