Best brake pads and why ??? what have you run?

[hawaii_DA6]

so just wondering what pads you guys run and why.

explain issues such as: brake dust, fade, wear, longevity, noise, feel/ feedback, performance, heat ranges, streetability, price, ect.

lets try not to get off topic and talk about kits, rotors, and such. just keep it simple: PADS !

I could only fit these 15 in.

OEM
Hawk
AEM
EBC
PBR/ Axxis
Brembo
Rotora
Auto EXE
Napa/ Autozone/ Checkers
Project Mu'
Spoon
Mugen
Greddy/ Grex
Endless/ Zeal
Powerslot

[cheesefries]

Honda is a lot smarter than

Hawk
AEM
EBC
PBR/ Axxis
Brembo
Rotora
Auto EXE
Napa/ Autozone/ Checkers
Project Mu'
Spoon
Mugen
Greddy/ Grex
Endless/ Zeal
Powerslot

Stick with OEM unless you plan on doing SERIOUS track time. Use real good fluid and flush it often, make sure your brake system is in tip top shape, and you should be good to go.

[hawaii_DA6]

Im on the same boat.

OEM Honda Pads are the only thing I use, but I just wanted to see what everyone else runs on the street and track.

[*inFamous*]

i've personally used most of those on that list and my my top 3 are Hawk, Project Mu, and Mugen, but i prefer the Hawk pads any day over the rest. All my experimenting was based on track performance on my car... would recommend any of the above 3 to anyone though. EBC were my least favorite of all aftermarket pads. ( Minus the autozone crap)

[hawaii_DA6]

ya, Ive heard a lot of goos things about Hawk pads over and over again, I guess Im gonna have to try them out.

[ILIKETODRIVE]

Axxis are the only ones I've ran on that list. I liked them a lot but they were dusty as heck.

[rooster]

hawk n oem

[azteamextreme]

voted

[mottrhed]

oem works great with good rotors
i currently am runing hawks and they are slightly better with brake fade

[LoooseGSR]

These are the pads i've used:

Axxis
Cobalt Friction
Hawk
Carbotech

Of those, Cobalt Fricition are hands down my favorites, now there has been some new pads come out since I last used them, so we'll see what turns out to be the new bad mofo pad.

[Tage]

Dude there is no way to answer your question without knowing what you're trying to accomplish. If you're looking for:

- Low noise, low dust, low maintenance --> Honda
- Low noise, low dust, low maintenance & cheap --> Checker, Autozone, Pep Boys (lifetime warranty pads)
- Additional street bite and fade and willing to put up with more dust and possible noise --> Axxis Metal Masters, Hawk HPS, Carbotech Panther, the list goes on and honestly they're all pretty similar
- Good track pad (i.e. 100+ mph) and don't care the side effects? --> Need more info

I like LooseGSR's post with his 1st hand experience but don't forget that each maker has several different compounds. You can't really say BFG KD tires have more traction than Kumho all season tires so that must mean that BFG make better performance tires.

For example Carbotech makes 5 different compounds. If you compare Carbotech's Bobcat or Panther Plus compound to the Cobalt Friction of course the Cobalt will feel better. Compare the Cobalt Friction to the Carbotech XP-12 pad though and there's no comparison (i.e. Carbotech will be better). You also can't lump EBC pads as one since the Green compound works totally different from the Yellow or Red compound. Tell us what the main purpose will be for the car/pads and you'll get better and more specific answers. Also keep in mind there is no single pad that can do it all (i.e. daily driver, track whore).

In fact I have 3 different brake pads.

1. Stock on my daily driver
2. Carbotech Panther Plus on my track car for autox
3. Carbotech XP-10 on my track car for track days (yes I even swap pads back and forth on my track car depending on the type of racing I'm doing)

[cibola]

If you heat your pads over the recommended level on the Hawks they will crumple in your hands. I have used the Hawk Black's, Blue's and the HT10's. My brakes never go over 1000 degrees and they still fall apart. Hawks are a great pad if you use a huge caliper not the mini Honda ones. If you are doing any track use stay away from the hawks.

If you are street driving OEM or just cheapies will work just fine.

I have my pads custom made by Porterfield and they work awesome. But they are a true neck breaker race pad, something you would hate on the street.

Please don’t ask what compound it is a custom team compound.

[Agent Smith]

I run axxis ultimates/pbr metal masters, when driving hard I love them, no complaints (non track use YET, but a lot of tortilla flat runs, jerome runs, etc of similar HARD driving & braking)... they perform great for what I need. Daily driving on the street they do make some noise on occasion & they dust A LOT. it's worth it for me though :)

[CHALO]

Hawk

[LatinEM1]

Where can I find Hawk brake pads sold locally?