Brake pads Akebono or Carbotech

LoyalSage, yesterday i installed my new brake stuff. that would be Adam's slotted rotors with zinc, Carbotech Bobcat 1521 pads (semi-metallic), and the Tyrol kit. i'm possibly not finished with wearing off the zinc, but i'm pretty sure i'm in stable territory now. about 70-80 miles since install. ok my impressions: definite improvement with linearity of braking. OEM tends to overgrab on initial bite, go soft a bit at about 20%, then dig in hard again at about 30-40%, which makes smooth modulation too difficult. the Bobcats grab less on initial contact, and are relatively much more linear down to about 80% (as hard as i have braked since installing). the feel is more firm all the way as well... more feel of the friction at the pedal. if anyone was looking for good pads for this car, i think i found 'em. they obviously work well with Adam's rotors, as this combo is much nicer than OEM IMHO. but, to be honest, i think the modulation you want will not be found here. i think i know what you're looking for, and while this is an improvement, it's not like a multi piston setup.

aftermarket pads will do that. I had the same problem on my passat, put in OEM pads and no more rattle. it was annoying as hell every little bump or crack in the road. The reason they supply those \"anti-rattle\" clips is because the pads ARE NOT made to oem specs. Only slightly oem specs and you get the play in the pad to bracket clearance like the pad is not tight in there. Those clips take up that space. I have used pads from just about every manufacturer, bendix, ate, wagner, ebc, monroe, bosch, beck arnley, raybestos. All not made to OEM specs. The only pads I have found that are close or good enough to oem are akebono but they tend to squeel if you glaze them from hard stopping. Cheap pads gets you cheap pads.

I had 'em on my 323i and agree that the initial bit was a bit less, but the stopping power was still good and the wheels stayed very clean.

Sorry to disagree, but the Akebono pads have been way quieter than stock and create practically zero dust. The rate of wear is seemingly slower than OEM too.

Installed front and rear Akebono Euro ceramic pads on my car. Have only driven about 200 miles but there is almost no brake dust on my wheels. Initial bite is a little less than stock pads but modulation is fine and no noise. So far, so good.

I had Akebono pads on my A4 and will be getting them for the CC, they stopped great and the dust will much much better than OEM.

I'm running Akebono ceramic pads, good price, no dust and brake nice for an OEM setup.

Update: Replaced all the brake pads with Akebono Euro Ceramic pads last week and have been squeak free since. Let's hope it stays this way. Besides being quiet, they give off low brake dust, have a nice brake feel and were reasonably priced ($130 after tax and shipping off Amazon).

I've got the Carbotec bobcats, They are a nice pad.

However the cold bite of the ax-6 is far superior to the xp10 for street and auto-x, and in my opinion far better than what my oem pads felt like and far more than the hps.