brake pads?!

[T-Bird]

I prefer Hawk HPS pads on my RX-7 and my Pathfinder.

[04RCSTI]

Get Cobalts...GTS are amazing for the track...

[Pokiou]

Green stuff pads...

[79TA]

honestly . . . duralasts are what I've got on the TA right now. They're not as grippy as more expensive track oriented ones, but they're actually pretty good. At low speeds, I can't tell the difference. At high speeds, there's still plenty of grab. (my maximum braking capability depends more on how well I pump the brakes as i don't have ABS but I've yet to ever have actually needed to do that.)

[04RCSTI]

^ duralasts? Im sorry man but youre missing out. Get some more track oriented pads and then tell me honestly that the duralasts were good. Try some HP+ if you dont want to go too extreme, but you want the track feel.

If youve never had to pump them then youre not braking hard enough or your pads dont have enough braking power to lock them.

Dont take it offensively, its not meant to be a mean comment :)

[04RCSTI]

just wondering what kind of brake pads you guys use. the ones i have now are crap.. i'm on the 2nd brake job in 9 months.

What kind of tires are you going to be running?

If Streets then you can use...Hawk HP+, Ferodo 2500, EBC Green and Yellow Stuff, Porterfields R4S, etc. Anything around that range will be good for the occasional HPDE...

If youre on shaved or race tires of any kind then I strongly recommend the Cobalts GTS or one step up from those by cobalt, I think they are XT4's.

[79TA]

^ duralasts? Im sorry man but youre missing out. Get some more track oriented pads and then tell me honestly that the duralasts were good. Try some HP+ if you dont want to go too extreme, but you want the track feel.

If youve never had to pump them then youre not braking hard enough or your pads dont have enough braking power to lock them.

Dont take it offensively, its not meant to be a mean comment :)

I drive in regular traffic and through pre-emptive and sensible driving have never needed to brake that hard in my whopping 5 years of driving. Of course I've experimented with the limits for fun and practice, hence, I've never needed to brake the hard. Get it? The Duralasts aren't so sad that they can't lock up a set of 245 60R15 Radial TA's.


Until I get to actually do some HPDE events with that car (and perhaps specialized tires and rotors) some day in the future, I'm not too worried. Also, if the pads are capable of taking my tires to the limit of their grip, why would I need anymore friction from the brakes? Once again, this car doesn't (yet) see any sort of road course work.

High performance brake pads, in a nut shell, offer a higher coefficient of friction and then need less pressure to operate. They can last longer and produce less dust while offering a more consistent source of friction. Also, high performance pad makers talk about less fade, rotor scoring, and temperature needed to operate the brakes. The Duralasts work quite nicely. Unless you have the tires to exploit the added friction at the rotor, fancy brake pads are nothing more than a gimick that might make a bit less brake dust.

[79TA]

just wondering what kind of brake pads you guys use. the ones i have now are crap.. i'm on the 2nd brake job in 9 months.

Well, what kind of driving are you doing, how much does your car weigh, and what kind of tires do you run? Lastly, how many miles did you drive in that 9 month period?

[79TA]

2nd brake job in 9 months, just like in the commercial eh? Way to not respond to your own thread.

OK, Davegrover, given the convenient corrolation between the links in your other post and your question here, I really wonder how earnest you were being.

http://www.motorworld.net/forum/showthread.php?p=828758#post828758

hmm, it looks like you already know where to find high quality NRS brake pads complete with "hundreds of steel hooks that bite into the pad and bond it to the plate." Given the raging mechanic sig that you've always had, it's not like you just now discovered this.

Perhaps you really do mean well but let me make myself clear on behalf of all Motorworld users.

We will not stand for any sort of spamming on this forum.

[RC45]

2nd brake job in 9 months, just like in the commercial eh? Way to not respond to your own thread.

OK, Davegrover, given the convenient corrolation between the links in your other post and your question here, I really wonder how earnest you were being.

http://www.motorworld.net/forum/showthread.php?p=828758#post828758

hmm, it looks like you already know where to find high quality NRS brake pads complete with "hundreds of steel hooks that bite into the pad and bond it to the plate." Given the raging mechanic sig that you've always had, it's not like you just now discovered this.

Perhaps you really do mean well but let me make myself clear on behalf of all Motorworld users.

We will not stand for any sort of spamming on this forum.

But he brought us NRS brakepads man............................................... .......

[nthfinity]

But he brought us NRS brakepads man............................................... .......

questionable posts 3 months ago, and spamming adverts again: Ban

[04RCSTI]

I drive in regular traffic and through pre-emptive and sensible driving have never needed to brake that hard in my whopping 5 years of driving. Of course I've experimented with the limits for fun and practice, hence, I've never needed to brake the hard. Get it? The Duralasts aren't so sad that they can't lock up a set of 245 60R15 Radial TA's.

Easy cowboy ;)


Until I get to actually do some HPDE events with that car (and perhaps specialized tires and rotors) some day in the future, I'm not too worried. Also, if the pads are capable of taking my tires to the limit of their grip, why would I need anymore friction from the brakes? Once again, this car doesn't (yet) see any sort of road course work.

Specialized? You mean better. Right.

Sorry I just assumed you tracked your car with all the knowledge you seem to have about everything.

Threshold braking, try it.

High performance brake pads, in a nut shell, offer a higher coefficient of friction and then need less pressure to operate.

Less pressure to operate at the same levels of regular pads you mean?

They can last longer and produce less dust while offering a more consistent source of friction.

Woah? Maybe carbon-ceramic pads last longer and dust less lol. Performance pads, as a rule of thumb, last a lot less time than regular pads which are designed for longevity.

Less dust? Are you nuts? Race pads dust like crazy.

Also, high performance pad makers talk about less fade, rotor scoring, and temperature needed to operate the brakes.

OK? and?

The Duralasts work quite nicely. Unless you have the tires to exploit the added friction at the rotor, fancy brake pads are nothing more than a gimick that might make a bit less brake dust.

Wrong again, more dust, more noise. As far as being a gimmick? not at all.
If youre referring to competition race pads, then yes your tires will lock up all the time. Better pads will give you better feel, less fade, more consistency, shorter braking from high speed and also importantly, more confidence.

Its not a gimmick...

Im surprised RC didnt say anything after reading these comments that he knows are wrong. Oh wait..no im not...

I like you guys and without a doubt there will be a backlash here shortly. Its just fun to see how easily you get ticked off.

[HeilSvenska]

I like you guys and without a doubt there will be a backlash here shortly. Its just fun to see how easily you get ticked off.
The way you put it makes it almost seem like you don't like these guys. ;-)

[79TA]

Easy cowboy ;)

Was that somehow aggressive?


Specialized? You mean better. Right.

more expensive with more friction than necessary. You yourself are the one talking about extra brake dust and reduced pad life so, no, they might not always be such a great win-win choice.

Better rotors would be nice, but since the TA will never be a serious road course threat, I probably won't sacrifice my rally wheels to fit in something bigger. Maybe I'll get something slotted, but that'd be about it.


Sorry I just assumed you tracked your car with all the knowledge you seem to have about everything.


nope, Southern California doesn't exactly have convenient tracks. Once I get the right combination of time and money for weekends, I will. Willow Springs is 2 hours away in good (rare) traffic and Fontana doesn't often have many open SCCA or NASA days. My Mustang is far more likely to be used for such things though since it weighs about 400 pounds less than the TA and has less power (better for learning.)

So you somehow concluded that I'd track my car with duralasts? Thanks a lot. :thumbup:


Threshold braking, try it.


I thought I told you, I have for fun and practice. I've never needed to in normal driving.


Less pressure to operate at the same levels of regular pads you mean?


That would be a given, no? How explicitly clear should I make myself?


Woah? Maybe carbon-ceramic pads last longer and dust less lol. Performance pads, as a rule of thumb, last a lot less time than regular pads which are designed for longevity.

Less dust? Are you nuts? Race pads dust like crazy.


I was trying to give your performance pads the benefit of the doubt. Pad companies do advertise such things. Go look it up. I wasn't referencing race pads, but rather high performance and "better" ones in general. It'd be nice to stay on point.

If you insist that they don't last as long (I agree, but wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt) then that's just another reason not to run them on a car that doesn't see the track or run extra sticky tires.



OK? and?


Is it a sin to recognize other potential benefits of performance pads? Sorry to reasonably mention and recognize potential advantages of performance brake pads. We were trying to help our spammer friend with brake pad troubles, so I was trying to list useful information.



Wrong again, more dust, more noise. As far as being a gimmick? not at all.
If youre referring to competition race pads, then yes your tires will lock up all the time. Better pads will give you better feel, less fade, more consistency, shorter braking from high speed and also importantly, more confidence.

Its not a gimmick...


Yea, I deal with fade all the time while driving to school . . .

more consistency and better feel . . . I thought i already mentioned something to that effect, but feel free to repeat to me anything I've already typed. Either way, those gains aren't going to be huge, if even noticable, in normal driving.

Shorter braking from high speed . . . not enough to justify buying them.

This whole paragraph vastly underestimates the capabilities of normal decent brakes. You can go ahead and argue that I underestimate high performance brakes. Like I said, my pads can take the tires (which aren't bad either) to their limit of grip from at least 70 (as high as I've experimented.) Given that, I still see no need to spend more on pads that will offer no major performance benefit for normal driving. Add shorter life and more brake dust and I'm not sold.

Once again, for what my car does, fade is not an issue and it's not like my brakes are inconsistent.

So, again, if my pads can take my tires to the limit of grip, why do I need to spend more money on something that will wear more quickly?


Im surprised RC didnt say anything after reading these comments that he knows are wrong. Oh wait..no im not...

I like you guys and without a doubt there will be a backlash here shortly. Its just fun to see how easily you get ticked off.

[04RCSTI]

Hehe, well yes I assumed you were tracking the car with duralasts and I got a little scared. You are right though, you will never need better brakes unless you drive it on the track. The point of buying track pads is to drive on the track. This things dont apply to the street, in fact most of the race compounds are dangerous because they require heating up to a certain temperature before they become effective.

Some higher performance pads are advertised as not dusting and not making noise like the endless pads for example. But they are comparing them to other performance pads..

Next time you do switch pads, try Hawk HPS... THey arent that much more expensive and they arent so extreme, but they will make a big difference in feel. They shouldnt damage ur rotors either. Just a suggestion ;)

[79TA]

Yea, I'll definitely check it them out when the time comes. It's too bad we couldn't help our spammer friend find appropriate pads for his particular application. :-)