Re: <E30> brake pads

[Mat635@xxxxxxx]

To add my E30 pad experience..........

Street pads:

- -Deluxe- fair for wussy use, I wouldn't even try repeated hard stops with them
though, very little dust, wouldn't have 'em personally

- -Metal Master- junk as of recently, used to be decent a few years back though,
you don't want 'em

- -Jurrid/Textar- one of these was on the car when I bought it.......average
pads, ho-hum, very dusty

- -Ferrodo HPS (HighPerformanceStreet)-great street / auto-x pads, best feel,
very confidence inspiring, _very_ easy to modulate, ok for _light_ track duty,
fairly dusty,  kind of pricey ($50-80 axle), they don't last very long either

- -Raybestos Pro Stop-these pads are awesome! my personal *best buy*
recommendation, only $19.95/per axle at Pep Boys with a lifetime replacement
guarantee (when they get low, just take 'em back and get a new set for zero-
dinero over, and over, and over again), they don't feel quite as good as the
Ferrodos, but real close, they do ok for _light_ track use, not too dusty, I
run them all of the time for my rear brakes (street/auto-x/and
track).........ohh yeah, and for you rice boys out there, the backing plates
are already painted red for ya!

- -Perfromance Friction (street compound)- these are the $35 Auto Zone specials,
I didn't like 'em, they had no bite to 'em, and they felt like crap, average
dust

- -Pagid (street compound)- pretty good pads, I am impressed with these,
although not quite as good as the Ferrodos, pretty darn close in nearly every
catagory, fairly dusty (although not as dusty as everybody says) 


Track pads:

- -Cool Carbons (aka Kewl Willies)- average track pads, they wear pretty quick,
poor value, fairly quiet for track pads, I didn't think that much of 'em IMHO

- -PF 90's- great pads! I have used three sets of these and want to try other
brands, but I just can't pry myself from these, decent cold, good
feel/modulation, damn quiet, cheap! ($75-85 for fronts)

That's it for track pads! I plan on trying the Hawk Blues eventually and the
Carbotec Panthers soon. A lot of my fellow track junkies run either of them
and love them. Both are supposedly grippy, but can eat rotors (esp Hawks, not
nesssarily with the Panthers). And I know for a fact that both are noisy as
hell, so if you've got two track weekends in-a-row, you should change pads for
the few days btwn.

Hope this provides some insight for you fellow E30-philes out there.


Adios,

Matt Meakin
#121191
Tarheel Chapter / SCCA / ISOP
'88 325iS (club racer under construction)
'79 635csi euro (my baby)
'79 635csi euro (faaaaast daily driver)

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