Good info on brake choices and pads here. Thanks to all who contributed. Now I know a bit more that I did before reading this thread.

I have been riding motorcycles and depending on the need, have changed brake pads to aftermarket for better bite/performance on those that needed it. But if the braking performance is acceptable in the stock form, I have always stayed with the stock pads/rotors.

Yes, the brake dust is a pain in the ass to clean up, but the fact that I know the pads and rotors are designed for each other and for almost all of the conditions that I will encounter as a regular driver... I live with the clean up effort and frankly, the 'dirty' wheels (while they are dirty between my frequent washes) don't bother me since I know it is a sign of brakes working the way they were designed to do.