The time has come for new brakes, and i'm not sure what type to get. I searched this site, but couldn't find what i was looking for. the parts store has ceramic, metalic, and organic and I have no idea which one is best. The car is my daily driver, but i drive hard and fast and brake the same way. Also, i plan to put in some track time next summer, and i want some pads that will hold up. any recommendations for which type of pad, or which brands people have used and liked, are much appreciated.

 

Usually places have 3 kinds of pads for each car. Pick the middle one! Organic is ceramic minus some icky stuff, but for more money.

I always by the cheapest ceramics and have had no problem.

That is until I put on drilled and slotted rotors... NOISE FOR DAYS!

 

I always buy the best pads I can find, which aren't usually offered at the parts stores. The last time I bought front pads for the sol was something like 7 years ago. I think they are STS pads? They aren't offered at Summit anymore but they're still on the car with plenty of pad left. High quality pads last a long time and will save you alot of brake work down the road. They keep your wheels cleaner too.

 

that's what i'm thinking. i've worked on cars for a while, and there are a few areas where i won't cut corners, one of them being brakes. i want good stuff, that's why i asked here. especially considering how i drive, i want good pads. i have some new brembo blanks to put in, and i want to match them with some good pads. had a line on some hawk pads on craigslist, but they turned out to be for a dx, not an si.

 

Ive used akebono ceramic and satisfied gran sport 6. GS6 are nice pads for street. Ive heard many good things about Hawk HPS pads too.

 

+1 for hawk hps pads. im running them on my coupe and they work best when heated up...dont ask how/why i know this.

 

No they won't..

I killed a set of Weds RC pads in a month, you can't really get any higher than that for a car with OEM calipers...

This is what my wheels looked like afterwords


Seidou-ya GT600 pads



You need to buy pads that suit you, your needs and the parts on your car. If you're using RT615's or a similar street tire then you're going to want to stick to a semi-metallic, ceramic street pad. Like a Hawk HPS+, Weds SC, etc.

I used full metallic pads with my Star Specs but I knew the limits of the tires and made sure to run a street pad whose operating temperature was 0-350* C so I had something to fall back on if the front tires were getting killed.

However I recommend you don't do that and if you want a race pad then use a semi slick, like the A048, 02G or NT01

As far as recommending a company, I haven't used American pads but my friends have had great success with EBC, Hawk HP+ and Cobalt auto-x pads.

Companies I recommend are Endless, Seidou-ya, Carbone Lorraine, Brig, Weds

 

^wow great informative information!

 

thanks a bunch guys. i'm just running a basic kumho street tire, nothing too fancy. not looking at a race pad, since it's not a race car, i just want something that will work better than stock, since i drive harder than most and will put some track time on it. saw a set of hawk HPS pads on ebay for $111 so thinking i'll get those since everyone seems to like them.

 

$111?? i paid less than that for the pads, new rotors, and new fluid. check any local aftermarket shop for a better price. i got my pads for $65.

 

front and rear? will do, thanks. not even sure where to look for them locally though, i'll check around and see what i can find.

 

no sorry, only fronts, im still running drums. 113 seems like a good price, but its recommended on the box that you replace the rotors or resurface them. if you do decide to go with the hawks, break them in properly as directed on box.

 

will do, and i have new rotors so i should be set.

thanks.