Another damn brake pad thread...........

[kookoo4nsx]

Help me pick some new brake pads.

1. Good stopping power for the street. Low fade. Some spirited driving.

2. Good price, low dusting, long lasting.

my top 5 contenders.

1. Project Mu NS (where is the best place to buy these? JDM?)

2. Hawk HP+

3. Bobcat pads from CT brakes....I think these are also called carbotech

4. Porterfield R4-S

5. EBC Yellow or Red

My mechanic says autopartswarehouse.com has ceramic Akebono pads for about $60.00 per set that should just work fine..............:redface:

Finally, how do I upgrade to SS lines? Who sells these and are they just plug and play once the wheel and rotor is off????????????

 

[clr1024]

I have the project Mu's they should meet all of your criteria. I like them and when they wear out will probably replace with the same.

Can't remember where I bought them from. I would just look around the net.

 

[nsxtasy]

I like the Hawk HP+. They will meet all your criteria except for low dusting.

I would not recommend the Porterfield R4S, as they just don't do anything as well as the Hawk HP+.

I haven't tried the other three.

However, based on what you say you are looking for, I think the best pad to meet all of your critieria is the stock pad.

 

[clr1024]

I like the Hawk HP+. They will meet all your criteria except for low dusting.

I would not recommend the Porterfield R4S, as they just don't do anything as well as the Hawk HP+.

I haven't tried the other three.

However, based on what you say you are looking for, I think the best pad to meet all of your critieria is the stock pad.

Project Mu's are very low dusting and have better initial bite and stopping power than OEM. I pretty much had similiar criteria as OP and am happy with the project MU's. OEM and the project Mu's are the only pads I have had on my NSX so am only commenting on those two.

 

[Honcho]

Another vote for Project Mu. I have the NS and they are superb- low dust, no noise and did not fade during about 4 hours of agressive mountain road driving. I got mine from Dali.

 

[dablackgoku1234]

Not a very informative post, but here's one not to get, KVR pads. Stopping power is weak. :frown:

 

[d.n]

For SS lines, I bought goodridge for ~$100 a set and the install is pretty easy if you know how to bleed your brakes. You'll also want to buy a 10mm flare nut wrench if you don't have one.

 

[nsxtasy]

Finally, how do I upgrade to SS lines? Who sells these and are they just plug and play once the wheel and rotor is off????????????

Unless you have a spongy brake pedal, you don't need them.

 

[DRIFTER]

Unless you have a spongy brake pedal, you don't need them.

I had this issue on my 92. I went with new stock sized rotors, Hawk HPS pads and new bradded/coated brake lines with a good quality brake fluid and it made a world of a difference.

I started with a car that shimmies and shakes when stoping with a spongey feel. To a car that stops on a dime with a firm consistent feel.

 

[nsxtasy]

My NSX has always stopped on a dime with a firm, consistent feel, using the original stock brake lines. The pedal was never, ever spongey, even after 10,000 actual track miles. I eventually replaced the lines with new stock rubber lines, solely as a preventive measure.

 

[s14_tat]

Yeah my brakes on the stock brake lines have the firmest brake pedal I have ever felt, even firmer than other cars with steel braided lines. I know different pads do affect pedal feel and I think the Hawk HP +'s are great at that. It feels like my brake pedal is on viagra.

 

[mcano]

I like the Hawk HP+. They will meet all your criteria except for low dusting.

I would not recommend the Porterfield R4S, as they just don't do anything as well as the Hawk HP+.

I haven't tried the other three.

However, based on what you say you are looking for, I think the best pad to meet all of your critieria is the stock pad.

I followed Ken's recommendations on the Hawks in preparation for the HPDE at NSXPO in Las Vegas, and they worked great. I also installed Motul brake fluid to better resist overheating during tracking. The Hawks do dust, but wash off fairly easily.

 

[bngl3rt]

Bump from the dead. What is the latest thinking on the Akebonos? I feel like I have outgrown the Hawk HP+ at the track, and figured the obvious next choice was Carbotech, but damn those are expensive.

I can also toss a set of the Route KS Drift King pads in my suitcase next Japan trip...

 

[nsxtasy]

What is the latest thinking on the Akebonos? I feel like I have outgrown the Hawk HP+ at the track, and figured the obvious next choice was Carbotech, but damn those are expensive.

You need to look at the specific model of brake pad, not just the brand. Just about every brand makes pads that are designed for both street and track (like the HP+) and pads that are designed only for the track, due to street-unfriendly characteristics like squealing and the need to get them hot to be effective. If you feel like you would like to move up from the HP+, you should be looking at some track-only pads, such as ones sold by Hawk, Cobalt Friction, or Carbotech. Yes the track-only pads will be more expensive than street/track pads, but they should last longer with track use.

I've never used Akebono pads, and am not familiar with their line. The Tire Rack sells two models for the NSX - the Akebono Performance Pads and the Akebono ProACT Ceramic Pads - but both are rated as having less stopping power than the Hawk HP+, and it sounds like you're looking for more, rather than less.

 

[solidol]

Hawk HP+ is great compound but very dusty. I'm on my third set among different cars but will probably try Project Mu next. That unless I go BBK.