OEM pads or aftermarket?

[sixpot]

I've got to replace my front and rear brake pads soon, and was wondering what the original VW ones are like? I've only ever had EBC yellowstuff on the front and Ferodo's on the rear (unsure which type)
They have lasted well, and I've been happy with the performance of them, but the OEM pads must be up to the job surely?

[MAT ED30]

stock pads are fine up front and dont bother putting anything else in as its just not worth it oh and u could get done by your insurance  stock pads unless you have big brakes

[Richn83]

Just fitted a set of OEM pads up front, was easy job, and they seem to be bedding in and giving me good stopping power.

[animal]

stock pads are fine up front and dont bother putting anything else in as its just not worth it oh and u could get done by your insurance  stock pads unless you have big brakes

Stock OE pads on the rear for road use, always. Anything more is a total waste of money.

However, there is value is some decent (i.e NOT EBC) fast road front pads. At the risk of starting to sound like a Ferodo fanboy, I fitted some DS Performance pads to my old car (heavy diesel which in my opinion was under-braked). Unlike DS2500/DS3000 these are completely legal and type approved for road use. They behave like normal pads when cold but warm up very quickly and have quite a bit more bite when heated up.

They were an excellent investment and improved the braking significantly, they had real bite on OE disks and were nice and progressive. They also saved me from injury and a large insurance claim after an emergency stop (through no fault of my own!) on the motorway - I'm convinced that the OE pads would've taken a few more metres to stop - space I didnt have at 70(ish)mph. They also weren't as dusty as the OE pads. Woth noting this was a Ford, not a VW.

The only thing to add is that I can get Ferodo pads at trade price plus a discount, so they were a lot cheaper for me than even OE pads which helped the decision. I'm not one for wasting money on stuff I dont need (i.e. huge brakes for road use) but IMHO if better pads cost about the same and are legal, why not?

From a safety stand point, better, legal pads surely aren't going to hurt?

[pazz]

I thought DS2500's were very dusty.

Generally aftermarket pads are always a little more dusty than OEM's so be prepared to wash your wheels a bit more.

[animal]

I thought DS2500's were very dusty.

Generally aftermarket pads are always a little more dusty than OEM's so be prepared to wash your wheels a bit more.

I was using DS Performance pads (the new DS2000), much better than the OE ones that had been on there previously. Nothing could possibly be worse than the new OE pads on my R32 - all four wheels are black and i've been gentle with them too.