Owner reviews for brake pads

I went from stock pads to redstuff, and the brake dust is about 1/4 to 1/3 of what it was. The stock pad's dust was really hard to remove as well. The redstuff pad dust, the little that is there come off easily. I do find that the redstuff pads quickly heat up the calipers though and they tend to fade more then with the stock pads.

My 2008 MKV R32 has the exact same brakes you guys do, but carries 200+ lbs more car I did 3 RT on the Dragon up & back to the Lodge...around 8/10s, no brake fade or issues and the DSG was in Sport I just did the following at 46,750 miles - 4 new OEM rotors - $270 - I never turn rotors, they're a heat sink no sense making them less so. Hawk HPS pads - $210 - they dust about 95% less than OEM, work way better and no noise Goodridge SS lines- $110 - because SS gives a firmer pedal and less likely to burst Motul - $ 20? - because I was doing a fluid change anyway The braking effectiveness is noticeably better in feel & deceleration with no noise, no dust & no squealing I have used this same upgrade on Porsche 911s, Mustang Cobra & GT and always get the same outcome If you are overpowering your brakes, your driving skill set needs to be corrected as that's hard on equipment and ultimately slower... I raced 25 years in 911's and smoothness is faster everytime If you're going to track extensively, take a driving school, and then go hog wild making mods, once you understand the weak areas and how to upgrade to overcome them, Once you can use your stock setup to it's limit, then start making changes - hint - most people with no driving instruction don't even come close to utilizing their car's potential unless its a Tercel - a lesson I learned by doing Bondurant twice and various PCA schools and SCCA & IMSA clinics The weak point is always us in the beginning - Seat time practice + seat time is the key to happiness

Thiis is what I am contemplating for under $5k strictly for my Golf R to suit my driving needs in the Rockies , New Mexico pleasure driving in the spring and summer, also driving around BC, between Whistler and Kalowna 1) No Engine mods during warranty period or until 2020 ( free !) 2) HPA-Coil Overs ($1500 installed) 3) HPA- Haldex Controller ($1500 installed) 4) New Carbontech 1521 brake pads on OEM rotors ($250 installed) 5) Audi TTRS Brake Hoses ($300 installed) 6) Motul RBF600 brake fluid ($100 installed) 7) HPA-Short Shifter ($250 installed) I am thinking this would not void either the engine or drive train warranty's

I had StopTech brakes on an E92 M3, they were excellent, and I recommend them. Whether or not you need them is another question, and I would only offer that it seems to be a questionable undertaking, from a cost effectiveness perspective. If you need more stopping power for \"spirited street\" driving, the solution for that is easy, and free, slow down. As for your anticipated modest track use, good pads and fluid are all you need. I have 10 years of track experience with several cars, including M3, GT3 and ZO6. Although I have not tracked the Golf R, given its modest power level, and the effectiveness of the OE brakes, I am confident they will be fine for your needs, given proper pads and fluid. The real enemy of sustainable braking is heat. Putting much less money in front cooling ducts would probably help more than bigger brakes. With all that said, I agree that fixed calipers offer a design advantage, but probably one that is beyond any real benefit to 99% of folks on this forum. Finally, being able to change pads by simply popping them out the top of the caliper is cool, and obviously faster. But as for me, I'm not sure the time saved is worth the additional cost. After all, we aren't talking about pit stops in critical competition. So, spend your money as you wish, and have fun, but the bang-for-the-buck score on this one is pretty low.

I had both Wildwood and stoptech when working on my previous sti projects. You can't go wrong with either. I really loved stoptech for cost and easiness of changing pads out.

Carbotech Bobcats 1521. Simply awesome.

I as well just replaced the oem brakes after almost 7 years. Other than a warrantied sensor, I've not had any issues. Still a blast to drive after 7 years, it still feels new.

I swapped out the OEM pads for Hawk HPS' within the first thousand miles and the Hawks have a quarter of the dust, no noise, an equal level of bite and OEM stopping power. They are the best of both worlds in my opinion.

I have a clunking noise coming from my front brakes, whenever i hit a bump. This has been ruled to be the outside pad moving around in the caliper. Pretty much everything else in the front suspension has been changed, so i'm pretty sure it is the pad. Mechanic had the car yesterday and said everything looks tight as well. The car stops fine, and there's plenty of pad wear left so i'm not going to switch out the pads or anything. I was hoping someone could chime in and let me know if there's something that can be done to get rid of the "clunk", or do i just live with it. Anyone else ever have this issue? FYI, It's a 2000 Golf with Hawk HPS pads.

I have some noise from the mintex pads as well. Im switching them all out soon.