Here is my personal review of the brake pads I have used. I am only commenting on front pads because the rears last longer and I don't change them until it is necessary Stock-- Good stopping power. Bad for dust. I have used them twice on track days. they hold up pretty well and don't dust as bad when driving around a course like a maniac. Would not buy again unless they can be found for $100. Dealer prices are ridiculous. EBC Yellowstuff-- Good stopping power. Less dust than stock. Track day pad. Works best when warmed up. These pads disappeared in 65 miles on Road America. While I was driving home I hit metal and ruined the rotors. The pads work good but they are short lived. If I need to buy 2 sets for a track day, they are not the pads for me. I would not buy these again either but mostly due to their short life span. I also contacted EBC and they stated that I should only get around 2-3 sessions out of them but that was after my road course. They were right but if I went out on the track one more time I might have been in a wall or worse. Bendix MKD 1149-- Very similiar to stock in every facet. Rumor has it that Bendix makes the pads for our Brembos at a price less than the dealers. I believe these pads cross reference to the LX vehicles in case you look them up and do see them for the Jeep. I would buy these again if I had to but there are better options around the price point which is $100 or below. They held up good at the track. Still had 1/2 left when I returned home. Hawk HPS-- Worse than stock stopping power. Great for all the less dust guys. These have to be the worst pads I have had so far. It didn't matter if they were warm or cold, they just didn't stop very well. I would not buy these again either but that is due to the increased stopping distances. I know R1 concepts like recommending them but I don't. StopTech-- Better than stock stopping power. Less dust than stock but not less than or equal to the Hawk HPS. These pads from the moment I went to bed them, I was shocked. I always bed my brakes in the same area and know where I usually had to stop to get to the stop sign. Time and time again I was stopping (not a complete stop) well before the sign. At the track it was the same deal. I could go deeper into the corners than I have ever been before. They held up well with 1/2 the pads left after the track. I would buy these again, in fact, I have bought a full set for my next change. I hope this helps with some options for the guys wanting to make a change. Also, none of my pads have ever squealed so I am not the one to ask about noise. I think that my driving style is a lot different than most on here so that would be the main reason. I also experimented with my last change by not using any anti squeal on any of the pads(front/rear) and the only time I get any noise is in reverse and stopping really slowly(5-0mph).
Thanks for the write up. Pretty sure I've read all your posts about brakes, etc. I recently bought stoptech pads for front and back, due in part to your recommendations. Since I don't track, going for looks, got the drilled and slotted rotors from R1. Might add that I was unsure of using anti squeal or disc brake caliper grease on back side of brake pads. Browsing info on the internet, the recommendation for shimmed pads seems to be, use the caliper grease. Anti squeal is for non shimmed pads.
nice write up. i guess the hawk hps vary from vechical to vechical , my wifes old cavalier very huge upgrade from stock, and her PT/GT has them and were a better then stock upgrade. on the neon ive never had them fade on a full day of track use and flat spotted plenty of tires. but then again were talking about a 5000+lb truck. twice the weight and more to stop.
I've never used any of the pads you review. When I got my Stoptech's they didn't offer their own brake pads. I started with Porterfield R4S but I didn't like them for street or track. Now I'm using Carbotech's and they are fantastic at the track. On the street they never get up to temperature so they squeal at slow speeds. Importantly, they don't eat the rotors, hot or cold. I may try the Stoptech pads when my Carbotech's wear out. Les
I was just seeing if since I have not had any squealing I would try and get some so I could report what I found but so far I don't have any issues. The Hawks never had fade issues just longer stopping distances. I am sure the weight has something to do with it and the pads are probably not specific to the Jeeps. I believe there is only one part number. I originally bought from Zeckhausen but found that R1Concepts offers a much better price. StopTech Street Performance brake pads - front (D1149) [1 box required] StopTech Street Performance brake pads - rear (D1053/D592) [1 box required] I would like to try other pads but for the amount I drive it my take awhile and for the price I got another set of the StopTechs.
