Brake pads Akebono or OEM BMW

Slap on a set of Akebono ceramic brake pads, and you've got a car ready to take on any highway or race track \u2014 and that's exactly what Flieger is doing with it.

Brakes are excellent

The OEM brake pads were painfully inadequate for anything more than street driving. Interestingly enough, the rest of the brake components were designed very good and they have a lot of capacity. A simple pad upgrade and brake fluid flush proved sufficient for more serious track days.

I vastly prefer my R to the BMW. I think the R drives better, its more tossable, i feel like the steering is better weighted and the brakes are much better.

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.

The way the brakes begin to grumble during heavy braking is less impressive, but they work well enough.