What experiences have you had using your brake set-up (pads in specific)

Insidious Surmiser

Formerly 89jdm7m
May 12, 2006
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Oceanfront
I looked around and didn't really see any threads quite like this.

So here it is. Feel free to discuss what pads/rotors you use. I'm really looking for experience with pads, but any specific input is welcome.

I'll start out.

In the past I ran Hawk carbon/ceramic race pads on my car with OEM replacement cross-drilled brembo rotors. The car was strictly driven on the street but the brakes saw a heavy amount of abuse. The brakes never faded no matter how hard I got on them. However, rotor life was roughly 10,000 miles before they were worn down to the point that they were no longer capable of dispersing enough heat (got a tad bit of scorching before I stopped using them). Also, the pads had to warm up before they started to work, so initially, you really had to stand on the brakes to get them working, but they worked incredibly well (the rotors paid the price for that).
 

Insidious Surmiser

Formerly 89jdm7m
May 12, 2006
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Damn, one reply with 46 views (and more on mobile devices). I guess Ian and I are the only two people to use aftermarket brakes. o_O Anywho, I saw some test results from a few severely abused brake pads. Looked like the EBC yellow held up the best. I think I'll give those a spin this time around. Thanks for the input.

I was really hoping people would share their experiences though so people could get an idea of how different products perform. Oh well.
 

Silver MK3

New Member
Jan 24, 2011
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Madison, AL
I read this, but I'm on stock Toyota pads and rotors so I didn't post. They came on the car when I got it and they still have a lot of life left in them. When they wear out though I will most likely go with an aftermarket pad like EBC or so. I think the stock pads stop the car pretty well, and so do others when I come to a quick stop. I know everyone here likes to rip the stock brakes, but I don't think that is fair, they weren't designed to stop the car from 100 mph three times in a row like some people want them to...
 

Insidious Surmiser

Formerly 89jdm7m
May 12, 2006
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This is true, however as soon as I made plans to up the power output, plans to improve braking were already in motion. Stock brakes do work well, but if you're punishing them they won't like it too much.
 

Insidious Surmiser

Formerly 89jdm7m
May 12, 2006
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Oceanfront
Some guys on the VW forums were talking about them, one guy had been running hawk HP+ previously and said they were much better suited for track use than the HP+s

http://blog.caranddriver.com/performance-brake-pads-compared-hawk-hps-hawk-hp-plus-ebc-yellowstuff/

Here's what I saw. The charts don't tell you a whole lot really, but the wear on the pads themselves tells a good story. I was thinking of running HPS pads, but the "better" HP+ pads didn't wear or disperse heat as evenly as the EBC yellows here.
 

BigKO

Member
Nov 5, 2008
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Riverside
This is my first set of aftermarket pads, but the stoptech combo works pretty well. I haven't had a chance to track them, but the pads, rotors and stainless lines made a huge difference over stock. I've done a few hard stops on the street and I'm pretty satisfied. Quite a bit dustier than my previous OEM replacements, but that's to be expected.
 

DeMoN2318

New Member
May 24, 2012
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Arizona
I am running EBC reds with stoptech cross drilled and slotted rotors...happy so far. Only street driven, but much less fade than stock
 

JPsToyota

Member
Sep 17, 2008
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East-Central, FL
EBC Reds on both of my street cars. They work great on the street and I have never pushed hard enough on the street or autocross to fade them and I do some spirited driving. Low dust and ceramic. Awesome pads with no complaints, will use them forever on the street.

Still haven't gotten a chance to go to road race track with the big brakes and find some pads that are good for that yet.
 

supraguy@aol

Well-Known Member
Dec 30, 2005
4,231
36
48
Atlanta
I used to use Axxis MetalMasters, and really liked them. No noise, and only average dust. Buy they do put wear on the rotors.
I tried Axxis ceramic and got rid of them. Very noisy and dusty.
 

Atlas

You call this a sandwich?
Aug 22, 2012
102
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Clovis CA
Stoptech slotted rotors, Goodrich lines, and EBC yellows. Solid setup for autocross. Went 5 runs on a 90 second power course and braking was the least of the cars problems. I was hard pressed to find a set of EBC reds for this car. I think my next set of pads will be something less aggressive, like Akebono's or something. Not a lot of choices out there for the stock setup... In the future, I'd definitely like to go with a slightly bigger brake kit. Like the Cobra calipers. The stock Supra brakes are pretty robust, but aren't consistent enough for HPDE or anything the like.
 

akito

Keep Laughing.You're Next
Jul 31, 2006
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Springfield/Va
Currently running EBC greens with brembo blanks. All street and the car stops great for street driving but there's too much brake dust. Doesn't fade on days where I had to make a few emergency stops. I'd probably go with the red/yellow to reduce brake dust in the future.