Thanks. I will check them out.

Axxis ceramic pads give better braking performance but I found they generate equal amount of dusts, which I was told before making a decision. For a heavier vehicle like your X, ceramic pads are not a bad choice.

If you'd like OEM-like braking performance with less dust, Axxis deluxe plus is your choice. I have deluxe plus on my 330ci and absolutely love them! I hardly need to clean my wheels.

.:WELCOME TO AXXIS BRAKES:.

I wouldn't go that far.

X5 Meister
Do you disagree about the braking performance. Is their a better option out there that reduces brake dust? or did I interpret you quote incorrectly?

F16driver

I've yet to see any OBJECTIVE testing showing that dustless pads made out of ceramic, or kevlar, or whatever the hell are better than the stock OE BMW pads but produce less dust. Brake pads are a complicated animal. Most important thing about them is their temperature operating range. I believe BMW has designed their braking systems and associated pads to operate in the temperature range that they expect their cars to be in. If your going racing, clearly you need different pads than if you are going to pick up a case of beer at the store (then again the two scenarios might be the same!). I've tried tons of different things and frankly dustless pads to me that work as well as stock sound about as good as rotors that never wear or tires that last 100,000 but grip better than racing slicks.

Is it front pads and rotors or all around pads and rotors? My dealer quoted me $1600 for all around pads and rotors. Needless to say I did it myself for $400 in parts.

x5pdx, who is your INDY? (PM me if you want)

koister2001, I also have Axxis Deluxe plus on my coupe. I liked them at first since they have very little dust but I miss that initial "bite" that the OEM pads have, I also noticed that the pedal effort is increased greatly (especially under hard braking) and they don't have that same feedback at the very limit when ABS starts to kick in. Did you notice this? I'm considering going back to OEM pads actually...

My experience is subjective, but I have put Axxis Deluxe pads on several vehicles, and have run them back to back against stock pads. I don't think of the Axxis Deluxe as a full ceramic pad, but it is sold as ceramic, and it is probably semantics.

My experience is not that the pads are better braking. In my case, they had almost identical pedal feel, same cold performance, same hot performance, and almost zero dust. Balanced against that was occasional noise when cold, usually after having been parked for a week at the airport, until they had one firm stop on them at which point they were completely quiet.

I did find the Axxis Deluxe pads to be more demanding in terms of requiring bedding in when first installed. It wasn't hard, it was essentially doing 5 or so hard stops and then letting them cool down. Until I did that procedure, they did not have the same pedal feel. OEM pads are designed to require less in the way of bedding in, to have excellent street performance, and to make dust. The dust is a product of the carbon black, which is added to the pad compound purposely. It is a filler in the pad. There are other fillers that work well in its place. One of the reasons that filler is used is that it makes the pad very quiet, helping to avoid the occasional noise. BMW and other manufacturers are partly driven by reducing warranty costs, and brake pad noise is a perennial warranty complaint.

Meister notes that there are pads designed for track purposes which have very different characteristics. Very true. For street use, you need a pad that works from cold. Don't put a race pad on thinking that it is better because it is designed for racing, unless you are going racing.

Not sure about the 100,000 mile tires, or infinite rotors, but I believe that it is possible to get very similar performance to OEM pads from aftermarket pads that don't use carbon black as a filler. It is actually very possible to get better performance in one or two characteristics, if you are willing to trade off something else. To me, the Axxis Deluxe pads are a better compromise all around than the OEM pads, which are themselves a compromise, same as every other design.

I agree with others in that the braking sensation is subjective and widely differs depending on your braking habit and operation conditions. As JCL pointed out, proper bedding procedure seems critical to bring the performance of the dustless pads up to its design specification.

I found from my experience it is relatively difficult to bring the temperature of the ultimate pads high enough to properly bed compared to deluxe pads. It is a tough call what fits best for your need, but based on inputs from other experts, you probably already know what you want to get.

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.