Rotors and your brake pads
 

I am lookign to see what kind of life you are getting out of your rotors using the various brake pads out there. I am considering the AXXIS Ultimate and HAWK HP+, but I do not want to eat up a bunch of rotors.

I am looking for the following:

-Brake pads
-How long have you been using them?
-How many rotors have you gone through, or began to notice the rotors wearing away?
-Do you like or dislike them? Do you recommend them?
-What do you use the car for?

I don't recommend Hawk pads of any kind. I would go with the Bonez Stage I pads from www.RX7.com or the Carbotech from www.dpeweb.com . I'm currently (at least when the car will be running again) using the Bonez pads on the street. Great pad. However, I'll be switching to the Carbotech pads for the street on the RX-7 as well as the M3.

hawk HPS and brembo blanks

pros: works fine. needs one stop in the morning to warm up. have had them for a year. just daily driving. not bad at all on rotors. for track you'd probably want something much more aggressive with higher temp resistance. i have heard of casual hpde and autox'rs using these pads without issue though. i can lock my wheels just fine with my current set. they're also pretty cheap.

cons: lots of red dust on the wheels. no biggy.

Not on topic, but do not, I repeat, do not use Hawk HPS pads at the track. Ever.

Back on topic: I've used Hawk pads for 3-1/2 years. I'm done with them, permanently. They dust horribly (and dust is nasty and corrosive), squeal, and still don't hold on the track enough for dual use. I didn't find either the HPS or HP+ particularly hard on rotors.

New setup will be Axxiss Ultimate on Stoptech brakes up front, Mazda OEM 99+ RZ pads on 99+ RZ rear brakes for street driving. Track driving will be Performance Friction PFC 01 up front, PFC 97 at the rears.

Thats all I had noticed with my friends HP+, they did stop good, but all they did was squeal dust, squeal dust.

Which is why I was looking at the Ultimates, I have not heard much of many people using them, other than a FC owner or two on here, but the lower models.

Are the Carbotech pads like a combo of a street and track? What I mean is they wear like a street pad, but brake and take temps like a track pad, right? ARe the Bonez Stage 1 track worthy? What type of rotor wear were you getting with them?

There is really no pad for the stock calipers that is going to be track and street worthy. Granted, that depends on the track, but most tracks will over heat upgraded street pads on the stock calipers after a few laps.

If you are really looking forward to tracking your car, I would invest into some separate track pads for the front (the rears you can use upgrade street pads on the track).

If you go with a big brake kit, then you can usually use upgrade street pads on the track without a problem.

As far as the Carbotech, they have a street and track pad.

Same as above. I did try these at the track and got about 4 hard laps before hitting fade. Not a fun thing to have happen trying to break from 140mph. I have switched to using the N-Tech Lapping pads on the front for track days and the Bonez for the street.

I'm using solid stock rotors. I will probably stay with the solid rotors when I replace them.

Solid rotors as in non-vented?

No, he meant solid-faced, as in not slotted or cross-drilled. The stock rotors are solid-faced but ARE vented.

if i remember correctly, i have axxis ultimates in the front with stoptech slotted rotors on my subaru wrx. they dust like crazy. all i gotta say about that.

chris