Performance Brake Pads

Originally Posted by ChrisSlicks

Basically all pads have enough bite to lock up the wheel, if you can lock the wheel (at which point ABS kicks in or you manually modulate the brakes) then you have achieved maximum braking potential. Potential braking ability is going to primarily be determined by tire.

The difference between street pads and race pads mostly comes down to temperature handling capacity. Where as a street pad can only take about 500-600F before it starts to fade away (or melt away in case of the stock pads), race pads can potentially handle temperatures as high as 2000F. Race pads are made with different materials, these materials are more abrasive which results in more friction (more bite), more dust, more heat, more noise. Race pad composition varies greatly so there are different pads with different bite levels and temperature handling capacities but they are all going to stop you in exactly the same way, some are just going to require more pedal pressure than others. For track use the decision comes down to "how hot are my brakes getting" and how aggressive bite do I really need? The more aggressive pads are very difficult to modulate, even for the ABS computer, so unless used in conjunction with sticky race slicks they can cause problems.

For the street I would suggest using nothing other than a high quality street pad, race pads have all kinds of issues when they are outside of their ideal operating temperature range. So basically use a street pad for the street and a track pad for the track. The pads are very easy to change on this car, takes more time to remove the wheel than it does to swap the pads.