I actually take my protege out on the track and autocross it. I have abused my pads and rotors to death. I have 14k mi. on the car and at this point, under hard braking, there is a shudder. A clear sign that the rotors are warped. It's not huge, but it's noticeable. The rotors were warped from excessive heat, and it is in the front rotors not the rear. The problem showed up near the end of the last track day I went to. The pads are pretty worn out in the front and just starting to get there in the rear. I get my advice from people who race competitively on at least a monthly basis. Tri-Point recommends the Hawk HP Plus brake pad for a person that uses their vehicle the way I do (frequent autocrosses and occasional track days combined with daily driving). They recommend them for the front only and recommend using the stock pads out back. It's all you need. Since purchasing the Hawks, I've been told by an experienced road racer that they have a tendancy to be a little harsh on rotors, although the HPS versions may be a little better in that respect than the full race version of their pads, and that Porterfield pads offer the best combo of performance and rotor kindness. None of these people have recommended anything but putting a new set of stock rotors on the vehicle. Since I autocross I qualify to be a member of the Mazda Motorsports team support program. Through this program I can buy genuine Mazda parts for a discount through them. I just purchased the new front rotors yeaterday for $28 ea.! So I've figured out why I was told to just replace the stock rotors with stock rotors. There is the distinct possibility that I will still overheat a set of cross-drilled or slotted rotors and still have to replace them just as soon as a set of stock rotors. It's going to get real expensive to replace $325 worth of brake gear every 4-5 months when I can get 2 new front rotors, a set of rear brake pads and a set of high performance front pads for around $150.
