Matt87GTA
10-26-2009, 01:37 AM
So what does everyone think of for what the best brake pads out there are for the GP GXPs? Like a full set of Ceramic front and rear from the same manufacturer - I don't like the idea of mixing and matching different compounds and different manufacturers.
Let me begin this by saying that I've got a lot of experience with different street and track (road course) compounds on F-bodies but I am new to the W-body world. I've road raced several different cars at a few local tracks. I've used several different PFC, Hawk, and Wilwood compounds on 3rd gens and LT1 and LS1 4th gens. So I know you give up max performance when you go to an extremely low-dust, quiet pad - and that is what we are looking for, but not to the point that you don't have confidence in the brakes.
This car (a 2005) is a Daily Driver and we are interested in getting very low dust - as in NO dust if possible, and no squeeking and decent performance that will last a good 20k miles. We aren't hitting the track with it anytime soon so it doesn't need to have ridiculous performance when extremely hot or anything, but just solid performance on the street.
With the research I have been doing, it looks like it is coming down to the Wagner ThermoQuiets, Akebono Ceramics, and the different Raybestos Ceramics (they have three grades). I have had bad luck with the Hawk Ceramics as a street pad (too much dust and squeeking) and the Monroe Ceramics (also too much dust and squeeking plus crappy pedal feel). I also don't want to mess with the ACDelco ones as everyone seems to hate the factory brakes and replacement OE ones on these cars. And really, the Akebonos are too expensive IMO for a daily driver application. The Service Grade Raybestos are by far the cheapest (read: Attractive) but I have no experience with them and just on cost principle, am feeling like they might not last or perform very well...
Also, these will be used on new Raybestos OE replacement drilled rotors - the current pads on the car are about gone and the rotors are warped so we are going to start fresh all around on the car.
Thanks for any info/ideas ya'll have!
Let me begin this by saying that I've got a lot of experience with different street and track (road course) compounds on F-bodies but I am new to the W-body world. I've road raced several different cars at a few local tracks. I've used several different PFC, Hawk, and Wilwood compounds on 3rd gens and LT1 and LS1 4th gens. So I know you give up max performance when you go to an extremely low-dust, quiet pad - and that is what we are looking for, but not to the point that you don't have confidence in the brakes.
This car (a 2005) is a Daily Driver and we are interested in getting very low dust - as in NO dust if possible, and no squeeking and decent performance that will last a good 20k miles. We aren't hitting the track with it anytime soon so it doesn't need to have ridiculous performance when extremely hot or anything, but just solid performance on the street.
With the research I have been doing, it looks like it is coming down to the Wagner ThermoQuiets, Akebono Ceramics, and the different Raybestos Ceramics (they have three grades). I have had bad luck with the Hawk Ceramics as a street pad (too much dust and squeeking) and the Monroe Ceramics (also too much dust and squeeking plus crappy pedal feel). I also don't want to mess with the ACDelco ones as everyone seems to hate the factory brakes and replacement OE ones on these cars. And really, the Akebonos are too expensive IMO for a daily driver application. The Service Grade Raybestos are by far the cheapest (read: Attractive) but I have no experience with them and just on cost principle, am feeling like they might not last or perform very well...
Also, these will be used on new Raybestos OE replacement drilled rotors - the current pads on the car are about gone and the rotors are warped so we are going to start fresh all around on the car.
Thanks for any info/ideas ya'll have!