i would be careful with to aggressive of a brake pad for the first time out even on the track. they need to be very very hot to work properly and that requires deep and very hard braking. start with something simple, like a hawk HP+ or equivalent pad. going for more then that i doubt you'll get a feel for where you truly need to brake at and you'll destroy your rotors by not getting the pads hot enough.

 

check out the motorsports stickied thread. There are about 6 clubs that run DEs and AutoX's here.

 

Thanks for the advice Kevin. I'll pick up some HP+'s.

 

I am running the following this year.

Track/DD:
Carbotech XP10/XP8

Autocross:
Carbotech AX6/XP8

But like Kevin said, until you get used to the car, there are many other factors you are going to want to focus on. I did my first few autocrosses and track days on stock pads and didn't have many issues. Don't get me wrong, I could definitely feel the stock brakes fading at the track but it wasn't to the degree that I was concerned to much, you are not going to have the confidence at first to brake like you should. Come take a ride with some of the track junkies like Forrest, Kyle, or Kevin and see how quick they can throw you through the windshield!

 

I'm definitely down for that!!

 

Does the ET500 make a lot of noise? How does it compare to stoptech?

Thanks

 

My ET500's made less noise than the OEM Brembo pads.

 

I definitely agree with the recommendation to step up the aggressiveness of your pads as your skill/confidence increases.

At my first track event, the stock pads were fine. But I quickly overheated them at my second event.
Then I switched to Hawk HP+ and those were good for 2 more track events.
Then I went onto the Hawk HT-10 and those worked great for about 4 track days.
Now I use Hawk DTC-70 up front (with after market 2 piece rotors) and HP Blues in the rear and couldn't be happier. This setup is perfect when I use my Nitto NT01's, but it was way to aggressive for my Dunlop Star Specs.

I keep the HP+ pads on for daily driving and they squeal like a dying pig. But I don't really care.

 

I have zero noise and practically no dust compared to stock pads. So far I like them for DD. The bite is really nice and they have kept me from rear ending a few people during Dallas traffic. We'll see how they hold up long term.