The stock ///M brakes have great stopping power. The problem with them is that they generate more dust then Pig Pen and they fade on the track faster then a cheap pair of jeans in the wash.
My first modification to the brakes was to change my brake pads. The first set of aftermarket pads I tried was the EBC Red pads. Compared to stock these pads produced much less dust on the street, required no warm up for street use and didn't fade on the track. The problem was that while the performance didn't fade on the track the pad material disappeared down to the backing plates in two track days! Ouch. So my next idea was to switch to EBC Greens (cheaper) for street use and to use EBC Yellows on track days. By staying with the same company the street and race compounds will not interfere when run on the same rotor. The EBC Green pads were great on the street. The had by far the best feel and "bite". The problem was the EBC Yellows didn't offer any better track life. So for street use only, I would say my experience with the EBC Greens was excellent, although some people have had warping issues. My current setup is now Performance Friction Z-rated pads for street-use and Performance Friction 90's for track use. The PFZ's don't dust much and have comparable feel to stock, but less bite then the EBC Greens. The PF90's are amazing. Absolutely no fade and after two track days they show little wear and the rotors don't look any worse off.
A few interesting notes. First, when changing out your stock pads, look at the back of the pad and observe the 3-prong retaining clip (viewable in the pictures below). The retaining clip is used to attach the pad to the brake piston so that the pad doesn't rattle around in the caliper. It is important when you replace the pads to make sure that the new pads retaining clips are bent out to the same position as the stock pads. If you don't the pads will rattle around and drive you crazy. I hold the new pad and old pad back-to-back and bend the new pad's retaining clips out to exactly match the old pad's.
The other interesting note is that the PF90's don't use a retaining clip. In order to keep the brake fluid as cool as possible the retaining clip is omitted. Because the clip is attached to the brake pad, it heats up and could conduct heat to the inside of the piston, which would in turn conduct heat to the fluid. So don't be surprised if your track pads don't have a clip. And try not to be too embarrassed on the way to the track... your car will sound like a $500 rattle trap.
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| Brake Pad With Retaining Clip | PFZ vs PF90 (Without Retaining Clips) |