Brake pads for sti.
 

what kinda are you guys using? Can't seem to find them at any auto part stores around here.

Porterfield R4-S. I've run them for years on my WRX and I know Matt runs them on his STi. They aren't the cheapest but they're not the most expensive. They're good in all situations except heavy track use (light track duty, no problem). But no pad can do heavy track duty and still rock on the street.

Many the EBC Greens for great street performance on the street without breaking the bank. I used to run Axxis Ultimates on the WRX for the street/autocross and was pretty happy, but they dust pretty badly. I use Axxis Metal Masters on the SVX and they too are kinda dirty and the performance isn't anything to write home about, but they're cheap and last a long time.

For street use only, I love the Hawk Ceramics. I run them in my Stoptechs on my wagon and the Brembos on the STi. Low noise, low dust, great cold stopping.

Agreed, the R4-s's are the best I've used, but I know that the EBC Greens work very well also

Thanks guys. Not really looking into any track use, just want something that won't dust as much as stock.

I think the best low-dust pads are probably Hawk HPS as per my reading. They would probably work great for you.

The Hawk Ceramics dust way less than HPS's, I've run both.

Oh, good to know.

HPS are low-dusting among higher performance street and light track pads. Personally I use cheapass C-tek and Centric pads for street, and they're great, but I put absolutely zero stress on my brakes when I'm not autocrossing or tracking.

Ultimates then EBC Greens are Senior cheap bastard's best bang for your buck choice for the street.

And don't listen to anybody claiming their pads dust different than any other. If you use you brakes, they will dust and all the decent pads use basically the same nasty ass base carbon/ceramic/metal compounds and binders that get very hot and sticky and then thrown at your rums at 100MPH or so.

If you really care about it, take off your wheel. and wash and then put a heavy coat of wax on them. The wax will act as a sacrificial non-stick layer allowing them to be more easily cleaned for a year or so.

Some pads dust more than others, but Ultimates outdust anything that can legitimately be called a street pad.

I still say that the Centric/C-Tek ceramics kick ass if you're not pushing them hard.

Time to start a fight with Dean:

There are certainly pads out there that don't dust as bad as others. The difference is that they don't stop as well as something that dusts more. For the street this is usually a plenty acceptable trade off. Also some pads just dust a lighter color so it's not as noticeable.

I wont disagree with a coat of wax though.

So i took a look at these pads and they're all around $80+ for the fronts. I'm looking for the least expensive, and if possible least dusting.

Don't make me get the radom somewhat related formulas... E=MC^2. :) or in this case, E=MV I think.

Stopping a car takes the same amount of energy regardless of pad compound. cF doesn't really matter. If you have good pads, you might be more tempted to use them in a more aggressive manner just as if you have more potential HP, you probably use more gas. That more aggressive use causes the energy released as heat to be more concentrated and at higher speed and thus hotter nastier "dust".

I am not actually disagreeing with Scott, all I am trying to say is that all pads/rotors dust/wear and that gets flung at the wheel at high speed. None of it is pretty or significantly easier to clean than other IMHO. If you want pads that don't dust, don't plan on stopping. I just find the thought of buying pads based on dust characteristics like buying porn based on the story/plot. ;)

Told you it'd be an argument!

Imagine two pads the same size and density. One will last 10,000 miles under normal driving condition, the other 60,000 miles. I guaranty the 60k pad dusts less.

Also, the statement that no type of dust is significantly easier to clean is, to put it bluntly, incorrect. Take track abuse out of the equation; I street drive my cars, and I drive them the same way regardless of pad type. Axxis Ultimate brake dust is some of the worst stuff I've ever had to try to get off wheels. It takes a set and etches the finish like no other pad I've ever run. This is on the same wheels, with the same calipers. HPS's still dust quite a bit, but it washes off easily. Hawk Ceramics almost rinse off, even with a thick coat that's baked on. I just lent out my wagon for almost 3 months, got it back, and had the wheels looking like new with a 30 second wash instead of the 30 minutes/wheel I'd have to use if Axxis dust had gotten wet and taken a set on the finish.

Also, I don't really care what the justification is in terms of use, friction coefficients, etc. If my wheels turn black in a week with Ultimates, and it takes a month to build up the same amount of dust with Ceramics, then have the only answer that's really relevant to me.

All pads dust, but saying that a street/track compound is more aggressive than a street-only compound and will dust more on the same car under the same conditions isn't even a revelation or a point of contention, it's just common sense.

The pad might wear longer, but is the rotor wearing faster? The energy has to go somewhere...

Your F'ing wheels are going to get dirty you pussies, suck it up!!!!

If you really care, WAX them and any "dust" will come off.

Oh, Summit and Tire Rack may have something in stock locally.

I've been running the Centric ceramics for a few years now. They do dust, but it's a lighter color than most semi-metallic pads and it seems to come off much easier. They also seem to be pretty easy on the rotors, I haven't had to resurface the rotors at all through 2 sets of pads. For a daily driver street car I see no reason to use any of the more expensive options. I've also used the Axxis Ultimates in the past and they are the "dirtiest" pads I've ever seen. Even the factory pads were much worse than the ceramics in terms of brake dust.

Ditto

So your argument is akin to saying that harder tires wear out the road more than softer tires? I think you're missing my point: low dust pads probably don't perform like a high dust pad, but there are in fact pads that don't dust like crazy.

The dust always wipes off easily with R4-S's sans waxing but after a couple months without washing, my black rims start to look a bit reddish. :( I should really start washing my car weekly again.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brake...ar=&perfCode=P

Anybody try these? They're low cost and that's what I'm looking for.

Never heard of them, but don't metallic and to a lesser extent, semi-metallic pads wear out your rotors significantly faster?