lets talk brake pads...

[.Mad Hatter.]

for stock blanks...on a car which is daily driven.

looking for good stopping but i dont want to chew through the rotors quickly.

your thoughts?

[djwimbo]

My PBR Metal Masters just got owned at the track. Street usage they're fine though.
I will be upgrading.

[.Mad Hatter.]

i had those on my 16v...but didnt drive it much.

how long have you had them for? hows the wear?

[djwimbo]

I put the fronts on @ 160K, I'm at 173K now and I have 75-80% of the pad left. Well, I did until today. I used them for numerous AutoX events w/o an issue and for DD they're cheap and effective.
I'd consider the Ceramics but I hadn't heard any reviews at all of the PBR ceramics.

[blmlozz]

I use akebono's.. they're OEM brand for BMW's and mercs.. good stopping power and very little dust, threw them on the car when I got it, 20K later they still have 3/4 pad left. they were a bit expensive if I remember, the place I got them from wasen't that great a shop however.

[.Mad Hatter.]

ok, so padwear is good...but how do they treat the rotors?

[blmlozz]

ok, so padwear is good...but how do they treat the rotors?

they're acutaly pretty easy on them, no abnormal wear, no pitting even on the stock 110,000 mile rotors.

hope this helps

[fernando]

hawks hps they rock....great on the street, superb on the track....not too hard on the rotors

[Silverstreak98]

I really like the PBR Ceramics, been using them a few thousand so far.

The dust with these pads is way way down from the stock pads....and I've been happy with their performance in the few panic stops/slow downs I've had so far.

[.Mad Hatter.]

has anyone tried the mintex red box? apparently OEM quality, which doesnt really impress me, i wanted something with a little more bite.

are you guys replacing your rotors everytime you get new pads, or no?

[jm121189]

I have used both PBR and akebono and I think the akebono's are a little better but either is a good choice. Most people will need to replace the pads before they replace the rotors. If you change the rotors you should always change the pads.

[djwimbo]

Looks like I will be upgrading to the Carbotech's.
Dear God are they pricey, but they should be worth it at the track. I need to figure something out for cooling as well. It took a LONG time for even my wheels to cool down after one heat at the track.

Carbotech

[M1NDCRlME]

I've got the mintex reds on stock rotors. They dust a little more than stock but they haven't been hard on the rotors. They definately stop better than stock and seem to bite better as they warm up...

[NK2007]

I really like the PBR Ceramics, been using them a few thousand so far.

The dust with these pads is way way down from the stock pads....and I've been happy with their performance in the few panic stops/slow downs I've had so far.

+1 For pbr ceramics!
Put them in and they love to stop! Dust is alot better than stock as well.

When i was looking what to buy, i was going to go with mintex red box pads, but after a lot of reading, people were saying that they wear quick and there is a decent amount of dust.

For the money, pbr ceramics seemed to be the best. Hawk hps are supposed to be great, but they are $$$

[oldblu]

Just put PBR Ceramics on the back. Already feel a difference. I already have PBR Ceramics for the front but haven't put them on-very optimistic

[Mad_Audi]

i love my hawk hps pads.

[jaustin]

Ive used the mintex reds before and thought they worked out great for daily use.

[.Mad Hatter.]

where are you guys ordering the PBR ceramics from?

[AudiRacerS4]

where are you guys ordering the PBR ceramics from?

ECS thats where I got mine

[.Mad Hatter.]

awesome, just found them...whats this sensor wire for?

[Silverstreak98]

awesome, just found them...whats this sensor wire for?

If you have brake wear sensors you need that to hook them up.

I found PureMS has better prices...and have the pads available with and without the sensor wire.

[onemoremile]

PBR Ultimate Ceramics front and rear for 3 years now. They are the shit. Good grip cold or hot, no noise, no dust, no wear. Well, obviously there has to be wear and dust but I don't clean these wheels and they aren't dirty and the rotors look great so whatever. The Outback runs Satisfied Ceramics and they are also great.

I ran Carbotech Bobcat street pads and they were the same with a few added problems. They were $160, were slippery when cold, squealed like a pig every once in a while, etc.. They were absolutely destroyed in one track day. After a lengthy discussion with Carbotech's owner I ordered a set of Panther track pads. Ran them with track tires on a well setup car and they were amazing. I abused them but couldn't get them to fade (the Panthers sent us into the dandelions a few times on street tires) or misbehave in any way. Distances seemed half as long as with the street pads. The pads and rotors were in perfect condition after the event which is mystifying.

PBR Ceramics - excellent, cheap
Carbotech Bobcats - good, expensive
Carbotech Panthers - phenomenal, expensive

[DuviVr6]

I run Mintex red box and they are pretty good for DD I had them in my 92 Jetta GLi 2.0 with infinite mods and the held on fine and lasted for ever

so i decided to run them on the A4 and they are cheap and do very good job!

I also have SS lines and cross-drilled/slotted rotors in both cars with ATE blue fluid

[.Mad Hatter.]

ok, i think im going to go with the PBR ceramics, a little pricey but im not one to skimp on brakes.

i have no idea if i have a wear sensor...i assume not. im a 97 1.8t, sport and cold weather...

i dont think i have a warning light on my dash for brakes other than ABS

[oldblu]

Go on PUREMS.COM . They're great and have low prices and when you put your vehicle info in, it'll tell you if you have the sensor (Front only)

[xraycer2012]

hawks hps they rock....great on the street, superb on the track....not too hard on the rotors

x2. I love mine.

[.Mad Hatter.]

purems is the winner...awesome info guys, thanks a million.

and for the hell of it, keep the discussion up

[Beemer832]

hawks hps they rock....great on the street, superb on the track....not too hard on the rotors

second this. hawk HPS pads are great street pads. tried the HP+ pads for the track but they werent much better then the HPS pads. Both great street pads but i would recommend HPS over HP+ for street.

-josh

[Nebone]

I have the Hawk HPS now to replace my old Mintex Red Box. They stop much better but squeel like a pig once in a while which I don't really mind. They give some dust but not that much. Still have Redbox in the rear.

[.Mad Hatter.]

question...if i can only order pads WITH the sensor wire and i dont need it...can i just cut it off?

[djwimbo]

that should be fine. AFAIK there's no difference in size or fitment for the pads w/ or w/o sensors.

[.Mad Hatter.]

i wouldnt think so...mjm only offers them with the sensor

[NK2007]

The sensor is basically a wire divided by a piece of plastic. This slides into a hole in the pad and when the pad wears to the hole, it completes or breaks the circuit.

So to answer your question, yes. If you order the sensor pads and you don't have the sensor connector, simply pull the wire out.

[.Mad Hatter.]

alright good, because i ordered them last night.

they look identical visually...cant wait.

ps-i was going to go with the pbr ceramics, but purems doesnt ship to canada...and ecs wanted 250 (80$ for shipping) for the pads and rotors...pass.

mintex red and ATE blank rotors are on their way from mjm.

[dcampana]

bought my A4 wth EBC green stuff pads and HATE HATE HATE them... dust galore, brake fade is evident (short auto x track here) and noisy to boot. I am ordering new rotors and pads, will go with the PBR ceramics. Thanks for all the tid bits AZ... you all are a heap of help always...

[.Mad Hatter.]

Well, I am considering an upgrade so I figured I would get this thread back up there with some questions and hopefully some input. (can anyone tell I am not satisfied with my brakes, lol.)

Hawk HP Plus

I will likely just do the fronts at first, $133.

PBR ULT Ceramics

only $60 for the fronts, how well do they hold up for an auto-x, a track day? will they bite as well as the Hawks?

Then there are the carbotechs, which look a little more expensive than the Hawks. Keep in mind that these pads will be used on the street as well.

So, anything else anybody can contribute? Jim you mentioned that you liked the Ceramics, how did they hold up on the track. Are the Hawk pads worth the extra cash? How about rotor wear, etc?

[biketsai]

Its probably a better idea to have a different set of pads for the track. I DD the PBR ceramics (which are amazing), but I thought they would hold up at the track. After a couple track sessions they have created some suppppperrrrrr hot spots on my rotors.

[.Mad Hatter.]

damn, thats going to get annoying, especially with having to compress the rear piston

[Seerlah]

I am sure this info may not be helpfull, but opinions/input is usually a good thing. I purchased new rotors and Mintex Red Box pads, and I like them. There was no need for me to have to press hard on the brakes yet, and I usually downshift before needing to apply brake pressure. But when I do use the brakes, they have a pretty nice bite. Not sure how they will hold up for Auto-X days, though. Brake dust is also held to a minimum.

I intitially wanted the PBR ceramics (don't know if they differ from the ULT ones), but the kit I was looking at was cheaper (PureMS vs MJM). When I was in the market before and was going to order the Adam Rotors (sold in the GB section), he said that he also has kits. He suggested the Carbotechs and that is what he was going to sell me with that kit (once again, this was while I was searching for the best price and also did not settle with the Adam kit).

Basically, if it was not for the price of the kit with the Mintex pads, I would have gone PBR Ceramics.

Just my .02

[.Mad Hatter.]

I have the mintex reds on now, trying to figure out whether its the fluid or the pads that are the weak point.