Brake pads Carbotech or OEM Volvo
The xp12s are beasts. I pulled brake bias 1-click from full rear to get them balanced on level braking. This gives me one click for more rear, which was really enough for the track. I love late braking, and I can hammer these on a 20min session with NO change in performance.
I sometimes daily drive on Carbotech XP10 front XP8 rear, and they’re totally fine but they dust and squeak like mad. First braking when cold isn’t super grabby but totally doable for a daily driver pad. They’re grabby once warmed up on the street but nothing to be worried about. I’ve gotten ~10,000 miles of driving and two TNIA track nights on a 450hp 3500lb car, and i suspect they can last a lot longer than that based on the pad wear I’m seeing.
Just for daily, whatever the best Duralast pads AutoZone had to offer with some centric blanks. For the mountains, I run Carbotech AX6 on DBA rotors and love the performance they offer. They just dust like hell and their expensive, so I don't run them back home.
I have a ~375whp WRX about the same weight as your car and am running Carbotech XP10 / G-loc R10 (they're the same pads) and have had no fade.When I installed my front bbk I ran the Stoptech sport pads and they were not enough, swapped to the R10s and had zero brake issues all day.
I installed Carbotech XP10 brake pads in the front, and they seem to work really well. When I drive the car, it will squeal sometimes when I’m not even pressing the brakes - when this happens, I can make it stop with any pressure on the brakes. I like the idea of keeping these brakes in because I like the added stopping power, and I like being ready for the track at all times.
Carbotech 1521 or G-Loc GS1 (same compound). Same stopping power as stock but much more progressive, don't have that really harsh initial bite the stock ones have and make way less dust. 10/10
I recommend Carbotech Pads, and no I'm not affiliated with the company, but for my street pads, I only run them on my vehicles. Drastically reduced brake dust, didn't notice any loss of performance or increase in heat from spirited driving.
My only problem with it is the turning radius. The brakes aren't what they should be IMO for triple digit speeds but it is rare I drove at such speed being located in the USA.
I keep XP8’s on my track/weekend car full time. For me, the noise is annoying when I’m driving through town or in a parking lot because people look at me like my car is broken.
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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