Brake pads Carbotech or Ferodo
I will be running Ferodo DS2500 brake pads in front and OEM pads on the rear.
I stand by Carbotechs. Whether it's my S2000 or heavy E90, they've done great is hard lapping all day long. Depending on the car, XP10s in front and XP8s in the back work well for most. You can call them and they'll recommend the right pad. Their super noisy for street use but brilliant on the track.
2500 pads are a great pad, I dd those and have tracked with them. Carbotech makes great track pads that can be driven on the street, have a set on the Z06 and they take a beating at the track.
Ferodo DS2500. Pricey but worth it. Fantastic street/autocross/HPDE pad. Low initial bite and incredibly easy to modulate. Does not stick on release like the HP+ is known to.
Pads: there are lots of options, of course. Generally speaking, the better performance a pad offers, the harder it will be on rotors. I like Pagid a lot, as well as Mintex. Akebono makes some nice ceramic pads that offer no dust and reasonable performance. I prefer a really aggressive pad. Most people underestimate that the pads are your biggest, easiest brake upgrade. My favorite pad is Carbotech. They are out of NC. The panther pad is almost a race brake pad. Constant squealing, lots of dust, and you have to warm them up to get them to work. But when you step on it, you're thankful for seat belts.
I ran carbotechs on my mkV, they are absolutely fantastic for the track. A bit scary on the street totally cold but very livable if you make sure to warm them up.
I eventually made it out the track and was surprised how well the car performed despite worn, stock brakes and tyres. Each lap brought more and more confidence although the long straight did bring some serious speed. I saw 110mph pretty much each lap and on lap 6 or 7 on the first run the brake pedal became a bit too soft for my liking followed by a bit of smoke in the rear view mirror.
I was running Carbotech Xp12s in the front and XP10s in the rear. That and a good fluid is all it needs, but it's a relatively heavy car so it will take a toll on tires and brakes. Also, MDM (stability control) on the competition pack equipped models allows for quite a bit of of slip (yaw) before intrevening, which is nice whether is a novice driver or just wanting to approach the limit in a safer way. Tires are somewhat pricey especially with the 19" wheels, but not excessively so. A set of PSSs will run around $1400. Oil changes, DIY, are about $150 or so. Spark plugs should be changed at about 20K mile intervals. The only problem I had was a bad evaporator for the A/C which was replaced under warranty (book value on the job is about 9 hours). It's a great daily driver, except for the gas mileage and especially the range. It has a relatively small tank and you'll barely get close to 300 miles per tank. That's the most frustrating bit about it. I do wish it had a slightly bigger tank. The sound is great. It's addictive especially with a nice exhaust system (I highly recommend the M Performance exhaust).
However I have Carbotech brake pads, the 1521's for the street and then for the track day I had XP12 (front) XP10 (rear). Pads are compatible with the rotor, and I had the track pads well bedded in.
Tried EBC Green Stuff but they did not work for me; now I'm using Ferodo DS Performance. They work well on OEM and EBC Turbo Grove discs.
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