Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes Updated FAQ on brake pads?

I just put on some decent Ford pads someone gave me, but next time it'll be pads and rotors, and I'm thinking about high-performance pads that could take some track use. I went looking for what my options were, and didn't find a comprehensive list anywhere. Here's what I found so far:

Mintex - a couple different compounds from BAT and SP. No reviews, but I'm sure there are some in the forums or archives.

Bendix - The old standby, these are great street pads that I would feel comfortable running on the track - but I'd be taking it easy on the woah pedal and letting them cool. More info would make me feel better - or worse.

Hawk - HPS and HP+. Tire rack has them, it seems, but depending on what car you select they show up or aren't listed. They don't seem to realize what pads work with which years. These pads are great, and the + are very trackable. The HPS are more agressive than the Bendix. Very dusty, kill your rotors, and quite expensive. That said, I'm going to contact tire rack and try to get info because they are very good for non-street use.

Ford pads - I don't know what I have, but they're good. The guy that gave them to me used the stock type on the track and liked them. Kinda dusty. Pricy, too, I think.


Any more info? Can I get KVR Ultimate Ceramic pads? Can I actually get HPS pads? Anyone track the Bendix pads from Stazi?

No experience with AutoX use, but I had Ford pads and now have Bendix Titanium IIs. The Ford pads sucked, and made a lot of dust. The Bendix pads are good, but made a huge amount of dust, much more than the Ford pads. They do grip better though.

I JUST put the Hawk HPS on my wife's Contour (1999SE sport). Last Tuesday - probably have about 40 miles on them so far. I put the Brembo factory replacement rotors on at the same time. Too early to give you any thoughts, but if you're not in a rush, I will have more thoughts in a couple of weeks.

Where did you get the pads, and how much were they?

I have Hawk HPS pads on my wifes Intrepid, and it no longer brakes like it's a heavy car with small rotors. I didn't know Hawk has pads that fit our cars though.

I'm using the Mintex C-Tech (1144) pads on my car... and I think they're great. It probably took me an entire autocross season to relearn when to brake, because with these pads... I could brake MUCH later. And they're totally streetable -- don't need to warm up before they're grippy. They're a little more noisy (not much) and about the same level of dust as the factory pads. They easily push the limits of my non-R compound rubber. I'd run them again unless the HP+'s are better (and streetable) and are actually available in our sizes.

I had the Mintex A/F pads once - definitely not good for a track car. They might do OK for autocross, but on fast road course with lots of braking they stunk. I wore a set of front pads out in one day (4 30 minute sessions) - all the way down to the backing plate. Avoid them!

Stock pads and rotors - Average initial bite. Poor fade resistance. Bad high speed fade. Extremely dirty pads.

Titaniums (I or II) and AutoSpec rotors - Good initial bite. Good stopping power. Average fade resistance for the first few stops. Then it drops off quickly. Average high speed fade. Below average dusting.

Bendix CT3 & Bendix rotors - Good initial bite. Good stopping power. Slightly better fade resistance then the T2 pads. It still suffers the same drop off after the first few stops. (showing the rotors are likely the limiting fade curve factor) Average high speed fade. Less dusting then T2 pads.

I'll save my next two brake reviews for another week or so.

Typical brake fluid = Poor
Stock Motorcraft brake fluid = Average
Castrol LMA = Good
Valvoline Synpower = Good
ATE Super Blue = Great


Since that is semantically written...

Bad = 1
Poor = 2
Average = 3
Good = 4
Great = 5
Excellent = 6

Better than, slightly, below, etc = + or - .5

Give or take rounding errors...

Agreed, you don't need braking power if your wheels look good. I'd rather have a rock-hard pad that doesn't wear to dust or chew up my rotor than one that will grip the rotor every time.