Ok, update number 2.

Yea, I went with the HPS pads. By the time you suggested the more aggressive pads, I had the HPS's ordered. These will see street use, so I'm happy with them. I absolutely loved the improvement. The brakes were the best thing about the entire car today.






I started off the day by braking even earlier given that I had new brakes and then increased braking force. After the second lap it was clear the brakes were solid and I could start going deeper and deeper. This new confidence made the 4 hard braking zones a ton of fun. As a result of more confidence, not having to baby the brakes, and just plain better equipment, I was going in waaay deeper even in the first session. I continued to ride them as hard as I dared all day long and had no signs of fade or really bad fried pad smells.


I don't mean to hi jack my own thread by turning it into a trackday recollection, but by the 3rd session of the 1st day the car was way down on power and the rpms just didn't want to climb in the 3k-4.5k range (right in the middle of the freaking powerband for a stock 5.0) Even with a better (than the car passing me) exit, I couldn't pull on anything in a straight line other than an E30, a 914, and maybe a couple of other cars. This made point by's the order of the day. So with no real power and decent, but slightly (or maybe more than slightly) subpar handling, the brakes were the most fun part of the car today.


I don't know what the engine problem is yet. I'll now go about checking my coil wire, plug wires, fuel pump, fuel filter, and catalytic converters (all 4 of them.) The air filter wasn't plugged. This isn't an engine diagnostic thread now; I'm just pointing out that the brakes really made my day, especially in light of other issues . . . now I'll problem go make an engine trouble shooting thread in an appropriate section.



and yea, track day