im looking at the ebc red stuff and ive read a lot of the threads on here, but most of them seem to be at least a year old. it seems that the new owner is doing better, but id like to hear from some of you who are actually using the pads (or others with suggestions.) ive been happy with the stock pads thus far, but im going to be tracking the car soon and am worried about them holding up. the 8 is my daily driver and ive read of concerns at low temps, but i can deal with squeal if thats all it is. thanks!

 

I have Hawk HPS pads with Powerslot rotors and when I took my 8 for a run up and down Mt Lemmon I didn't expereince any brake fade until the last turn(on the way down). Oh and I was going pretty fast, and it was over 100 degrees at the bottom, I am pretty sure that if I had some crossdrilled rotors I would not have any problems. On the street these pads rock, absoloutely no squeaks and rock solid stops.

 

ive heard that the new ones dont have that issue. from what ive been reading the hawks are great on track but not the best for everyday use, but if others feel otherwise let me know

phx...if you had cross drilled roters it would have hurt you, less surface area=less cooling

 

wrong.. more airflow more cooling...

beers

 

I got the Hawk Performance Ceramic a few weeks ago. They stop better than the OE pads, are noiseless, and so far no dust. I did two autocrosses on them so far and I like them. I'm taking the 8 to VIR this coming weekend, so I can report back next week how they do on the track.

Here's a reference from The Tire Rack: Hawk Performance Ceramic

 

Axxis Ultimates
https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/axxis-ultimates-review-90759/

 

Yeah, consider the Axxis Ultimates.

Holes in the rotors are not for cooling- the vents inside rotors are for cooling, or forced air from outside is for cooling. Holes/slots are to help reduce gas fade of the pad, but they reduce the mass of the rotor which means the rotor has to get hotter to absorb the same amount of energy. It sounds like he either overheated the pads or boiled the fluid. If he hasn't replaced his brake fluid in the last 6 months with a good, hi-temp fluid that's definatley a place to start.

And Mt. Lemmon- I'm jealous. Grew up in Tucson, been years since I've been able to drive anything fun on it.

 

as dsmdriver stated, cross drilled is not for cooling. to be honest its mainly for looks, as slotting is more effective in removing gas from the rotor, but makes the rotor more prone to cracking as its not as stiff.

the axxis is looking interesting, but the reports of squealing and dusting concern me. one of the things i was looking forward to was less dust as the oems drive me crazy

 

oh and i forgot weight....

beers

 

For non-track driving, try the Carbotech Bobcats. Low dusting, no squealing - long lasting.

 

If you're going tracking, you need to forget about dusting and squealing and just buy a good pad. If you're not serious about that, then worry about the superficial stuff.

Can't tell about dust yet (wheels were dirty when I started), but the squealing on my Axxis Ultimates isn't any worse or different than my stock pads.

 

im happy with the stock pads and have heard they do well on the track, but i dont think they have quite the heat capacity to hold up for a weekend. sounds like the axxis are a good pad for what im looking for

 

Actually go with Portefield Ceramic brakes http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/

You will find them to be the best. Hawks are hard on rotors.

They are very helpful when you call them.

If you decide otherwise, they also, stock Hawk pads.

Porterfield has been in racing for years. They know how to make racing pads.

 

Less weight also means less mass to absorb the heat, which in many cases erases any potential "cooling" benifits of the holes.

As for pads, I've tried a few and have settled on:
Carbotech Bobcats for street. Just put these on a month or so ago and love them. Low dust and noise, and tons of bite.
Cabotech XP9s for track. I've had the car standing on it's nose and never had any brake fade. None. Ever. Not a trace.
Ran them for a 2-day HPDE at Mt. Tremblant which included a 3000km round-trip to drive there and back and the pads almost full depth left on them.

On top of that, I've been running the same rotors for 15,000km now (including 5 BMW Club HPDEs, 2 1-day schools, 8 or 9 lapping days plus street driving) and they still look good.

 

i think im going with the ultimates. they seem to be the best blend of street, track and price. i picked up a pair of braided brake lines from the rx8 store today, they should all be on next week so ill let you know how it goes. thanks for the advise guys!

 

i have the porterfield carbon kevlar. i love it. no squeeks stops great!

 

but do you use them for street use, and how are they on the rotors?

 

i do. and tracks. its really good

 

I just tracked my Ultimates today. Repeated 125-30 MPH stops, never faded one bit. 150 track miles and they barley show wear. I love 'em.

 

A one month update on the Ultimates:

After the track day, they started squealing a lot at low speeds (10MPH and down). I greased up the contact points per the Mazda TSB, and it's now way better, although I do get a squeak now and then.

As for dust, they dust about as bad as the stock pads, but the dust is much lighter and less tenacious. Half of the dust comes off with a garden hose, and the rest comes off super easy. The dust is a really light grey color, so against the stock silver wheels it's much less offensive than the stock black dust.

They do give off copious amounts of black dust on the track, but so what?

 

Hi DSM,

I come down to Pacific Raceway often too. Is that the track you normally go to? I used Ultimate front only(rear was not available) on early July lapping day. I was happy with the pads and experiences the same as you.

Last weekend I put in the rear and now brake even better.

Too bad I will miss the lapping day this Wednesday.

Terence