I bought Stoptech pads, based on overwhelmingly-positive reviews as concern the characteristics I'm most concerned about: good initial bite, good cold performance, long-ish life, easy on rotors, very slow to fade (and therefore trackable, should I go to a driving school). I also bought StopTech stainless lines, and ATE Type 200 fluid, as both are probably overdue anyway. Rotors are soon to be BMW Performance.. I'm sure I'll be investing in an economy-sized bottle of Sonax wheel cleaner, too...