EBC anything is junk. Some pads have been known to fall apart after little use and regardless of their published coefficients they stop no better than an ITR OE pad or an Axxis Ultimate. All 3 of the pads I just mentioned are sub par to Hawk HP+ which works fine as a street pad and I've never worn out a rotor with them.

The Hawk HP+ and the Cobalt GT Sport are FAR FAR better than an OEM, , EBC Green or Axxis Ultimate. I have used ever pad mentioned as well as the Hawk HPS, Ferodo DS3000 and Hawk Blues.

The only 2 pads I would not run on the street for rotor concerns are the DS3000 and the Hawk Blue. I would not run the EBC Green, OEM or Axxis Ultimate on the street cause they are sub par in breaking force.

That said the Cobalt GT Sport has similar braking coefficient to the Hawk HP+ the same asome initial bite but have much better modulation. I've used the Hawks and the Cobalts on the track as well and they don't fade while maintainning their street demeanor.

There are lots of options out there and I have tried several of them. I don't typoically worry about the technical specs ont them I look at their real world performance and based on that I have those 2 recommendations.

 

well...for "real-world performance" would you consider the Porterfield R4-S pads? They are made for street but seem more for track as their brake noise and dusting are rather high. Their life is rather short too. I would imagine these puppies will do some serious stopping.

 

oh yea and the Hawk Blue 9012 pads have an OP of 250-1000ºF, perfect for racing, bad for street as these pads will eat rotors for breakfast.

 

I've only used the porterfields once on someone else's car so I can't speak to much on them but I do consider them a good pad. They felt good when i used that car but I would have liked more time to try them out.

I should also mention that every pad is going to dust, so a little more dust doesn't matter to me and I could care less about noise. I focus more on instant stopping power and rotor freindly pads.

And yes the Blues and event the Ferodo DS3000 will eat a rotor and worse so when not in their operating temp.

 

I've been running Carbon Metallic Pads all around from Dave Turner Motorsports in San Diego for the last year or so. i like them a lot. i just had my rotors refinished/machined/turned when i changed the pads. just make sure u dont strip the screws by using an impact driver to break them loose WiLL. As for fluid I use Valvoline SynPower as well. The SS lines will be in pretty soon too...

 

Carbotech also makes some great autocross pads Called Bobcats and some pretty daul purpose pad form daily driving and track Panther +'s . I was also very implressed with Axxis ultimates, they were defintally and improvment of the R4S's which were huge improvement over my crappy EBC Green shit.

 

I would not buy Porterfields then cause I hated the Axxis Ultimates compared to Hawk HP+. And I like the Cobalts better than the Hawks. I've never used the Carbotech's cause I get the rude old man everytime I call to order and there are plenty of comparable options with good service.

 

I use:
Rotors: Cobalt Friction Technologies Rotors (Front and Rear, they are similar to Brembo Blanks and OEM, better constructed IMO.

Fluid - ATE Superblue and ATE typ200 (basically 'Superorange')

Pads - Axis Ultimates F&R for the street. I'm not fond of the brake dust, but for the price, they are significantly better than OEM.

I use Cobalt GT-R.spec(VR) on the fronts for track events and keep the axis in the rear. They are FANTASTIC track pads, IMO, and you can even drive to/from the event on the highway with them, as they have cold bite. DEFINITELY not a street pad. Similar to Ferodo DS3000, but with much longer life and more consistency, IMO.

For 'around town' pads - I say Axis Ultimates or at the very most, Cobalt GT-Sport.

I'd call Andie Lin at Cobalt for all your brake needs. He makes fantastic products and is by far the most helpful person I have encountered as far as brakes. Highly recommended for his service and products....

 

Seems like certain folks are rather particular about their brake pads.

For plain old street use that is not going to see an autocross or track, a dual-purpose pad like the HP+ is maybe a bit more aggressive than most folks would want or need. Streetable yes, but a pad like the HPS or the Ultimate (which heretofore I haven't heard anything bad about) is a bit more friendly to deal with. The HP+ is a great pad and I had em on my old '92 GSR but on cold days I did need to get some heat into em before they bit all the way. They also dusted a lot and weren't always silent. I was willing to live with it, maybe not everyone else would be.

Some less brake-enthusiastic folks like the AEM because they're ceramic like the stock pads and the dust they produce is the easiest to deal with, plus they don't squeak at all. Not much of a performance increase but if that's not your main goal then they're worth a look if only for their similarity to OEM quality.

 

Do what I do Ask for Matt... of course I am biased I cause I split a room with Matt and eat dinner with the Rude Old man on most satuday nights (he's not that bad in person and I learn a lot form him at dinner). However The Colbalt sports are also great street pads and Andie is top notch too.