Brakes Wheels 1st Gen Tires Most liked posts in thread: Which Brake pads do you use ?

Still like my EBC Reds.

 

Carbotech slotted rotors and some of their mid range track pads. Low dust, excellent stopping power, reasonable prices, and their are giving me many miles.

IMO the stock front rotors are for old women...they warp easily under spirited use.

 

I love my CoolCarbon pads for aggressive street use. Better bite and cold weather performance
than the Hawk HPS I had on before, good feel, modulation, and ultimate grip. I haven't
been able to get them to fade, but I don't track my MINI. More dust than HPS but less
than OEM.

 

Oh god..........that would have kept me up all night!

 

I forget what I am using. Whatever are they are...in the dray when warm. Awesome!! In the cold and wet and cold...SCARY!

Ahh, it's good to be reminded you are alive.

 

Was using Stop Techs switched to Akebono Ceramics when I added the R56 calipers. Initial bit is better.

 

Never used the EBC's in any flavor. Way better than the Hawk HPS and HP+ pads that were used before.

 

:cornut: EBC Redstuff, a VERY noticeable improvement over OEM. The stopping distance greatly decreased. Really, there's no decrease in dust, it just happens to be white dust.

Jason

 

The Redstuff would be GREAT.
EBC Red Stuff Brake pads R50/53/52 - Way Motor Works

The Greenstuff are not for track use, they would be just like stock pads on the track.

 

Carbotech.

 

Hawk HPS

 

I've use Hawk Ceramics & to my mind they are OK. Not a track pad, but better than the oem coal dust pads. I've also used the Green stuffed pads & to my mind they are the equal to the Hawk ceramics. I have Akibono pads on now & while they dust little I liked the Green stuffed pads better. None of these are track pads, but I have tracked with the Hawk Ceramics & lived to tell the tale.

For track use I think I'd go with Carbotech.... Just my .02

 

I don't track my car and cheap bastard that I am, I run the OEM pads and will until I wear them out. My MINI stops better than any car I've ever had, I see no need to change anything until I have to.

I'll probably get EBC Greenstuff pads as replacements, when I have to change the brake pads.

Dave

 

I ran EBC reds (Courtesy of WayMotorworks ) for street/autox/track use. Track pads (Carbotech track-pads have treated me VERY well) are the best for the track but if you are lazy guy like me the EBC reds offer good braking, won't glaze, and resist fade under regular lapping conditions. On the street they are, in my opinion, no different feeling than the OEM pads until they get a bit warm then they grab a bit harder.

I've used Hawk pads (HPS) on other vehicles and had poor experience where they were the same or worse than OEM. I know guys they use thier track pads (Hawk blue?) and the HP+ pads have been much happier but I have never used them. I have also been told that running HP+ pads on the street isn't so great either.

 

Thanks for the heads up on the street use of Red Stuffed pads. Are they very dusty Redbeard?

 

Eh, they dust. All brakes do. They don't do it as bad as the OEM. I have black wheels so I don't see it as readily either. I have noticed that it seems easier to clean off though.

A disclaimer on the EBCs (or ANY brake pad for that matter): Follow the Bed-in procedure provided by the manufacturer. In the case of the EBC Reds if they aren't going to see immediate track use the street bed-in takes a bit (as much as 1000 miles if you don't use the brakes much). Bedding them in on the track is much faster (one session) but you need to be careful and still follow the procedure.

 

I ran Hawk HPS on all 4 corners when I had the stock calipers. They were much less dusting than stock and performed better. The Porterfields were aweful and I wound up taking 'em off of the car after 5k miles and giving them away (actually... I think that Nathan took 'em as backup track pads for the rears).

I still run Hawk HPS in the rears for both street and track and use Wilwood pads up front (BP-10 for street, I think... Was using Poly-B for the track but ordered something different last time... a new H-series pad, I think). The Hawks just seem to do the job for me. For track use, I think they have a better, more heat-resistant pad, but I've heard that it can be a bit squeaky for daily driver use.

I'd also consider the EBC Red pads for that aggressive driver / track hybrid pad (if there is such a thing). If you have the $, you will be much happier having 2 sets of pads... one for daily driving and one for play time.

 

We use Carbotech for track and street. For street use the 1521 Bobcats for track use XP10 w/ brake coolers XP12 w/o brake coolers on the front and XP8 rear
Link to our Carbotech brake pad page MINI cooper carbotech brake pads for street, track and race

 

The Carbotechs are good pads, but expensive for a street car.
That's why I keep going back to the Redstuff being the best bang for the buck.

 

:cornut: REDSTUFF also makes pads for R55-56-57. Your add only says R50-52-53.

Jason