Oppopinions

"Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To" (murdersofa) 02/08/2017 at 12:12 • Filed to: None

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Anyone ever use these brake pads? Thoughts? They’re significantly cheaper than EBC which was my first choice. Going to be re-using my rotors after painting the rust black and turning them (and painting my calipers blue because dammit my car needs a splash of color SOMEWHERE). Do these have a bed-in procedure? I’ve never done brake pads other than economy whatever-the-hells so I wasn’t sure if “performance” pads would require the whole repeated-panic-brakes-from-100mph thing to properly bed them.

Justin Hughes > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:16

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I haven’t used StopTech myself, but I’ve heard good things about them.

Bed-in procedure varies from pad to pad. Instructions are normally included with the pads themselves. Unless you’re running serious track specific pads, which these aren’t, you can generally bed them in on any quiet road. Generally speaking, it’s some number of light stops from some low speed, some moderate stops from some moderate speed, and a few good hard stops from a high but legal speed (say, 45-50mph), followed by gentle driving for 10-20 minutes to cool them off.

superhead > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:18

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I’ve never heard bad things about StopTech. I’ve got them on my wagovan and they seem to perform just fine, although I don’t track it or auto-x it or anything. I hear them recommended a lot though.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Justin Hughes 02/08/2017 at 12:18

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I’ve heard of guys with WRX STis having such a ridiculous bed-in procedure the brakes will occasionally catch fire. Good stuff, though. StopTech is a name I’ve heard a lot but I never paid much attention.

Justin Hughes > Justin Hughes 02/08/2017 at 12:19

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I have a set of WinMax endurance racing pads I use on my BRZ for track days - then swap back to stock since they dust and squeal like mad. But even they can be bedded in on the street at legal speeds. Just make sure no one’s right behind you when you do. :)

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > superhead 02/08/2017 at 12:19

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Are they “grabbier” than your regular stock/economy pads? I kind of want a pad that is initially grabby so that my braking doesn’t get thrown off by variations in pedal pressure while heel-toeing.

Scary__goongala! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:21

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I put StopTechs on my NA. I actually can’t remember if I’ve replaced them. But in my experience they dusted more than stock pads and had a tendency to squeak. I didn’t notice any performance improvement over stock. The last part you can take with a grain of salt though because I’ve never autocrossed with them.

superhead > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:22

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I don’t remember them being grabbier, although I think that is going to be more dependent on your brake lines/master cylinder/pedal setup than the actual pads.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Scary__goongala! 02/08/2017 at 12:23

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Hmm. Damn. I’m trying to find a pad that’s really grabby initially (because racecar). Unfortunately that doesn’t seem to be a metric many people talk about.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > superhead 02/08/2017 at 12:27

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Hmm. I’ve recently changed my fluid (accidentally, had a leaky caliper) and bled it but my pedal feel is just... meh. Doesn’t feel “sports car” to me, if that makes any sense.

Scary__goongala! > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:28

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Everything I have read says the stock brakes are pretty good. If you had a NA still I’d say the most racecar thing to do would be to put NA6 brakes on it. They are smaller(so less weight), but with better pads, SS lines, and good fluids are as good or better.

Needmoargarage > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:29

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I haven’t been a fan of StopTech’s pads. The few sets I used either had fitment issues or just weren’t that great in terms of braking performance. I was happier with Hawk HPS pads on my Miata.

Also, it might not be worth the hassle of turning your rotors. Miata rotors are stupid cheap. For spec racing stuff I would just use new Napa rotors and they worked great.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Needmoargarage 02/08/2017 at 12:30

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Turning them isn’t that big of a hassle. Take rotors off, head to O’reilly Auto Parts, say “turn these” and then come back the next day and pick them up.

HPS looks nice, though they are significantly more expensive. Did they have a high initial bite?

superhead > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:31

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If you’re sure that you’ve bled all the air out, then some stainless steel lines might improve brake feel. Beyond that you’d have to mess with your master cylinder and that’s not something I’ve ever done. I would find a Miata forum and see if they have tips for improving pedal feel.

superhead > Needmoargarage 02/08/2017 at 12:33

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Don’t the HPS need to be heated up before they really start performing as intended?

TheHondaBro > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:34

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It has “Stop” in the name, it must be good.

#QualityInnLogic

Needmoargarage > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:37

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I guess I’ve had bad luck with O’Reilly turning rotors...last two sets have come back with an unbelievable amount of runout. I think the Napa rotors were like $25 and turning a rotor at my local shop was around $15...so it might save a buck if you can re-use them.

It’s all relative in terms of braking feel. I wouldn’t say they have massive initial bite, but then again not many streetable pads on a stock floating Miata caliper really do. If you are coming from economy pads, you will notice a huge difference in braking power and bite immediately. I think the HPS is a pretty well done compromise between braking power and things that make the pad nice on the streets (life, dusting, relatively little squeaking)

SPAMBot - Horse Doctor > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:38

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I’m a huge fan of yellow stuff combined with stainless brake lines on the Miata. Excellent pedal feel but dust like hell. I have ceramic StopTech pads on the VW and they feel close to OEM on pedal feel. They seem to do ok in the hills but I do not have much performance driving experience with them.

Needmoargarage > superhead 02/08/2017 at 12:39

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Not really. I mean if you are tracking it give it a corner or two before late braking, but for street use they are just fine without a lot of heat. The HP+ needs a bit more however.

Denver Is Stuck In The 90s > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:40

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My brother put stoptech on his outback. They’re eh quality

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > superhead 02/08/2017 at 12:40

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The problem with SS lines is they’re technically not e-street SCCA legal.

Needmoargarage > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 12:42

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Ha...yeah I’ve been through that on my most recent project. It’s a little silly.

Cash Rewards > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 13:01

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No experience with these, but can’t recommend Hawk pads enough. Loved them.

miadaman? yes please > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 13:27

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I use StopTech DOT4 brake fluid.

#mayberelevant

PowderHound > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 13:38

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I have them on my WRX. They work. A bit dusty. I haven’t really run anything else so I have nothing to compare them to plus changing to braided steel brake lines and bleeding made more of a difference than pads seemed to

GTiceman > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 13:46

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I’ve used Stop tech street performance pads for years and even on track. They do get fade on track and do have a fair bit of dust but I still use them on my 335 and our Mini.

Textured Soy Protein > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 14:19

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Personally I liked EBC Reds when I had them on previous cars but people on the BMW forums seem to dislike them and often recommend the Stoptech pads. Something about one person somewhere sometime having the pad separate from the backing and now it’s like “OH NOES EBC PADS WILL FALL APART AT THE TRACK!!!”

Brake discussion on BMW forums is a fraught topic because there are a lot of “if you don’t track your car there’s no point in modifying it” purists and then lots of other people who aren’t that but take the word of the track snobs as the gospel.

But then you have people with Mitsubishi Evos talking about Stoptech pads are kinda mediocre. So it all varies. I dunno.

My understanding of the Stoptech pads is they’re a sorta first-level performance pad like a Hawk HPS or EBC Green.

Another relatively cheap performance pad to look at is the Powerstop Z26. I had similar truck-oriented Powerstop Z36 pads in my old Grand Cherokee and they were pretty solid.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Textured Soy Protein 02/08/2017 at 14:39

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Something about one person somewhere sometime having the pad separate from the backing and now it’s like “OH NOES EBC PADS WILL FALL APART AT THE TRACK!!!”

Sounds like Porsche IMS bearings or Jaguar electricals :P

merged-5876237249235911857-hrw8uc > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 14:47

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I’ve used the evolution z17s on my wife old Audi Q7 with great success. Lower dust and no noise, and I didn’t notice any fade issues either even after high speed panic type stops. It’s a go to for me if they are available for an application i need. Not sure about these specific ones you have listed, but the z17s are great.

My bird IS the word > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 15:30

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The rotors I got from stop tech are nice. haven’t used their pads.

yitznewton > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 02/08/2017 at 22:43

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I did some research last year, plan on using these on the S2000 perhaps next spring. Whatever rubbish came with the car has life left, and I’m planning on doing a pad+rotor swap when they wear out, perhaps SS lines also.