What's your brake pad brand preferance?

[Road_Clam]

I am needing brake performance upgrades BIG TIME. My GS brakes are pi$$ poor spongey useless. I am going stainless steel lines. I have tried EBC's, they were good, but nothing spetacular as far as added braking performance. I also tried Ferodo race compond pads, and they were garbage IMO. I guess you REALLY need to "cook" race pads to "season" them so as to get maximum performance. I never felt I did. So post up some feedback on pads. Thanks,
Rich

[Boondocks]

You will notice a major improvement in brake feel after the stainless lines are installed and bled properly. The sponginess should be gone and the firm lever will inspire braking confidence.

I have used EBC organic pads. They are OK and have good feel in dry weather, but don't work well in the wet. This makes it a safety issue for me, as I ride in the rain. I think that it is a bad idea for anyone to use organic pads if they ride in the rain, as stopping distances are affected too much.

I just replaced front and rear pads with Vesrah sintered pads. Sintered pads are a premium high performance brake material, used O.E.M. on the latest and greatest sport bikes. It uses a metallic compound of soft metals like copper to provide long pad life and excellent stopping power. Stainless steel rotors can handle the sintered pads without excess wear.

In addition to the other excellent attributes of the sintered pads, they work very well in the rain. They generate heat from pad friction so rapidly that it vaporizes the water and allows quick and safe stops.

[Billy Ricks]

I've used EBC, Ferodo, and SBS. No complaints with any of them.

[Joe Nardy]

I went from EBC to Vesrah and like the Vesrah better. I think they have better initial bite and better feel. The EBC pads felt rather 'wooden', even with stainless lines.

Joe

[Dionysian_Chaos]

Keeping in mind this knowledge is coming from the four-wheel domain...but whenever I see car mags doing big brake kit swaps, they usually stress that pads need to be bedded in with a few hard stops to be truly effective, and this is especially true for performance compounds. Without proper bedding in, even super-grippy pads will feel like crap.

Don't know if you've done this, but it's something to keep in mind.