Time to replace my front pads again.

Stock pads are usually about $40 non-indicator and $60 with indicator, as far as I remember. Is there a comparably priced aftermarket pad with better performance under both cold and warm conditions with substantially less dust? Have you ran them on the front? Place to order from?

Thanks for your input. : )

 

What yr/model do you have?

 

As I have found, nothing will out-perform stock pads in terms of bite... some are comparable, but most harder compounds will modulate better and have less "bite". However, that can be annoying. More pedal pressure at a stop, more pressure TO stop, etc. If you drive on the highway, you probably won't mind it. In the city, it gives your foot a workout to have to hold the pedal down that much more.

I've tried...

<b>Stock</b> - Best bite, most dust, poor modulation

<b>ATE</b> - Comparable to stock

<b>Mintex</b> - Neutral performance, reduced dust

<b>Ferodo</b> - Nice bite and modulation, reduced dust

<b>Rofren</b> - Feel about the same as Ferodos but dust more

<b>PBR MM</b> - After break-in, good modulation but they leave some bite to be desired... very low dust

Others that I haven't tried:

<b>Pagid</b> - Their street pads dust a lot but are said to improve performance. They make several compounds.

<b>EBC Green</b> - Decent reviews, but nothing outstanding from what I've heard. A bit more expensive, and probably not worth it.

<b>Porterfield</b> - I was all set to get Porterfields but read some negative reviews from people who bought them for street use (R4S) and were unhappy with the need for them to warm up to produce adequate results. If you want a cheap track pad, these would probably be great. But I decided I wasn't willing to risk having mushy brakes when they're not warmed up.

That's about all I can think of for stock caliper pads.

In the end, I'd probably go with Ferodos again... but the supplier I bought from didn't have them last time I called. Instead, I got the PBRs... they took a bit of time to break in but they're feeling better now. Maybe in a month I can give another update on those.

 

To answer your question, I do not want to sacrifice performance for reduced dust. I do 50/50 city/highway mileage and do not take my car to the track.

 

2000 A6 2.8Q is the one that needs the pads

 

Ouch, $104. I may just stick with the stock pads. Did you run them on the front, BTW? Less dust?

 

I'm running them on the front right now... less dust than stock, but certainly not dust-free. Plus it's not as sticky as stock dust.

I believe the PBRs are better on the dust, and as I said, they've been feeling better as time goes on.

 

I think they bite slightly better than stock and with the x-drilled rotors I haven't experienced any fade or 'warping'.

 

Does Porterfeild still make the Ferodo pads ?

 

Who knows... the box for mine said they were made in the UK, I think.