Brad, how long do your Pagids last? I ran R14s but would fry them in just over a day. I switched to PFC 01s and they last three days...barely. Dunno how that reflects on my skill (or lack thereof) but the PFC 01 outperformed any pad I've ever used.
What is the cost of Neo synthetic? I've never tried it but I've tried every other brand and Castrol SRF wins hands down.
Chuck:
I used the same pads and on a technical track like Buttonwillow Raceway (3 miles long with 23 turns) I ate the set in a day. On a less technical track like Willow Springs, they do just fine. These pads came highly recommended by the guys at Stop Tech. I don't think that there were many other options of the heavier duty racing pads for Stop Tech brakes.
I was thoroughly impressed by the feedback, pedal feel and the fact that when they really heated up, they were still very predictable and did not get gooey and greasy feeling. You are correctthat they are not as durable as some of the others, but I can't think of a better feeling pad.
I currently use Hawk HP+ and they seem to be a pretty solid pad. I don't care for the amount of dust it throws up, but that's just cosmetics for my daily driver GTS. It takes a little bit of time for them to warm up in the morning and the eat up rotors pretty good... but that also means they bite pretty good too.
The Neo brake oil can be found at
http://www.neosyntheticoil.com/contents.htm and
http://www.neosyntheticoil.com/bkfluid.htm . I don't care much about cost when it comes to lubricants and oils. I just want the best protection that I can buy because I plan to keep this car for the duration and pass it onto one of my kids. I have not tried the Castrol in quite a few years, so I cannot give you a fair assessment or comparison.
The one thing that you can depend on Neo is that they do not sponsor any teams. The racing teams that use Neo, pay for it. They are used in every major racing series recognized in the world. The money that you spend does not go into race sponsorship or advertising. Neo depends on word of mouth advertising. When you see a team sponsored by Redline, Amsoil, Mobil 1 or Royal Purple, they are being paid to use their stuff.
When I am on a very technical track like Buttonwillow where your brakes get more than their fare share of stress and heat build up; Neo has never failed me. By the way all of Neo's products are 100% synthetic and NOT blends. That means that their cleaners and suspension components are also 100% synthetic too.
That's my $.02. Sorry that it took a bit to reply, because I have been in and out of bed sick with a respiratory infection for more than 2 weeks. Give Neo a try and talk to them by phone. They will answer all of your questions... unfortunately, the owner Paul Baker passed away this past summer. PJ his son has taken over the reigns.
Brad
