Brake pads Carbotech or OEM Volkswagen

Carbotech Pads (F-CT682 & R-CT340 1521 Street Compound)

Carbotech XP12's are going on for this season with RE-71R's, went with XP8's before and should of done at least XP10's

Plus, in real world driving, they stop on a dime. They scrub off speed really well - I've had a couple of saves thanks to these.

I stand by Carbotechs. Whether it's my S2000 or heavy E90, they've done great is hard lapping all day long. Depending on the car, XP10s in front and XP8s in the back work well for most. You can call them and they'll recommend the right pad. Their super noisy for street use but brilliant on the track.

2500 pads are a great pad, I dd those and have tracked with them. Carbotech makes great track pads that can be driven on the street, have a set on the Z06 and they take a beating at the track.

Pads: there are lots of options, of course. Generally speaking, the better performance a pad offers, the harder it will be on rotors. I like Pagid a lot, as well as Mintex. Akebono makes some nice ceramic pads that offer no dust and reasonable performance. I prefer a really aggressive pad. Most people underestimate that the pads are your biggest, easiest brake upgrade. My favorite pad is Carbotech. They are out of NC. The panther pad is almost a race brake pad. Constant squealing, lots of dust, and you have to warm them up to get them to work. But when you step on it, you're thankful for seat belts.

I ran carbotechs on my mkV, they are absolutely fantastic for the track. A bit scary on the street totally cold but very livable if you make sure to warm them up.

My brakes are also "grabbier" and harder to modulate than my '16 GTI (312mm), which had great brake feel.

Whenever I talk to people they don't say too much about reliability, but what they do say is how they hate the maintenance costs with VWs. $100+ oil changes, paying for maintenance items off warranty at dealer (brakes), etc.

I saw the same thing on our car. We are right under 4K miles and it seemed very ODD to me. Also def a lot of break dust. I have to wash the car/wheels at least once a week because they start turning dark grey.