Top 10 Brake Pads: The Best Brands & Types of Performance Pads

By Mike Cote - November 30, 2018

The most important mod you can install on your ride is a good set of brakes. With so many accessories out there to boost horsepower and handling, one thing remains constant—your ride needs to stop every time you press the brake pedal.

And, while OEM pads are great for stock rides, once you add performance mods, the factory braking system has trouble keeping up. The result is often a close call or worse. We understand the importance of a good set of brake pads when it comes to modding your car or truck.

That’s why we put together this list of the top 10 brake pads that are sure to outperform your ride’s OEM pads.

EBC Green Stuff Brake Pads

Formulated for spirited use on sport compacts or import sedans, EBC Green Stuff Brake Pads have what it takes to tackle the street. Loaded with beveled edges, factory-fitted shims, and a center-line slot, these pads resist vibrations to provide a quiet stop. They crank out 30% less dust than OEM pads, so your shiny rims stay that way. EBC Green Stuff Brake Pads add a touch of style to your ride with their green, powder-coated backing. Best of all, EBC brakes install just like your OEM pads and bed-in fast thanks to their unique break-in surface coating.

EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads

Take control of your muscle car, sports car or Autobahn assault vehicle with EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads. Formulated for ultra-high-performance street driving, these ceramic brake pads can reduce stopping distances by up to 42 feet. Red Stuff Brake Pads look great with a red, powder-coated backing. And, they incorporate a central slot on each pad’s surface to aid in cooling while releasing less dust than your ride’s OEM pads. This makes those ever-dusty stock rims a distant memory.

Hawk HPS Brake Pads

Upgrade your ride’s OEM brake pads with a strong-holding, long-lasting set of Hawk HPS Brake Pads. They use a unique ferro-carbon, composite pad material that has a high coefficient of friction and provides incredible stopping power, reducing brake fade and rotor wear. Hawk HPS Brake Pads are the ideal choice when using slotted or drilled rotors and perform without producing excessive amounts of dust. Best of all, they’re custom designed for your ride and fit just like your OEM pads.

Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pads

Enjoy maximum stopping power and a cleaner set of rims with Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pads. Loaded with a performance ceramic compound, these pads grip your ride’s rotors like an eagle’s talons, for a firm stop. They’re designed to slip directly into your ride’s calipers for a simple installation. And, since they’re burnished at the factory, they bed-in quickly and provide quiet braking.

EBC Yellow Stuff Brake Pads

When maximum stopping power is needed for your extreme street ride, race car or massive towing rig, EBC Yellow Stuff Brake Pads are ready to get the job done. Designed for the worst you can throw at them, these pads bite whether your ride’s rotor are hot or cold. And, their center-line slot keeps them cool to prevent thermal cracks and brake fade. The pad’s yellow powder coating adds a great look to your vehicle. Best of all, EBC Yellow Stuff Brake Pads feature beveled edges and break-in surface coating to ensure quiet braking performance.

Posi Quiet Ceramic Brake Pads

Looking for low dust performance and maximum pad longevity? Well, look no further than Posi Quiet Ceramic Brake Pads. These high-quality ceramic brake pads fit just like your OEM pads, increase stopping power, keep dust to a minimum, and provide quiet braking. The key to Posi Quiet Ceramic Brake Pad performance is the scorching process used on them at the factory. This removes impurities from the pad compound and accelerates the break-in process.

Hawk LTS Brake Pads

Your tough truck or SUV needs major stopping power to bring not only its heft, but the trailer behind it to a halt. With Hawk LTS Brake Pads installed on your rig, you get all the benefits of their ferro-carbon compound, including increased stopping power, greater resistance to brake fade, and less brake dust. And, just because they have more bite doesn’t mean you’re trading pad longevity. These bad boys are built to last. Best of all, they’re easy to install and slide right in place of your OEM pads in no time.

EBC Green Supreme Brake Pads

It takes a lot of force to stop the behemoth that is your truck or SUV, so it’s no wonder that a boat or trailer behind it puts a serious squeeze on the OEM pads. EBC Green Supreme Brake Pads are better suited to the task with intense grip, quiet performance, and up to 90% less dust than OEM pads. And, they feature a center slot to vent heat away and prevent cracking. These pads are highly engineered—so much so that they are only available for your front brakes.

StopTech Performance Brake Pads

Enjoy high-tech braking with StopTech Street Performance Brake Pads. Engineered to perform, these pads feature a high-temperature compound that provides consistent performance and even pad wear. They crank out far less dust to keep your ride’s rims clean and use factory-style shims, keeping squeaks and squeals to a minimum. And, not only are they easy to install, but they break-in fast thanks to their scorched pad surface.

Hawk HP Superduty Brake Pads

When it comes to your rig’s brake pads, the OEM units are about as far from being a performance accessory as possible. This becomes especially evident when towing heavy loads or using slotted and drilled rotors. Your rig deserves a set of pads designed for high-performance hauling—Hawk HP Superduty Brake Pads. Hawk infuses these super-stoppers with a ferro-carbon composite compound to maximize stopping power and minimize unsightly brake dust. Best of all, they fit just like your rig’s original pads for an easy installation.

Performance brake pads have the straightforward task of safely stopping your ride, but they’re far more specialized than they seem. For a better idea of how the pads in the list above work under actual use and abuse, check out our brake pad reviews submitted by actual customers.

Our top 10 Brake Pads list details how each brake pad works. Read on to find out what’s best for you.