Brake pads Carbotech or OEM Volkswagen

XP for track use and 1521 for street. No need to rebed pads. Just swap and go. Carbotech says this and I’ve head zero issue myself doing this

I just switch between track and OEM pads. I can usually get 4 to 5 tracks days out of the Carbotechs that I run. I drive my car to the track, so by the time I get there the track pads have had plenty of time to make friends with the rotors. Same thing with the OEM pads. It just take a little bit of driving for them to settle in.

carbotech xp10/xp8(f/r), not a daily but the car sees plenty of street miles. they are noisy and dusty but this setup has been perfectly fine for me.

Got the OEM brakes installed not too long ago and they’re definitely worth the install. Two year warranty with them at VW.

Looks like a good project. I would be concerned about what you described about the brakes. It could be alot of different things causing that issue.

I’ve used carbotech XP10 for years because it’s the only pad that has never had any of these kinds of problems. Also also swapped between 1521 and XP10 seamlessly. The only time I had a problem like this was when I used some very cheap rotors that couldn’t handle the track abuse, you could actually see the rotor surface getting pitted. Yours look fine by comparison.

im running XP10s... so far this set up is amazing, the braking is strong initial bite with little fade. Just take in consideration that this Carbotech pads are modular which means you will have a slight longer pedal travel than normal. And yes they are super noisy, when i drive it on the street i try to be careful with my braking and not feather the brakes, that will make then literally screech and grind the rotors, instead i try to brake a bit harder than usual to get a good bite and then let go of the brake once i stoped (put the car in neutral most of the time or creep forward little by little to releave some heat).

I use carbotech xp8s. Dtc 60 or 70s would also be a good choice. Be warned through track pads driven on the street will accelerate rotor wear. I hated the Ferodo ds2500s when cold.

I’ve clocked 14k, and yes, I’ve already finished off my brake pads. Truth be told, I don’t really expect them to last longer since I drive quite aggressively. Now, the OEM pads cost roughly around 6k with labor. Honestly, I don’t think they’re worthwhile, as the braking feels noisy and lacks bite.

OEM VW brakes are crap.