It's about time for me to replace my front pads and with MOTD around the corner, I want to make sure my new setup can stand up to heavy usage. Although I don't track my car and I do about 90% highway driving, I do occassionally take some spirited rides down some twisties and I often have to deal with heavy traffic, so I need something with better stopping power than OEM that can also brake well when cold.

I'm thinking of refreshing my slotted ATE rotors since despite being on my car when i bought it used 50k miles ago, they're still going strong according to the wear indicator. I am however, looking for a good performance pad that isn't EBC Red. I installed them for use at MOTD last year and not only were they merely ok in terms of stopping power, but they didn't even last the year. I was thinking of going with Hawk HPS, Brembo, or ATE this time around (my car had great OE looking pads on it before I swapped them out for the EBCs and I suspect they were ATE). Does anyone with experience with these pads have any feedback? I'm open to other suggestions as well.

 

I'm liking my CoolCarbon pads more than the Hawk HPS I had on before or the
OEM ones. Dust is about halfway between OEM and HPS, and initial bite is better
than HPS.

 

i dont have the exerpience with pads, so i cant help you out there, but some SS lines and some nice rotors will help you out!

 

Carbotech Bobcats. Great street pad, when you get some heat into them they start really clamping down, but are quite comfortable when just puttin' around the city. I've ran Bobcats on two cars (Subaru WRX and the MINI) and really like them. They are a little on the pricey side, but last a good while. They are going to dust more than an "Autozone" pad, but I think they dust less than OEM.

 

I installed a F/R set of Mintex Xtreme and love them thus far. Initial bite is so much better than stock and cold stopping is a non-issue.

 

Golly gee I guess I don't stop hard enough.

I've run the OEM brakes on the R53 and the R56, through a decade of autocross, two HPDE, and too many twisties to even count.

I reckon that's the best OEM set of brakes I have ever driven. They bite well, are nice and controllable, can overpower even the best set of tires if I stamp on them (bad form that!), and have never faded.

I have turned the rotors a little blue, and had a wisp of smoke a time or two, but never lacked brake power ever.

Must be doing something wrong I reckon...

Serious track work? Oh definitely upgrade! But otherwise I just wonder...

Cheers,

Charlie

 

Carbotech 1521's (Bobcats).

Work perfect for street, good pedal feel, easier to modulate than the OEM pads, and far less dust. They are perfect for street and occaisonal hard driving (canyons and such). Pricey but you get what you pay for. Skip anything EBC and skip the Hawk's

 

Standard Hawks aren't bad, but the HP+ are a pain. Works well, but lots of dust and noisy.

 

Love my EBC red stuff, especially if you dedicate an afternoon to performance driving, once they warm up, they're crazy.

 

if you go to MOTD most of the time you are going to be in heavy traffic ....

there will be MANY MINI

a few Mini and still many bikers and others

your average speed will be about 30 mph most of the time .... dictated by the slowest vehicle in front of you.

Why I decided after one MOTD trip ... going when it was NOT MOTD was better (or another car's feature week cuz 48 of the 52 weeks ARE filled with either cars or bike groups . . .)