Feel the hate. Bosch quietcast pads are braking my heart.
 

So this fall I bought the cheaper ECS tuning brake kit that includes Bosch brake pads with so called "oem compound". I really hate the feel. It's like one of those driving dreams where you have to push super hard on the pedal and the car slowly stops just barely in time. They are fine when coming to a light or stop sign and just gradually stopping. But whenever the need to suddenly brake like an animal in the road or pedestrian or whatever these pads really suck. I wish I knew what had been on the car before but they had great bite and lasted three years into my ownership from purchase. Even though I just did brakes I want these pads off the car.

I also had a brake flush and obviously new rotors. I'm assuming that my problem here is the pads and am hoping to just keep using these meyle rotors even if they aren't top of the line they seem true and serve the purpose of being a hunk of rotating mass for the pads to squeeze upon. So what I would like to know is:

What pads are going to give the most bite and best stopping power in a myriad of conditions? I don't give a damn about brake dust and just want the truck to not frighten me. I'm willing to spend the coin on oem pads but are they superior or just priced high because they are OE? There seems to be good chatter about the Red Stuff pads. I'm kind of a cheapskate which is what got me into this mess in the first place. But I'm tempted to just try changing the fronts first.

Please chime in about pads you are really stoked on.

I did the Zimmerman rotor- hawk package from EPS a couple years back. I paid the difference to do the HAWK HPS 5.0 instead of the regular HPS.

They are holding up very well, but NOT the brake pad you're looking for. Very linear stopping power. At no point in time do they feel like they are aggressively grabbing. With these pads, you really feel the difference when engine braking. You can ease into a braking situation fine, but a panic stop takes a lot of pedal. Proper bed-in procedure was observed.

Not exactly the feedback you requested, but at least you know the HPS 5.0 isn't what you want.

Thanks brother. Yeah these pads take a heckuvalot of brake pedal to panic stop and they still take too long. I don't think a soccer mom would notice but I really don't like it.

oem

I've tried a lot of pads, and the only pads I've found that work really well in all conditions is OEM. After market pads always seem to be a bit better in one condition, and worse in another.

We were in Crested Butte last weekend, and it was -20 F coming up through Gunnison. Coming back through Fairplay, it was about 25 degrees, but the cross-wind was blowing around 50 mph and the slush buildup on the wheels and side of the car was immense. This week in Denver, it's been in the upper 60's and low 70s. I think the OEM pads stop plenty well in all conditions. I don't track the CTT, so brake fade resistance isn't nearly as important as the brakes working consistently in all conditions.

In the end, brakes are like tires - they are a sacrifice in one aspect or another. I think OEM feel and performance is outstanding, IMO. I see little reason to change.

OEM or from makers that sell to OEM, ie Pagid or Textar. I'm running the Pagid OE pads and they're fine. Only difference between OEM Porsche and Pagid/Textars are the price and the name on the box.

Thanks guys — these are exactly the types of responses that I'm looking for. Hey Wrinkly, how do you feel about my notion to just start with the fronts?

I have had really good luck with EBC and StopTech ceramic pads. I haven't put any on my Cayenne but have used them on my past Aston Martin DB9 and Cadillac CTS with very good results.

I only replace the axle that needs new pads. I don't necessarily replace the rears with the fronts if it's only the fronts that are bad.

That said - you don't want to run different pads front to rear on an OEM setup. That will change your brake bias and cause your braking distances to be longer, and possibly interfere with the PSM system. So, if you don't like your current pads, you'll need to get front and rear sets.

My pads say Brembo on them. Pagid and Textar do sell to Porsche, though. So, I'm sure they're equally as good.

Ok - sounds like I will be changing all four corners then. It makes sense that you want the compounds to match front to rear. I'm just trying to cheap out.

A set of 4 brembos, pagids, or textars is $200. I mean........how much more cheap do you want your pads to be? :)

Well... originally I thought I had to buy OEM porsche which is more like $500 for the 4... plus i dont have a place to jack up the car so I have to eat labor.. which is obviously cheaper just doing the fronts. But alas, it looks like I will be redoing the whole enchilada. The fact that I can buy 4 pads for $200, though, makes it a no-brainer for sure.

I can't be happier with the "kit" I installed and now put together for sale. Zimmerman and Pagid... Best combo. A little dusty, but QUIET and they stop incredibly well.

I will not skimp to save a few bucks on brakes or other safety related items.

http://www.944turbo.com/cayenne-brake-kit.html

I just installed EBC red stuff pads on my 09 gts Tuesday, love them. They supposed to be low dust. If yes, they will be just fantastic. Awesome brake feel. Highly recommend.