The stock pads had plenty of bite for me for the street (I like progressive). I did bleed my brakes at around the 1000 mile mark as I don't think the factory bleed was all that great.

You are probably right on that. My brakes just felt a LOT better after I changed back to the stock pads after I bleed the brakes and removed the XP10 (did 1500 miles on it)

On a related note, I had a question. Are the sport pads noisy? I've only got 16k on the car and they're starting to squeel when cold or wet. As they warm up it goes away, so I don't think it's the warning tab but thought I'd ask if it's expected for them to be a bit talkative.

Thanks in advance. :)

I'd appreciate a heads up on how to check their wear either way. Not a car noob, but new to the Z.

Mine never made any noise, I believe they are ceramic?

If you are lazy, grab a small mirror (available for 2.99 at the parts store) and shine it into the rotor. You should be able to see how much pads you have left. You can also take off the wheels to check, honestly it should take less than 10 minutes.

My stock pads were only really noisy if the car had set for a week or so or it rained. That would go away after a few stops though.