So what do you all think of ceramic pads for use on stock rotors?

I'm comparing 3 pads here, axxis ultimates, axxis deluxe plus, and hawk HPS. According to my research...

I have heard that some ceramic pads such as the ultimates can be very harsh on the rotors and don't last very long.

The deluxe are not nearly as harsh on the rotors and will last longer, but not nearly as powerful as the ultimates.

The HPS are simliar to the deluxe.

I can't decide if the ceramic pads are worth it or not. What do you all think? - hopefully from experience.


Here is a link to stoptech's website where all of the pads are:

http://www.stoptech.com/products/hig...nce_pads.shtml

 

Go with Hawk. Extremely good pads. I've got EBC green stuff right now, kevlar based, but am getting Hawks after this. Better gripping power and longer life for the pads.

 

I have akebonos, not sure how they compare to your choices but they work great for me and the rotors are still in great shape too

 

It seems that the more bite you get, the lower the pad life and rotor life. As the pads and rotors begin to last longer, the bite goes down. In axxis terms, the ultimates have the most bite but are very harsh on the rotors and the pads dont last VERY long. The XBG are in the middle, and the deluxe have the least bite but are very friendly to the car and long pad life.

I don't know which is worth getting - the ultimates are obviously the ceramic pads in there. I don't know which the Hawk HPS compare closest to, but they are most definitely the most expensive from what i've seen

 

Ceramics, on stock rotors have a tendency to heat up and warp the rotor. On crossdrilled and slotted, they may wear out a bit faster, but your rotor life is extended. Pads are cheap, rotors are what you want to save.

 

Great, that is some of the information that i've been looking for. I'm looking into the brembo plain vented rotors, so I don't know if those are any more durable than the stock rotors, but I suppose that I should assume they are!

 

Yes, they are.

 

If i'm swapping out the rotors and the pads, not to change the topic of the thread, but would it be relevant to put in some new brake fluid? I mean, is it really relevant when not racing? As of right now, I don't plan to swap out the fluid when replacing the rotors and pads - I will probably replace the fluid when it gets dirty and really needs it!

 

No, it's not necessary...Just stick with stock fluid and lines for now.

 

I have the Axxis deluxe on the way right now. I like Hawk, but as far as I know they do not sell rear pads for the tC. This makes some sense considering your front brakes do the majority of the stopping.

Ceramic, as you mentioned, will wear out the rotors more quickly and make more noise. I would not go that route unless you are racing the car. For street, find a good pad made of a street performance compound. that will probably be all you need. The tC has a good braking system as it is, so that will get you where you need to be outside of competition. The competition style compounds will be noisier, shorter lived and will create more brake dust to clean off your rims. So keep that in mind if street driving is your prime concern.

 

Steel lines will improve your pedal feel, but that is it. They will not give you more braking power. So that is one thing to think about. The stock fluid is fine as mentioned above. If you are competing on a track a lot, there are fluids which have a higher resistance to heat that you would think about using. But for street driving what is in there is fine.

 

^^Agreed

 

I thought ceramics don't dust though?

dusting is a large issue with me seeing as i dont have access to washing facilities (dorm apartment ), which of those pads will dust the least amount? If it makes a difference, a powerslot plus kit is in the plans to be bought + installed by the end of the year. The only reason im thinking about pads is because my stockers are starting to squeal

 

All pads create dust, but ceramics are supposedly a low dust formula. If any, they give off more of a grey rather than black carbon type dust. Either way, I wouldn't use ceramics as they almost always warp rotors. Carbon or Kevlar for me.

 

Yep, ceramics will dust less, but chew up rotors faster. If you are racing and replacing parts in short duration, this is not a problem. But they are overkill for the street.

Outside of ceramics, generally speaking a harder biting pad will dust more, just as a stickier tire will wear faster. Most performance pad manufacturers though produce a pad that is designed to balance street performance with low dust/ low wear to maximize the value of the pad.

 

Great information guys, this is exactly what i've been looking for.

 

so the axxis deluxes?

 

My Axxis Ultimates are supposed to create a great deal of brake dust, since they're high-bite pads... i honestly haven't found much difference between them and the OEM pads, though.

 

You guys are getting way too caught up with the marketing terminology used by brake pad companies. I can tell you that nearly ever brake pad out there will have some ceramic and semi-metallic compounds in them.

Recently, "ceramic" pads have been marketed as being low dust options but that does not mean that "all ceramic pads are low dust" or that "low dust pads are only offered in ceramic". Axxis Ultiamtes are labelled as having a "carbon kevlar ceramic" compound but are by no means a "low dust pad". On the other hand, Axxis Deluxe Plus pads which are known for their extremely low dust, dont have the term "ceramic" anywhere on the label.

Rotor and pad wear is also not something that can be predicted by pad compounds alone either. Designed as street pads, HPS, Ultimate, Deluxe Plus, EBC Green Stuff, Akebono, etc all strive to have a long life and not be harsh on rotors. While a high performance street pad may be more aggeressive on rotors than a lower performance pad, you will not bee seeing excessive rotor wear or the life of the parts being severly shorter than that of OEM formulas.

When buying pads, DO NOT get caught up in pad formulations or marketing terms. Look for a pad that has the characteristics you are looking for since that is what is important. In the end, if a block if wood in your calipers gives you exactly the performance you want, then run it.

 

So then your basically saying that even by throwing axxis ultimates on stock rotors, the pads will probably have to be replaced before the rotors as, since they are street pads, they are designed for that kind of driving.


We know that you are the resident expert on brakes around here, so if you don't mind just throwing us your personal opinion when it comes to pads. When running stock rotors, what kind of pads would you use?

Quite honestly, I really have no personal experience with any of these pads, so if I buy the ultimates and end up having to put new pads and rotors on after 10K because they ate the rotors, i'm going to be annoyed. But as the brakes are a vital part of safety in a car, I want the BEST! What do you think instigator? I'm sure there are many people in my position.