Is there a concensus on brake pads?

[cjd]

Originally Posted by Stewie

What'd you have? (I'm guessing Miata)

ACR (er... *ahem* '01 Neon, not the other ACR unfortunately.) Politics (club and otherwise) took me out of the racing scene for a while (and the community over there) so I really have no idea if parts availability got better. Shit, I think I still have some parts from early engine prototypes I acquired, and definitely still have a few sets of wheels. Was getting into custom work for folks, and people were just... too cheap, then very ugly shit, and ... blah. Got burned, and pissed off. I may still have the 1/4 mile record for a bone stock ACR (I went once to GLD summer of '01 just for gits and shiggles, managed to sneak into a 15.4 by a couple thousandths, ran within 0.04 sec a couple more runs.) Was a fun car for what it was, and I never had any illusions about being anything other than cheap grocery-getter. 13.5 years with no trouble, just standard maintenance (bad battery and related problems, all under warranty, aside.)

You guys really wanted to know all that right?

Seriously, I feel like I'm going to have to ask for a recommendation eventually on brake pads, since reading every thread I can find doesn't actually seem to help me make a decision (well, I see W3 or maaaybe W4, or AX6, or DS2500 recommended for AutoX but still... which? And why no CL RC5+? Price?)

C

[cdrazic93]

Consensus? Yeah.

You need brake pads.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by cjd

ACR (er... *ahem* '01 Neon, not the other ACR unfortunately.) Politics (club and otherwise) took me out of the racing scene for a while (and the community over there) so I really have no idea if parts availability got better. Shit, I think I still have some parts from early engine prototypes I acquired, and definitely still have a few sets of wheels. Was getting into custom work for folks, and people were just... too cheap, then very ugly shit, and ... blah. Got burned, and pissed off. I may still have the 1/4 mile record for a bone stock ACR (I went once to GLD summer of '01 just for gits and shiggles, managed to sneak into a 15.4 by a couple thousandths, ran within 0.04 sec a couple more runs.) Was a fun car for what it was, and I never had any illusions about being anything other than cheap grocery-getter. 13.5 years with no trouble, just standard maintenance (bad battery and related problems, all under warranty, aside.)

You guys really wanted to know all that right?

Seriously, I feel like I'm going to have to ask for a recommendation eventually on brake pads, since reading every thread I can find doesn't actually seem to help me make a decision (well, I see W3 or maaaybe W4, or AX6, or DS2500 recommended for AutoX but still... which? And why no CL RC5+? Price?)

C

Most brake companies will make you a pad if you ask them.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Minus them feeing a bit lax on the bite and woah in a holy **** moment, no real problems in normal day to day driving and stopping. But when I need to stop in a hurry, it's not the most confidence inspiring. Don't get me wrong. It's good/ok but I wouldn't mind a bit better.

I'd say step up to a light duty compound.

W2, AX6, B-force, etc.

[cjd]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Most brake companies will make you a pad if you ask them.

Well, I was quite green when I got the car, and even now that wouldn't occur to me. And the budget wasn't there either - moved to Chicago without work, then the industry crashed (though I had a job, it was contract and not consistent...) Fun times. Actually, it was fun till it got un-fun. Did better than most expected given my classing and (lack of) mods; could have done better. This time 'round is mostly different on the budget side, hopefully the fun remains.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

I'd say step up to a light duty compound.

W2, AX6, B-force, etc.

Thanks mike.

[Estey]

I threw on a set of EBC yellow stuff and I wont ever go back. They perform so much better than the stock pads, and i believe i paid 200 for all four pads. I think they will give you the bite you want, but theres tons of great pads. idk why i chose ebc, they just looked really promising, and i wasnt dissapointed.

[PWBRZ]

If you do any track time at all it's a good idea to ditch the stock pads and go with good aftermarket pads, along with fresh brake fluid. And for better feel go with steel braided lines. Also, it would be a good idea to look into aftermarket front rotors, especially if you plan to track it more often.

[JRitt]

Originally Posted by Stewie

Stock power. Stock tires. Gonna put some mpss on the stock rims in the next month or so. Unless I pull the trigger on some Enkei pf01 17x7.5s. Then I'll go wider tires. 60-40 against that for now though,but the possibility remains.

I don't mind the brake dust. The oem pads on my old car (540i) used to dust like crazy. While less dust would be nice, I can accept the trade off for a bit better bite. I'll pass on the increase in noise however.

What do you recommend ? Thanks.

These will do what you need them to do. They feel very nice, can handle some "fun" drives, moderate dust, low noise. They'll even handle some light to moderate track duty on a BRZ/FR-S. Click the links below.

Ferodo DS2500
Front

Rear

[wparsons]

DS2500's handle short track sessions with ease! They won't hold up to 15-20 minute sessions flat out, but for a couple hot laps or driving at less than 100% they'll hold up great.

[chaoskaze]

Was just thinking of getting some ebc since local dealer have them on clearance. How they compare to other ones?

[Hyper4mance2k]

I hate the feel of the stock brakes on this car. This may be the first car I've tracked with ABS, and maybe that may be it, but I feel like they have the feedback of a Camry. The stock brakes on my 83 rx7 with Hawk HP+ were light years ahead of these things in terms of pedal feel, feedback and resistance to fade.
The thing about brakes is you have to drive it to see if you like it. You cant gauge performance or feel through a keyboard. Get out there and see if someone will let you drive their car around the block. I'd hate to spend $2400 on a BBK and feel the same way I do now.

[wparsons]

ABS shouldn't make a difference in pedal feel/feedback except when it's actively pulsing the brakes.

I would rate my brake feel almost as good as a 993 911. That's with Ferodo DS2500's, MC brace, stainless lines and upgraded fluid, but it's not that much different in terms of feel/feedback over stock. It's firmer, but that's it. Most of the difference in firmness came from the pads too.

I run stock pads for the winter and it's definitely noticeable. I wouldn't go anywhere near as far as to say stock it feels like a Camry though. My wife has a Camry and the brakes are nothing like mine, even 100% stock.

[Hyper4mance2k]

Well then something must be amiss with my car, because it sure feels damn vague to me. Maybe my next mod needs to be some stainless lines and a firewall brace.