99M6Z

Hello all:

I've looked through a lot of the old threads and come up with a variety of different suggestions for rotors and pads, so I wanted to throw this out here and get some opinions...

I've got a '99 SS with warped front rotors (like everyone else, it seems) and it's time to do a front brake job.

I do not race and I do not autocross, I only drive the car on the street.

I would like to get some additional braking power but I don't want to spend a great deal of money or make any major changes. Essentially, I want the car to stop well without making excessive noise or dust, and I want rotors that will not warp.

I am thinking that my best bet looks like Brembo blanks and Hawk ceramic pads from Tirerack. Any thoughts? Reasons why I should or shouldn't go with this setup?

Thanks in advance.

-Dave

LT4Firehawk

You do not need anything bigger than what you already have for street use. Actually the 98+ brakes are very good even for roadcourse use with the proper pads. Anyway, all you need are new rotors and new pads. For rotors, just get a decent set from any autoparts store (I've found that Wagner rotors from Oreilly are pretty good), and then get a good set of pads. If you want better than stock braking power, just get a more aggressive pad. The downsides are that you will get more dust, and may get some squeel depending on the pad, but it'll stop better. A great choice for more aggressive street pads would be the Satisfied GS6 pads ($66 for front pair from Tirerack):
http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...anSport+6+Pads
Another good choice would be the Carbotech Bobcat pads, but they are quite a bit more expensive.

Red96Lt1

Green stuff!

99M6Z

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I agree that the stock brakes have good stopping power...that said, shouldn't I go with a straight ceramic pad vs. the Satisfied GS6 pads for less potential dust and squeal?

Don't the Greenstuffs also have a reputation for being noisy and making lots of dust?

Just asking...

Does anybody out there have experience with the Hawk ceramics? I'm not sure I want or need a 'racing' pad...

Thanks,

Dave

LT4Firehawk

Ceramic pads will only stop as well as stock pads. If you want better stopping ability, you are going to have to pay the piper with increased dust, and possbibly more noise. Most of the new "aggressive" street pads like the GS6 pads don't really add any extra noise (squeal), but the possibility is there. If you don't want extra noise or dust, stick with stock or ceramic pads. Also, the pads that have been listed aren't "racing" pads, but rather more aggressive street pads.

99M6Z

Fair enough.

I'm still not sure which way I'm going to go, but you've helped narrow it down quite a bit.

Thanks again for the recommendations, guys.

-Dave

lateapex

There is no such thing as a “straight ceramic” brake pad; even the new carbon/ceramic brake systems do not use pure ceramic pads. All pads are mixtures of many ingredients such as carbon, iron, carbon steel, copper, brass, Kevlar, fiberglass, ceramics, etc.

A manufacturer can label his pad anything he wants, according to whatever the hot marketing “buzz word” is. A pad can have 1% ceramic and be labeled a ceramic pad. Really.

I use Hawk pads myself, but Hawk has not been known for automotive pads with a high ceramic component. All pad manufacturers are now experimenting with compounds with more ceramic. Hawk is very large in the braking industry (aviation) and will surely have great ceramic compounds at some point. I would probably try Raybestos ceramics since they (BPI/Dana their parent company) have been developing those compounds for years. They make the GM “Performance parts catalog” ceramics. SBS and Satisfied have well developed ceramic compounds also. But, as has been said, if you get a pad with a high percentage of ceramic, do not expect to increase performance.

For non-abusive street driving, ceramics should be fine. You should be able to lock up your brakes for at least one high speed stop, and that is all you can ask a street pad for. If you have to do a lot of mountain driving, I retract my previous statement. The reason many people choose more aggressive compounds for street driving is for the feel. They have better bite, especially once they are warmed up a little. That feeling inspires confidence, and once you have used them, it is hard to go back.

LT4Firehawk

Lateapex is right on the money. FYI, even though I do quite a few roadcourse events during the year, for street use I run regular Wagner replacement pads on my 98+ front brakes. They don't dust much, have zero noise, and stop just fine. The difference between them and a "performance" street pad is that the performance pad will often have a more aggressive initial "bite". This means you get more braking with less pedal effort.

ssz28

Hawk HPS pads.

99M6Z

Thanks again to everybody.

I just ordered Brembo blanks and Hawk HPS pads from Tirerack.

Among the agressive pads, it seemed like the Hawks received consistently higher ratings. I also considered the Greenstuffs but it seems like people love 'em or hate 'em and I didn't feel like rolling the dice.

With due respect to you, LT4, there weren't any ratings on the Satisfied GS6 pads on Tirerack, and I wanted to look at a good size sample of opinions.

It seems like everyone loves the Brembo rotors.

I'll post back after I've tried these out to let you know what I think of them versus stock.

-Dave

LT4Firehawk

The Hawk HPS should be good pads, and everyone seems to love the Brembo rotors. I was just suggesting the GS6 pads as I've heard a lot of good things on their pads and seen quite a bit of info on Satisfied and they seemed like a very good company and product.