I know everyone has different experiences, however I've used Mintex on other cars and they were fine, I wouldn't say they were an upgrade but certainly OEM quality.
That said I haven't tried them on the GTI so perhaps the standard OEM compound is better than the Mintex ones.
The devil in me wants to try the grooved discs out
![evilgrin :evilgrin:](https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/Smileys/newsmileys/evilgrin.gif)
But the sensible head just says keep it standard. I'm only Stage 1 K03 btw.
If I was stage 1 K04 I'd defo be looking for a better pad upfront at the very least.