Brake Pad Recommendation? - Street Use & Cold Weather

[pzzvv]

I've been doing a bunch of research on pads since mine are due. I live in Connecticut & this winter is expected to be cold so I need pads that do well in cold conditions. Additionally, I mainly drive the car around campus but do drive hard sometimes when going on a cruise, so the pads do need to have rather good stopping power, but also good modulation, since a lot of the driving is stop & go around campus.

Brake dust isn't my biggest concern, as long as it's no more than the OEM pads. I'd prefer the pads to be low noise too, & not squeak, since I don't want everyone staring at me braking.

From the research I've done, the three I've seen that people like are:
- Akebono Euro Brake Pads
- PFC Z-Rated
- Stoptech Street Performance

Any other recommendations? Advice?

[dparm]

The Akebono pads seem to be pretty popular. I've not run them personally.

I did try the StopTechs on a previous car of mine and was not particularly impressed after a few weeks. I switched to the Ferodo DS2500s and loved them. They also seemed to do just fine for light-track duty and I would run them again without hesitation. My only complaint was some light grinding noise in the dead-of-winter, though I think that was compounded by my slotted rotors.

[pbonsalb]

Stock would be best.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Stock would be best.

I tend to agree as well. Although they're a bit dusty, the stock pads are a good compromise for all-year street use. They handle occasional/light track use fine too, in my experience.

[pbonsalb]

Unless you have faded stock brakes, you don't need anything better. You wont fade stock brakes on the street unless driving very hard in canyons or mountains. Also with "better" comes with a compromise - better than stock brakes would be worse than stiock during most street driving because they would not have the cold bite.

[tlrid3r]

Akebono. Low dust but a little less bite. Work well and super quite. It's my street pad.

[marconi118]

m3 bmw performance pads have great cold bite, and overheating endurance, but they squeal like a school bus !!!!

[pzzvv]

Bumping because I need last opinions before buying tonight.

Apart from stock, what pads would do well in cold weather? Might track in the spring too.

[wheatpaste]

Pretty much all street pads should be fine in the cold.

Most dedicated track pads need heat in them to really work well and get noisy when cold.

Do you have a set budget?

Personally I think the Stoptech street performance pads are hard to beat for the price. They are much cheaper than OEM and perform similarly. A little less initial bite, but if you bed them in well they will be very close to an OEM feel. I also found that they performed better than the OEM pads at the track. The Stoptechs are really not dedicated track pads, but they seem to resist fade more than the OEM ones. In terms of dust I think the stock pads and the Stoptech are pretty close.

[jfirwin]

+1 for the Akebono EURO Ultra-Premium ceramic brake pads. I replaced the stock pads on my 2008 E90 M3 daily driver two years ago. Zero dust. As good as OEM stopping power. A noticeable difference in bite, but it took about a week to get used to. Well worth it because I spend 90% less time cleaning my wheels.

P.S. I live in Colorado, and the only reason I would rear end anyone with these pads is if there is a foot of snow on the ground and I'm an idiot.

[kingwest01]

Originally Posted by pzzvv

I've been doing a bunch of research on pads since mine are due. I live in Connecticut & this winter is expected to be cold so I need pads that do well in cold conditions. Additionally, I mainly drive the car around campus but do drive hard sometimes when going on a cruise, so the pads do need to have rather good stopping power, but also good modulation, since a lot of the driving is stop & go around campus.

Brake dust isn't my biggest concern, as long as it's no more than the OEM pads. I'd prefer the pads to be low noise too, & not squeak, since I don't want everyone staring at me braking.

From the research I've done, the three I've seen that people like are:
- Akebono Euro Brake Pads
- PFC Z-Rated
- Stoptech Street Performance

Any other recommendations? Advice?

What did you end up doing? I am debating RedStuff for Ontario (Canada).. or Hawks or Akebonos??! Cold is my only concern.. I laugh at comments cuz most ignoring that factor.

[MisterClutch888]

stock or oem equivalent.