I was hugely disappointed, because the pads are great. TBH, it's basically a low- to mid-tier race pad, so the price is not that ridiculous. I put quite a few track days on them and after trying out some other aftermarket pads, I actually went back to the OEM pads for 3-season street use.
Carbotech is the way :) Seriously though, I have XP-12 front and XP-8 rear on my Elise and had XP-12 on my Focus ST and they are great. Tried the Hawks on one car, and hated them. Downside of the carbotech is the insane squealing on the street.
Second the recommendation for the Carbotech 1521 compound, good choice for the street.
I've had very good results using Carbotech pads. Their street pad compount 1521 is comparable to OEM but without the brake dust and their various XP track pads have been very consistent and predictable.
I have the 1521’s, and will add another data point - less initial bite, great modulation. No dust, No noise. Overall I’m happy with them, but will continue to experiment - next round of braking components - floating/2 piece rotors and new calipers.
I have used the Carbotech 1521 pads for a while and have been very satisfied. They are also made in the USA.
Received the brake pads today. They look pretty massive.
I had a set of the Carbotech fast road/track day pads in my AW11 before I had to scrap it and they were amazing.
Stock pads are terrible for longevity. They have to do too many different things from factory, buy a set of aftermarket to your needs. I had a set of Carbotech which lasted 50k in the front and over 60k in the rear, with aggressive driving.
I ran into some brake issues. The pedal started getting squishy even in wet conditions. It never got dangerously deep, but it was still unpredictable. In the last session, the track dried up and I was able to push. I experienced somewhat serious fade. I had to absolutely stand on the brake pedal to get the car stopped. After pulling into the paddock and circling around to let the car cooldown, I still smelled brakes for the next 20+ minutes. The pedal firmed up on the way home.
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