Taking my 1998 xk8 in for routine maintenance, also having brake life checked. If pads will need replaced, what would original pad type be?

 

Original is semi metallic.

 

Just bought some pads from Germany where it is illegal to sell pads not up to the EU spec .....£10 inc post WTF. These are to go with a pair of NOS discs for £25 inc post .

 

You can do a lot better than original pads.

ebc redstuff pads will stop your car in shorter distance and without worries of fade. They are a ceramic compound.

Z

 

Many thanks to those who responded. This can be a confusing issue. Ceramic pads are generally less noisy. produce much less brake dust and are easier on the rotors. However, semi metallic have greater stopping power at sudden stops or stops at higher speeds. A lot depends on your style of driving and personal preference. I'll have to think about it. I'm not Jimmy Clark (if you're under 50, don't even try to understand) but I'm not quite Methuselah ether..

 

I have been using Wagner ThermoQuiet semi-metallic pads on all of our vehicles for the past 15 years or more (including my wife's 2006 XK8). Very reasonably priced from RockAuto, they stop quickly in both wet and dry conditions, they are silent as a tomb, they create very little dust, and depending upon the vehicle they typically last me 50,000 to 60,000 miles. Very highly recommended for those who want to stick with semi-metallic pads....

 

Re differences between the semi-metallic and the ceramic pads; when the ceramics were first introduced it was far easier to categorize them.

Nowadays there are so many formulas and compounds in each camp that one can’t make generalizations anymore. Each separate compound stands alone and can’t be judged very accurately just on the basis of ceramic vs semi-metallic.

for sure , More confusing for the consumer to sort out a “winner” for their own needs.

Z

 

I use Hawk HPS pads in the Brembos. They are a High Performance Street pad that gives the stopping power you deserve! I don't know what they're made of but it doesn't matter to me, they work. I bought the car new and used these pads ever since.

 

FWIW,

I tested the Hawks HPS pads among several others not too many years ago.

The Hawks stopped my ‘66 Shelby GT350 1.5 car lengths worse than the best pads tested, the ebc redstuff pads. This was at at the 60 to zero mph benchmark. At 100 to zero mph the ebc pads were stopping the car 3.5 car lengths better.

just saying, without a side by test it’s hard to know a good pad from a really good pad.

Z

PS also tested the Porterfield R-4s pads. They were the closest to the ebc’s.