Horsepower gets all the glory on social media, but if your brake pads tap out halfway down the mountain, nobody’s impressed—especially not the guardrail.
Brake pads are the front-line soldiers of your braking system. They decide how hard the car stops, how the pedal feels, how much dust ends up on your wheels, and how your brakes behave when things get hot and sketchy.
Whether you’re daily commuting, hammering canyon roads, towing a trailer, or knocking out HPDE weekends, the right pad compound is a huge upgrade over whatever your car rolled off the lot with.
This Brake Pad 101 guide breaks things down by material and by use case, and shows you where to find the right pads in the Brake Pads section at WeSellPerformance.com.
Why Brake Pad Choice Matters
Your brake pads live between the caliper pistons and the rotor. When you step on the pedal, they clamp the rotor and turn motion into heat. How well they do that job depends on three big things:
- Friction level: Higher friction generally means shorter stops and a firmer pedal.
- Temperature range: Some pads work great cold but fade when hot, others are sleepy when cold but fantastic at track temperatures.
- Manners: Noise, dust, and rotor wear. The more aggressive the pad, the more likely you’ll deal with squeal and dirty wheels.
Quality performance street pads like Hawk HPS Street Brake Pads (SKU: HAWKHB249F.575) are designed to increase the coefficient of friction over stock pads and can provide noticeably more stopping power with better fade resistance, all while keeping dust and noise under control.
The goal isn’t “race car at all costs”—it’s matching the pad to how you really use the car, so it stops hard, stays consistent, and doesn’t make you hate driving it every day.
Brake Pad Materials 101
Most pads you’ll see on WeSellPerformance.com fall into three broad material families. The compound recipe is the secret sauce, but as a shopper you can think about them like this:
Ceramic Pads
- Best for: Daily drivers, commuters, mild spirited street cars.
- Pros: Very quiet, low dust, long life, gentle on rotors, stable friction through normal street temperature ranges.
- Cons: Not ideal for repeated high-heat abuse; can lose bite when run far beyond typical street temps.
Ceramic pads are what many modern vehicles use from the factory. If you like clean wheels, a quiet pedal, and you’re not chasing lap times, ceramic is usually your friend.
Semi-Metallic Pads
- Best for: Heavier vehicles, performance street, entry-level track work, towing.
- Pros: Higher friction potential than most ceramic pads, better high-temperature performance, more stable feel under repeated hard stops.
- Cons: More dust, more noise potential (squeal at light pedal), and can be harder on rotors.
Semi-metallic pads are typically the choice when you want more bite and better behavior when hot, and you’re willing to trade some noise and dust to get it.
Organic / NAO Pads
- Best for: Comfort-focused commuting, older vehicles originally equipped with organic-style pads.
- Pros: Soft initial bite, usually very quiet, gentle on rotors.
- Cons: Lower friction and poorer high-heat performance compared to good ceramic or semi-metallic pads.
Organic pads are fine for easy cruising, but if you’re upgrading for performance, towing, or track work, you’ll usually land in ceramic or semi-metallic territory instead.
Best Pads for Daily & Spirited Street Driving
For daily-driven cars and trucks that still see the occasional on-ramp hero run or twisty back road, you want something that:
- Works immediately from cold.
- Survives a couple of hard stops without fading.
- Doesn’t sound like a city bus or turn your wheels charcoal gray in a weekend.
A great example in this category is Hawk HPS Street Brake Pads (SKU: HAWKHB249F.575). They’re designed as a performance street compound that bumps friction over stock pads and can provide significantly more stopping power and fade resistance, while remaining streetable for everyday use.
If your priority is comfort, cleanliness, and quiet operation for a daily driver, take a look at ceramic-based street pads such as Hawk Performance Ceramic Street Brake Pads (SKU: HAWKHB103Z.590). They’re built to keep noise and dust down while still offering an upgrade in pedal feel compared to many OE pads.
For most cars that live primarily on the street, a quality ceramic or mild semi-metallic pad in the Brake Pads collection is the sweet spot: better stopping power and consistency without making your commute miserable.
Best Pads for Track & HPDE
Track days and HPDE events are a completely different animal. Brakes get hot. We’re talking repeated heavy stops from highway speeds (and beyond), session after session.
For this kind of use, you’re looking for:
- High-temperature friction stability (the pad still bites when glowing-hot).
- Resistance to fade over long sessions.
- Consistent pedal feel as the brakes heat up.
Semi-metallic pads with aggressive street/track compounds are the usual starting point for dual-purpose cars. A pad like Hawk Wilwood HPS 5.0 Brake Pads (SKU: HAWKHB542B.490) is aimed at enthusiasts who want more friction and better fade resistance than a basic street pad, but still need to drive the car to and from the event.
Step up from there and you get into even more aggressive “fast road / light track” pads (for example, EBC’s Yellowstuff line in the EBC Brakes collection), which are engineered to handle repeated high-temperature use while remaining technically street legal in many applications.
The trade-offs for these more aggressive compounds:
- More noise and dust, especially around town.
- Some compounds need a little heat before they feel their best.
- They can be harder on rotors and may wear faster under heavy use.
If your car is a true dual-purpose build, consider having two sets of pads: a quieter street pad for daily use and a more aggressive set you install for track weekends. Your rotors and your sanity may both last longer.
Best Pads for Towing, Trucks & Off-Road
Tow rigs, trucks loaded for a road trip, and off-road rigs crawling down long descents ask a lot from their brakes. Extra weight and big tires mean extra heat and longer stopping distances if the pads aren’t up to the job.
For these setups, you’re looking for:
- Higher friction than typical OE pads.
- Good performance once warm and under repeated use.
- Predictable behavior when loaded and on long grades.
Upgraded semi-metallic or heavy-duty performance pads in the Brake Pads category are a solid choice for trucks and SUVs that tow. Many “truck & towing” or “performance” pads are tuned for higher temperature operation and improved pedal feel under load.
Some performance compounds, like EBC Yellowstuff (available for many trucks and SUVs in the EBC Brakes collection), are marketed as high-friction pads that are both track capable and well-suited to towing and spirited street use. That combination of bite and heat tolerance is exactly what you want when there’s a trailer or a bunch of gear behind you.
As always, match the pad to the job: if the vehicle is mostly a tow rig or off-road toy, favor heat capacity and consistency over dust and noise.
How to Read Pad Listings on WeSellPerformance.com
Once you know your use case and preferred material, shopping on WeSellPerformance.com gets a lot easier. A few tips:
Start in the Brake Pads Category
Head straight to the Brake Pads collection. From there you can:
- Filter by Brand (Hawk Performance, EBC Brakes, Centric Brake, etc.).
- Look at the product Type field in the details—this is where you’ll see labels like “Brake Pads - Performance” versus more OE-style offerings.
- Check the fitment list to confirm your exact Year / Make / Model / Submodel.
Use the SKU to Your Advantage
Every product page lists a specific SKU, like HAWKHB249F.575 or HAWKHB542B.490. If you already know the pad you want, you can simply search that SKU on the site—a huge time saver when you’re trying to match pads across multiple cars or axle sets.
We always include the SKU when we link specific parts in these posts so you can copy/paste right into the search bar or cross-check against your existing parts list.
Think in Systems, Not Just Pads
While pads are the star of this article, don’t forget about the rest of the braking system:
- Rotors: A performance pad on worn or glazed rotors won’t perform its best.
- Fluid: Old, boiled brake fluid can cause a soft pedal long before the pads are actually done.
- Hardware: Sliders, shims, and clips need to be clean and free-moving.
When you’re planning a pad upgrade, it’s worth browsing the Brakes section and the Tools, Supplies, and Fluids collection to grab fresh brake cleaner, high-temp grease, and any specialty tools you might need.
Install Overview, Tools & PPE
This isn’t a full step-by-step for every caliper on the planet—those details live in your service manual—but here’s what a basic pad swap usually looks like on many passenger vehicles:
- Prep the car: Park on level ground, set the parking brake (for rear drums or opposite axle), chock the wheels, and loosen lug nuts slightly before lifting.
- Lift & secure: Use a proper floor jack at approved lift points and support the vehicle with jack stands. Never rely on a jack alone.
- Remove old pads: Pull the wheel, inspect the caliper, remove the caliper bolts or guide pins, swing or remove the caliper, then slide out the old pads and hardware.
- Install new pads & hardware: Clean the bracket and contact points, install new shims/clips if included, compress the piston(s) as needed, then install the new pads.
- Reassemble & torque: Reinstall the caliper and torque fasteners to factory specs, reinstall the wheel, and torque lug nuts in a star pattern.
- Bed-in the pads: Follow the manufacturer’s recommended break-in procedure—usually a series of moderate stops to transfer an even layer of material onto the rotor.
- Floor jack and rated jack stands
- Wheel chocks
- Lug wrench or impact + appropriate sockets
- Metric and/or SAE socket set and wrenches
- Breaker bar (for stubborn caliper bolts)
- C-clamp, pad spreader, or caliper piston tool
- Wire brush and brake cleaner
- High-temperature brake grease for slider pins and pad contact points
- Torque wrench capable of wheel lug and caliper bolt specs
- Drain pan or catch tray for any drips
- Safety glasses and mechanic’s gloves
- Dust mask or respirator if you’re blowing out old dust
You can find many of these in the Tools, Supplies, and Fluids collection so you’re not stuck mid-job hunting for a missing wrench.
Working on brake systems is serious business. Always support the vehicle with appropriate jack stands on a solid, level surface, wear eye protection and gloves, and keep hands and tools clear of moving parts. Use a torque wrench and follow the factory service manual for your specific vehicle, including all torque specs and procedures. If anything feels beyond your skill level, stop and have the work inspected or completed by a qualified professional. Modifications or non-OE parts may affect warranty coverage or local regulations; check your manufacturer’s guidance and applicable laws before you wrench.
Wrap-Up & Share Your Setup
Brake pads aren’t just “wear parts”—they’re one of the easiest ways to tune how your vehicle feels and behaves. The right pad compound can:
- Make daily driving calmer and cleaner.
- Keep your pedal consistent during hard canyon runs.
- Help your tow rig stay composed on long downhill grades.
- Survive a full track session without going soft and scary.
Start by being honest about how you actually use the vehicle, pick the material and compound that suits that job, then use the filters and fitment info in the Brake Pads collection to dial in the right part number. If you’re stuck between two options, leaning toward “less extreme” is usually better for anything that spends real time on public roads.
Tell us your best (or worst) brake stories in the comments below! What pads are you running now, what do you drive, and how did they hold up—daily, towing, or at the track?
