Brake pad recommendations for 2006 Boxster S please

[cerberus]

Hey guys,

I need to replace my front pads on my 06' Boxster S and would prefer to avoid paying the dealer their exorbitant prices.

Do you guys have any recommendations of a good replacement pad that are similar to the OEM pads, but cheaper? Where is a good source I should contact for replacement pads?

Also, are they easy to change? I have switched out pads in other cars with Brembo calipers and it was a piece of cake to remove the retaining clip and slid out the old pads and install the new ones. Is the procedure the same with the 987S front brakes?

Thanks in advance
Sandy

[FTD]

Here is an excellent brake pad DIY
boxster brake replacement
When I need new pads I am going to try Pagid. However, this forum and others also give the Porsche OE pads high ratings. Use the Search function here and you will find a LOT of comments and conversations to help you.

[schwank]

I just installed Pagid Sport pads on our 01 S. Just a bit more aggressive than the stock pads but they won't destroy rotors like track pads will. The compound I believe is called RS 4-2-1... but they recently just changed it to Pagid Sport.

Paragon Products carries them... I just got them from my local indy shop who handles Porsche & Audi... I don't doubt they just source them through Worldpac like many shops.

Don't know if the 06 caliper is different but if you like I can see if there is a part number on my invoice when I get home.

[Bob O]

2nd the Pagid. However, I've only used the track pads (orange) which are great, but I've used them around town for a while, till I was able to get them changed, with no ill effects. A few others I've tried and would recommend would be Mintex Red box (for street only!!) - much less dust than stock and good grip - and HAWK HPS. I really don't know if either of these are available for the 06 but they might be worth looking at. Google is your friend

Pagids can be had here: http://www.********************************************************************.com/SearchResults.asp

Mintex here: couldn't find any right off the bat but if you google mintex you'll come up with quite a few hits

Hawk here: http://www.nolimitmotorsport.com/hawk/

Didn't really shop around for best prices, but you can get an idea from these links.


Bob

[eslai]

I actually just stuck with the OEM pads when it came time to change mine--they weren't exorbitantly priced IMHO, and I haven't experienced any brake fade so I didn't feel like I needed better pads, nor do I feel like putting up with even MORE brake dust.

[cerberus]

Do you guys think the standard Mintex or Hawk HPS pads will be comparable to the OEM pads? I don't want to spend a lot on replacements and do not plan to track the car.

Thanks

[racer_d]

Originally Posted by cerberus

Do you guys think the standard Mintex or Hawk HPS pads will be comparable to the OEM pads? I don't want to spend a lot on replacements and do not plan to track the car.

Thanks

um.. For someone who bought/leased a $60K+ car, you're really worried about a few bucks on brake pads? Remember, one of the reasons your Porsche performs as well as it does, is because of how Porsche equipped it from the factory - tires, brakes, etc. Cant recall if they still are, but Mintex and Textar have been OEM pad makers previously.

Pads are extremely easy to replace. Dealers tend to gouge more on LABOR than parts, but then again, they are in business to make money afterall

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by racer_d

um.. For someone who bought/leased a $60K+ car, you're really worried about a few bucks on brake pads? Remember, one of the reasons your Porsche performs as well as it does, is because of how Porsche equipped it from the factory - tires, brakes, etc. Cant recall if they still are, but Mintex and Textar have been OEM pad makers previously.

Pads are extremely easy to replace. Dealers tend to gouge more on LABOR than parts, but then again, they are in business to make money afterall

I just want to get comparable performing pads to OEM at less than the typical dealer gouging price point. Never hurts to shop around and save a few bucks.

Are pads such as Hawk HPS equivalent to OEM or would my stopping power be reduced?

Thanks

[Bob O]

Based on your criteria, you should go with oem. You can pick them up lots of places on the net for less than the dealer charges. Change them yourself and go drive it. If you want less brake dust, then some others are better. If you want better grip, some others are better. You apparently don't desire either, so.. go with oem. The factory pads are very good, just very dusty. You might want to do some research in the archives here or on several other boards to get an idea of what other people say about various pads. Neither Mintex or Hawk would reduce your braking ability. Both offer at least equal grip to the oem pads.


Bob

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by Bob O

Based on your criteria, you should go with oem. You can pick them up lots of places on the net for less than the dealer charges. Change them yourself and go drive it. If you want less brake dust, then some others are better. If you want better grip, some others are better. You apparently don't desire either, so.. go with oem. The factory pads are very good, just very dusty. You might want to do some research in the archives here or on several other boards to get an idea of what other people say about various pads. Neither Mintex or Hawk would reduce your braking ability. Both offer at least equal grip to the oem pads.


Bob

Better grip would be a plus, but I don't want to throw off current brake bias, since I will keep the rear OEM pads. In addition, I want a pad that works well cold and does not require a lot of warming up. The pads I have been looking at were either the Hawk HPS, Axxis Deluxe and obviously OEM.

Are there any others you guys feel I should consider?

Thanks again

[ChrisZang]

I installed Hawk HPS about 6k miles ago, here are my observations:

Pros:
* WAY less dust than OEM
* ABSOLUTELY no noise/squealing
* Cheaper than OEM
* In normal street use no difference to OEM

Cons:
* no holes for the brake sensors (which I don't care about)
* I would not advise them for track use, I had fading after a few laps at Laguna Seca

Summary: I will/would buy them again. I will buy either Pagid Orange or BHP XPS for the track and run the Hawk purely on the street and Auto-X

[cerberus]

Originally Posted by ChrisZang

I installed Hawk HPS about 6k miles ago, here are my observations:

Pros:
* WAY less dust than OEM
* ABSOLUTELY no noise/squealing
* Cheaper than OEM
* In normal street use no difference to OEM

Cons:
* no holes for the brake sensors (which I don't care about)
* I would not advise them for track use, I had fading after a few laps at Laguna Seca

Summary: I will/would buy them again. I will buy either Pagid Orange or BHP XPS for the track and run the Hawk purely on the street and Auto-X

Thanks for the feedback Chris.

What is the drawback of not having hole for the brake sensor? Does this mean the sensor has to be disconnected? If so, would this trigger a dummy light in the dash?

Thanks again

[Bob O]

Chris is dead on about the Hawks. I also had a little fade at the track and switched to Pagid orange. Outstanding track pads.

No sensor holes......I just tied off the sensors by attaching them with zip ties to the brake line (I think? have to go look) and put electrical tape around the sensor end. No lights, no other effects. The sensors complete a circuit when they contact the rotor which turns on the dash light. If they're prevented from doing that, no light. If you replace the pads again, with sensor holes, simply remove the tape and zip ties and install them again.

Bob

[porschedude]

I used the Mintex semi-metallic...works great with little dust and good braking but I think any other brand like Pagid, Hawk, PBR etc would be fine. My Mintex pads came with the drilled holes and it was easy to replace in 45 minutes or so if you have done it before. Dealer typically would replace rotors and change pads for $700-1000 from what I heard. I don't really know why they charge so much for such a simple job. Oh, you may also want to buy the brake shims cause the old shims are stuck like glue to the old pads.

[FTD]

Which Pagid would you choose for mostly everyday street and monthly AutoX or track?

[blue2000s]

In my experience, I disagree on the Hawk HPS being lower dust than OEM. I've used HPS on a couple of different sports cars for several years and they do make a good deal of a rust colored dust that is much harder to clean off than the black dust that the OEM pads give off.

They don't squeal much, but they do squeal. It's probably about equal to the stock pad.

[cerberus]

I decided with the OEM pads. There were too many choices in the aftermarket and I decided not second guess the factory.

Thanks guys!

[schwank]

You won't go wrong with the factory pads.

I second the comments on Hawk pads... I've run Hawk HP+ pads (next step from HPS) on my cars for several years, both my Audi wagon (now totaled) and my current 944 track car (driven to and from the track) and they dust up like crazy. My local shop did say HP+ compound was not available for the 986S, so I went with the Pagid's, which many of their clients seem to like.

Haven't had the Pagid's long enough to see the dust yet. For the poster that asked, for general street driving, the Sport compound is likely the one you want.