I am looking to upgrade my OEM brake pads to something more performance orientated. The stock system fades very easily and leaves a bit to be desired. What are you guys running? I am looking at:

1. Hawk HPS
2. EBC Yellow Stuff
3. Carbotech Bobcats

 

I have been considering Hawk Performance Ceramic or Akebono Pro Act.

 

I have had great success with the Hawk HPS pads.

Bobby M.

 

+1 on the Hawk pads

 

I like the stopping power of the HPS pads; but the fade resistance isn't a whole lot better than stock. IMO they're a good upgrade from stock for street driving.

 

I think I am going to try Carbotech Bobcats. They have a maximum temperature of 900 degrees F. Danny @ Carbotech stated they are quiet and have little dust. The dust isn't corrosive like Hawk HP+ pads.

 

I have been trying to decide on brake pads for well over a month now and finally made the decision to go with the Akebono ProACT pads since they got nothing but rave reviews on Tire Racks website. And while many seem to use the HAWK HPS pads and say they have no noise i simply could not bring myself to trust that since I currently run HAWK pads on my F-150 and they squeal to all hell. I purchased a set of Rotor Pros Slotted and drilled Rotors and Richard @ RP advised to not use ceramic pads as they are hard on the rotors however considering the low cost of his rotors and the low mileage driving i do in the car i decided to go with the ceramic pads. I purchased the Akebono pads @ Rockauto.com and saved about 35.00 over Tire Racks pricing.

Richard

 

Let us know how you like them. I wouldn't worry about using ceramic pads, that's what our Mustangs come equipped with from the factory.

 

I know this post is kind of old, but any updates on those ceramic pads? He told me the same thing about ceramic being too rough. I am thinking of just buying the new take off rotors for $39 and getting some decent pads.

 

Since this thread has been revived, Max, hows the pads?
My HPS pads on the front are toast, I am back to the stock pads for the winter. Will need new ones for the front before Junes track day.

 

I ran EBC Yellowstuff pads front and rear all last season for autocross and HPDE's. My brother in his 4,800 lbs GTO also ran the Yellowstuff pads last season for HPDE's. Neither of us experienced brake fade and we are both fairly aggressive on the track. I do have ducts, but my brother doesn't.

I even boiled my fluid during a session (fresh Valvoline Synpower) and blued my rotors, but the pads weren't fading. After a bleed--even after what I thought was a thorough pad-cooking, they were fine (and still are).

Can't beat their price (~$85 a pair), they are easy on the rotors, they don't squeal after you break them in and get a few hundred miles on them (and even when new they don't squeal too much--not at all annoying), and although they are dusty, their dust isn't corrosive and it wipes or hoses right off.

I think in the past the EBC compound got some negative reviews, but they finally hit on a winner a year or two ago.

 

Are you sure about this? I didn't think the stock pads were ceramic.

 

At least on my '06, they're not. They're a standard semi-metallic compound. FWIW, I did run Hawk HP-Plus for the track, and they're outstanding with a little heat in them. The dust is also NOT corrosive, as had been mentioned before. That said, I just swapped to "Posi-Quiet" pads for street use. It'll be a couple of months before the car is back on the street (sigh), so I can't comment on the pads for a while...

 

I'm going to try EBC Red's.

 

They work very well. They do dust a bit more than stock, but performance pads will do that.

The good news is that they don't fade on the street and stop much better than stock.

 

Thanks Max.


Dave, are you sure they are semi metallic?
What I came across...

OE # 5U2Z2V001E
BR1081
[Front Brake Pad]
Front ; Std Premium Pad ; Organic ; Integrally Molded ; GT

 

I'm not positive enough to give testimony, no, but they certainly appear (and act) like a semi-metallic. The pad surface appears to have metallic particulates embedded throughout the friction material, and if exposed to moisture, they appear to oxidize... They're definitely NOT ceramic, though.