Post in here your experiences with different types of pads.
To start off, what would be a recommended pad for a daily driver that does monthly canyon runs and occasional track use? I'm torn between Hawk HPS or HP+/Carbotech AX6 or XP8.
Post in here your experiences with different types of pads.
To start off, what would be a recommended pad for a daily driver that does monthly canyon runs and occasional track use? I'm torn between Hawk HPS or HP+/Carbotech AX6 or XP8.
i run hawk HP+ front on my mostly stock engined 1.8. has suspension upgrades. we track the car about 8-15 weekends per year. end up switching out fronts about mid-later in the year for a new set. never experience fade though. run them all the time, street or track. do not get the HPS for front. i have them on the back. if running carbotechs, i've been told xp10 fr, xp8 rear. i'm sticking with my hawks for now.
Sean, either of those are excellent choices.
Honestly, I have never felt fading on my Hawks, and I've run the HP+ and the HPS. The Carbotechs are a little more aggressive in my opinion, a *little* easier to modulate when pushed, and harder on the rotors. I put Axxis Ultimates with fresh blanks on Tina's NB and they were a great improvement over the OEM-type pads previously on there. I have run them on my car in the past, too. I felt a little fading on them running very hard on the track and mountain roads in North Carolina, but nothing scary. They were good, but not as communicative. The Carbotechs, in comparison, felt like I threw the car into reverse thrust.
With the selections you have listed, you should expect heavy dusting, like German/euro cars experience. Also, they will be noisy. My car sounds like the garbage truck when I pull up to a stop.
Just bought Stoptech pads after hearing a lot of good reviews on other cars, will update with reviews.
Axxis Ult- Excellent street pad. Would not recommend for much more then beginner hpde parade pedaling.
Cobalt Friction XR3/5- eyeball sucking braking abilities even on 1.6 hardware. Excellent pad life, dust you would expect from a race pad, awesome modulation. Did I mention they look pretty when new?
Porterfield R4S front and rear - When cold they are pretty much equivalent to stock/OEM pads however; if you drive slightly aggressively and get them warm they grab 1000 times better than stock and slow the car down in a hurry. Never ever fade (in my use), made quite a bit of dust at first but, now there isn't as much, no squealing. I would buy these pads again.
I'm stompin' on Hawk HPS pads. I like them but man, do they dust my wheels up quick.
Car and Driver recently did a write-up about which car has the best brakes. Believe it or not, the Miata's factory brakes beat out all the other contenders.
Another supporter of Axxis ULT's for the street and light hooning.
Sean, did you drive my car when I whored it out at that SOCM meet?
i have HP+ on the front with OEM style in the back. i like them, but the dust is pretty bad, especially with our meshies. i've never got them to fade. i was also looking into other options.
The HP+ is also pretty noisy. but i like the overall feel and modulation i get from them.
Where do you guys seems to find the Axxis ULTs? I can't find a reliable source D:
what exactly are you looking for in the pads? what are you trying to do with them? there are a lot of guys here talking about an "aggressive street" pad.. the ultimates. i don't think that's what you want..
Axxis Ultimates
Pros
-No noise! This is huge for any ex-Hawk user.
-Nice cold bite. This is also a big plus over HP+.
-GREAT initial bite over their whole temp range.
-Did I mention they're quiet?
-Nice price.
-Can be used on track days. Do not self destruct after a 20 minute session.
Cons
-Dust
-Dust
-Dust
-Dust!!!
-Aren't real track pads.
I'm on my 3rd set of Axxis Dustimates. I like them, but I have to clean my wheels every week. And for me a week involves maybe 100 miles of driving.