Brake pads Akebono or Hawk Performance

I'm using Hawk HPS pads and Raybestos Advanced rotors. No issues with braking, much stronger than the stock equipment. Still limited by the tires.

The issue with the brakes is mainly from the oe brake pads which have no pedal modulation and act like an on/off switch. You can change out the front pads to Akebono Euro pads (fairly inexpensive) and it will provide actual pedal control of the brakes.

Vary rpm, don't max load, don't overheat, motor in gear when decelerating is good for the rings. generally keep rpm below 5500 for the 1st 500 miles or so but the odd move up the tach to there won't hurt anything. I change the oil somewhere before 2k miles to get the build contaminants and more significant wear particles out.

I like the Hawk HPS 5.0 pads, but I'm not sure if they will be good on the track or not.

if you are sick and tired of scrubbing your wheels then i would highly recommend ceramic pads as the dust is a fraction of the OEM pads. I just changed out mine a few months ago (hawk ceramic from pelican parts) and the change is night and day. I don't track may car and i would say i'm mildly spirited in my driving, but these have been great so far.

I had about 21,000 kms on my GLI and noticed a little bit of vibration at higher speed braking. I was sick of the OEM pads dust so I swapped out the pads to Hawk HPS street 5.0's. The front rotors had a ton of wear on it for a relatively new car. I heard from a few shops that the OEM pads eat rotors. I decided to change the front rotors but kept the rears as there was hardly any wear on it. Brake pedal feels much more solid and next to no brake dust and better braking power. Great upgrade and strongly recommend.

Hawk HP+ is a very good multiuse pad if you can get them for your car. Be warned - they will squeak pretty loudly and dust your wheels, but they work fine on the street, great in the canyons, and will still last at least a few sessions on track.

HAWK HP+ front pads for Track Days

I only daily as well but I did a slight upgrade due to some spirited runs each year. I did Hawk ceramics and DBA T2 rotors. Theyre enjoyably different but likely overkill.

the increased rotor size creates a noticeable lag in acceleration and when cornering you feel the increased inertia in the steering wheel. after having this setup on my car for a year i'm going back to stock (just some drilled rotors, stainless lines and hawk pads). not a fan.