Brake Pad Reccomendations?

[docrice]

Hey guys, just a quick question here, I don't know where the product reviews went but I couldn't find them. Anyways, I just need opinions on what brake pads everyone is running. I'm running a S14 with full Z32 brakes and regular OEM pads right now. The car is daily driven and sees a lot of autox time, so I'd like to use something like the Hawk HPS or KVR carbon pads, but I plan to do a few low level HPDE's (track events, ~25 min sessions) this season and worry about fade. I just don't want a pad that needs to be heated up, which is why I'm steering away from Hawk HP+ or equivalent. Just thought I'd see what everyone else is running and how they like their current pads. Thanks!

[S14DB]

Good job steering away from the HP+. I hate them. they dust like mad and heat up/grab suddenly.

I'm trying Project Mu this time around.

[i8yourfwd]

Soembody said that porterfields are decent pads, I ferget what kind. It was in an old thread, search for something like "mountain driving CA smog legal" something like that. Alot of the DSM cats like porters too.

[TurDz]

I've tried porterfield R4S and R4.

The S stands for "street." OptionZero ran these at a few HPDE events. You can PM him for more details on how they held out.

I ran Porterfield R4, which are race pads. They require heat up time (minimal) but I don't recommend them for the street at all. As for HPDE events, these things were crazy and are perfect for it. Other than a full track, their application is not optimal.

[AutoRnD]

ENDLESS SSS =)
if u have money that is...

they work great and have amazing bite especially when cold

[docrice]

Oh yeah, forgot to mention my pockets aren't lined with $100 bills... thats why I was looking at the KVR and Hawks....if it comes down to it I'll buy a set of track pads and switch them out with i go to the HPDE's, but I'd like something that I can still use for street/Autox that's kinda bitey and won't fade that bad....

Thanks for the replies, keep em coming!

[S14DB]

You'll need a set of rotors for every set of pads.

[docrice]

You'll need a set of rotors for every set of pads.

yeah, another reason I wanted to just get one set of pads to use all the time... fortunately, Z32 rotors are available pretty cheap (I found them for $100 a set + shipping), so if it comes down to it I will bite the bullet...but I'd really prefer not to.


Anyone have thoughts on the kvr's or the hps's??

[Yuri]

I have Project Mu B-force on all four corners. They work excellent and are a big improvement over stock. (duh I guess) I used to have D1-spec on the rear. They grabbed better than the B-force but wore out after only 4-months, and covered the wheels in brake dust. A big improvement I noticed is reduced fade going downhill. As for using e-brake between the B-force and D1 spec, the difference isn't noticeable enough to justify replacing pads as often as I did.

[hurleyboi514]

i dunno what you guys are talkin about... i love my HP+! ive gotten my rotors glowing orange on all 4 corners several times and never lost feel or braking torque. they can take some abuse. lets see, 2 years now, about 8 track days, lots of autoxing, and even more street/mountain driving and they are still there! sure there is a little dust and a little noise, but damn, your about running a rull race pad!! the diff noise and chassis rattle bother me more than that for sure... and if you dont like cleaning your wheels so much, buy some bronze ones! :-D

[publicenemy137]

yeha i hate fucking brake dust! i have hawk HPS, i like em, they do grab pretty well. They saved me in a couple of accidents where the person in front of me just slammed on their brakes outta nowhere.

[c240sx13]

duralast all the way baby!! lifetime warranty!! woot woot

[docrice]

Ok, back to the topic... I am trying to pick a pad that is:
-relatively cost effective
-capable of withstanding some track use (not a lot)
-good for autox/street (I.E. no warmup time)

I don't care so much about dusting or noise so those aren't really factors that need to be discussed. Thanks again.

[hellion240sx]

anyone have the PBR/Axis Metal Master or Ultimate Ceramic pads that come with the 300zx brake upgrade from here. those might be a good choice for you.

[hurleyboi514]

Ok, back to the topic... I am trying to pick a pad that is:
-relatively cost effective
-capable of withstanding some track use (not a lot)
-good for autox/street (I.E. no warmup time)

I don't care so much about dusting or noise so those aren't really factors that need to be discussed. Thanks again.


Hawk HP+ fits that discription exactly... so go buy them. now. they rock...

[docrice]

Hawk HP+ fits that discription exactly... so go buy them. now. they rock...

As I mentioned before, I decided to steer clear of them because of the warmup time. I drove my friend's S13 with them that has the same caliper setup as mine and didn't like it...and that would be esp. bad for autox.

I decided to order the KVR's. Havent heard anything bad about them from anyone, so we'll give em a try and see what happens...

[S14DB]

Hawk HP+ fits that discription exactly... so go buy them. now. they rock...
No. :squint:

[hurleyboi514]

lol, ok... ive run both before. the KVR's fade with a quickness. they lasted about 10 mins into to track session at Lowes. ive never had issues with HP+'s heating up, unless its winter, then it takes a few stops to get them warm. but good luck, maybe you dont run your brakes as hard as i do... i like to brake DEEEP after a long straight... :)

[SpeedMonkeyInc]

I think you are asking for too much all at once. Brake pads good for HPDE are going to need to be heated up at least a little, and almost all are going to dust a lot. Sounds to me like you are going to be most happy with a street/autox pad. Especially with your Z32 brakes. Are you having fade problems now?
I ran the Porterfeld R4S for a while. Good pads on the street and autox, low dust and no noise. I had fade issues going downhill on canyon runs and killed them after one HPDE. Wasn't really happy with them overall, even though they did ok.
Now I am running Cobalt GT. They need to be warmed up just a bit, squeal when cold, and dust like crazy. They are the best pads in the world. I love them. They bit SO hard when warmed up but still super easy to modulate. I have not been back to the track yet with these pads, but I could not even bother them going downhill in the mountains.
http://www.cobaltfriction.com/product_info_pages/cobalt_racing_brakes.asp

[KA24DESOneThree]

Good job steering away from the HP+. I hate them. they dust like mad and heat up/grab suddenly.

I'm trying Project Mu this time around.

Hawk HP+ all around with stock brakes worked very well for me. I don't give a damn about dust, and I found them easily modulated even when warming up.

I'm gong to try Porterfields all around next, mostly because I can stop by there on my weekly jaunts up to Santa Ana.

[90RS13]

I have the Axxis ones....the kevlar/ceramic or whatever...anyways they are a big improvement over stock, they grab pretty nicely, but I'm not sure as far as fade is concerned. I haven't been to an event with them yet

edit oh yeah, no warm up

[hurleyboi514]

ive heard good things about both those cobalts and the porterfields as well. if i rememeber, both cost a bit more than the hawks. im going with the hawks again myself... ive never run a pad like them. if your brakes system is up to par (new fluid, properly bled, good lines and rotors) then they work excellent. i have no problem outbraking other cars and im on stock brakes! (minus lines) another good brand is the bobcat, for some reason i cant remember the brand name... oh yeah, carbo-tech. suppposed to be similar to HP+ but better in ever aspect. my friend runs them, he loves them. when he describes them, he sounds like hes talking about my pads, lol. either way, you've gotta lot of options.

[TurDz]

ive heard good things about both those cobalts and the porterfields as well. if i rememeber, both cost a bit more than the hawks. im going with the hawks again myself... ive never run a pad like them. if your brakes system is up to par (new fluid, properly bled, good lines and rotors) then they work excellent. i have no problem outbraking other cars and im on stock brakes! (minus lines) another good brand is the bobcat, for some reason i cant remember the brand name... oh yeah, carbo-tech. suppposed to be similar to HP+ but better in ever aspect. my friend runs them, he loves them. when he describes them, he sounds like hes talking about my pads, lol. either way, you've gotta lot of options.


carbotechs are very good pads to run. I had the porterfields as mentioned before (R4 race pad).

It's all in the application. If you are a street/auto-x driver, the cheaper pads will work fine. In any other serious form of driving (heavy braking during touge, or continual braking on a full race course), pads that need to be heated up, sqeaul A LOT on the street, and generate loads of brake dust are the kinds to get. They're made to be run at those high temps, and if you use them for the right application, your rotors will last a very long time (cracks/fractures permitting) since adhesive friction is used, not abrasive.

I would recommend (not in any order, since most race pads are similar)

Porterfields
Carbotech
Cobalt

[codyace]

/\ /\ /\

I'll +1 the suggestion of Carbotech! I ran with bobcats on my Turbo Altima and had NOTHING but good things to say about them. Low dust, and a great D/D as well as occasional track pad.

A close friend of mine uses Bobcats on his Titan, and we hauled a empty trailer up to Maine (from PA) and a loaded one back without a single worry about the brakes....we had a few close calls too, and the Bobcats did their job.

That same friend of mine uses Panther XP's on his Turbo Sentra track/daily driver car, and on his NX2000 track/daily car. He always comments how they are the only pad he suggests that can withstand the low heat daily start, and keep up all day on the track. His exact quote about Porterfields, was that he wouldn't even use them if given a set.

3 different cars and 1 truck (all nissan), all with similar good things to say about Carbotech! Give Matt a call at Carbotech and he'll hook you up :)

[docrice]

thanks guys...I think I'm going to look into carbotech and cobalt....my biggest fear is getting a pad that needs heated up, because for autox that would just be hell on my times. keep the reccommendations coming, i haven't ordered anything yet!

[bigOdom1]

i have hawks and there very dirty but ive only had problems in the winter warming them up and as steep as my drive way was they were ready by the time i hit black top

[TurDz]

/\ /\ /\

I'll +1 the suggestion of Carbotech! I ran with bobcats on my Turbo Altima and had NOTHING but good things to say about them. Low dust, and a great D/D as well as occasional track pad.


When I meant Carbotechs, I meant something like the XP8. A full race pad that requires some warm up. Your friend with a Sentra or NX2000 has a VERY light car, so braking is not as abusive on pads/rotors as a heavier car. I'm very curious to know why your friend would never run Porterfields (R4?)

I have used Porterfield R4 for about 3 track events now within a span of about 8 months (after month 4 I had the R4 pads for daily driving).They are great, and I have not experienced any fade with them on the track, even with 30 mins of pure lapping w/ 1/2 hour breaks. They've done a very good job for me and I would not hesitate to get them again.

Although I can see that the original poster is not looking for these types of pads. The pads I was recommending is for the frequent track person (say, 12 events a year at least). If you are mostly Auto-Xing, any decent pad (with no warm up time) should work fine for you. If HPDEs and track events start to dominate your schedule, I'm afraid the only way to really prevent fade with pads is to get full race pads, or semi-race, which require heat up time (for my R4, about 3 moderate-hevy braking from 70-20).

There is no such thing as a little or no-fade brake pad with no warm up time when it comes to heavy lapping.

[thx247]

I think the bobcat carbotechs would be good. sorta noisy for a street pad, but you can atleast take them out on the track. The XP's work on the street but...they are not street pads in alot of ways. (cold, easy lockup)

never used the HP+, I've seen the R4s get smoked on some light hills which sorta surprised me.

I've used the bobcats daily as well as the XP8's daily for 2 years now.

[Kouks]

I like the project mu b force street pad, find them all day for 90. awesome. low dust, great bite cold, awesome bite warmed up a lil.

[Baron Fel]

I've run the hawk HPS for about six months now, they've seen five HPDE/USdrift weekends and are teriffic. I've never had problems with fade and there is still tons of pad left.

[phantom702]

I had the Stillen metal matrix pads on my FC, they were much better than the hawks IMO.

[BigVinnie]

CBK's all the way (semi metallics)!!!!!!!!!!
I have had zero brake dust and my car stops on a dime with stock rotors that are drilled........
They are affordable.

[Colorado S14]

I had Axxis Metal Masters, they were pretty good street pads, pretty low dust and more heat capability than stock pads for sure. I did manage to fade them doing a LONG down hill Rocky Mountain canyon run. They would probably be fine for auto-X but not the track.

I have Axxis Ultimates now and they rock, the dust is not that bad and they have good heat capability. I think you could probably do short sessions at an HPDE on these, but 15 laps straight would probably fade them (that is the case for most any pad that is streetable) and also remember I have 286whp so I am harder on pads than a NA car.

[kouki_s14]

i have hawks they grab great but are DAM loud
no more for me