I am looking to replace my brake pads on my '13 WRX hatch and want to do a little upgrade from the OEMS. Does anyone have suggestions for what they upgraded to for some spirited driving on the weekends and maybe an occasional track day or two?

I was looking at the Hawks, but heard they aren't really an upgrade. Curious to get some thoughts? Open to upgrade calipers as well..

Thanks!

 

So what exactly do you want?

Low noise/dust?
Fade-resistance for touge use?


Pick two of three characteristics:

• Street-friendly
• Race-capable
• Cheap

If you want race pads to use on the street (to include spirited driving) without breaking the bank, using a mild race compound will suffice. However, street manners will suffer (noise, dust, etc.).

If you want cheap street-friendly pads, they won't handle spirited driving.

If you want pads that exhibit great street manners while still capable of racing the touge and short/low speed tracks, then you will have to pay double to quadruple the cost of a set of cheap pads to get both characteristics.


FMSI numbers to reference for parts: 1539 front, 1114 rear


Below, I have outlined various pads at various price ranges. These are recommendations I made for a WRX STI driver, so pricing may be different for the WRX calipers. The prices posted are for an entire set (front and rear). These should give you a good idea of the price range to expect.

This post is from another forum:













Endless brake pads are what I recommend as the unicorn can-do-all brand of brake pads. As a result of their better-than-competitor street friendliness combined with race-capabilities, comes their extremely high price. Their hybrid street-circuit brake pads include the following:

 

I'm just looking for something with some more stopping power than the OEMs. I can handle some noise, my car isn't quiet. Main use will be to DD, but do want to take it to the track so an upgrade from OEM would be nice..

Ill take a look at your breakdown of brakes though would prefer to get some anecdotal exp from some ppl

 

I am not a fan of the Hawk street pads. It isn't unusual for pads to like heat before they work well but these were just unacceptable when cold (fully bedded, brand new rotors, sst lines). MUs or DS2500s. I've never run Endless.

 

In my opinion, brakes are very driver dependent. Just pick something, see if you like it, and go from there.

I've run Hawk HP+, Project Mu ClubRacer, Carbotech XP8, XP10, XP12, and XP20.

I love XP20 on the track, but hate them on the street. I'm currently running XP8 on the street. I hate that I'm at the point where I need to change brakes between street and track.

 

After thinking about it more, if you just want to dip your toes a bit, try a mild compound like the Ferodo DS2500. However, if you think you'll be really driving in severe conditions (that includes touge and higher-speed tracks), you should give the Carbotech XP8 or G-Loc R8 race compounds a try.

My experience with Hawk Performance brake pads is that their pads do require warm-up. Not the best cold-bite around. I would avoid the HPS, though they did perform when warmed-up, I managed to fade and overheat them twice on the touge. Not a safe option for track use. Consider, at the lowest, trying out their Street Race compound.

The best cold-bite I've gotten so far has been from OEM pads and Winmax pads. OEM obviously won't exactly take on a track day with the best effectiveness. However, Winmax's brake pads tend to be on the light side of friction, so if you prefer a high-friction compound, Winmax's offerings may not be for you. But if you prefer a low-friction compound for controllability, it may be a good option.

If you come across EBC, just know that EBC Brakes are one of those hit-and-miss brands. Some people swear by them. Unfortunately, my EBC Brakes Yellowstuff completely failed to impress me and even faded on the touge.

I've tried G-Loc's R8 compound and although it is indeed a race compound, I've found it generally bearable for street use. The noise is something to be accustomed to (it's LOUD), and a little warm up may be needed for them to get up in friction. Though compared to the Hawk Performance HPS, I feel like the G-Loc R8's cold bite is actually better despite being an actual race compound compared to the street-only HPS compound.

If you don't want to swap pads from street to track, Endless brake pads may be an option but are probably too expensive for most people's tastes. I've tested Endless' MX72, MXRS, and MX72PLUS extensively in street and touge (mountain pass/canyon road) use and have found them to be one of the best. They are also particularly popular among the Nissan GT-R communities, especially those who run on slow/tight tracks and refuse to swap pads at the track.

 

Also, if you're willing to risk brain explosion.

Geo Storm Owners Page - Tuning - Brake System Design Component Choice

Nevermind that it's a Geo Storm page.

 

I am interested in the XP8s, on Carbotech's website they say they do NOT recommend to daily drive these pads.

What is your experience like with noise and dust?

 

High.

 

Seems like you are looking in the wrong direction... you don't get "more stopping power" from brake pads or brake rotors. (It's the tires) But I second the recommendation for the Ferodo DS2500's. They are AWESOME and make your subie **FEEL** like an M-series BMW or a Porsche. They are also expensive and dust a lot. But they are quiet and have a super predictable response. They also work on the track (street tires) with beginning/intermediate drivers.

 

If you want, I'm usually at the VJJ Meet, you could come out and experience my brakes.

 

Here's what XP8 dust looks like after one day, less than 100 miles, on a white wheel.