Ferodo DS2500s are insanely good pads for do-everything. I keep mine on for autocross and street driving. Switch to DS3.12/DS1.11 for track. The 2500s DO work on track, but as you get more experienced you'll start to push them to the point of fading. They are NOT a dedicated track pad, but I have absolutely no issues recommending them for someone who wants to try a track day or two. They lose "bite" very progressively once you start to exceed their temp range. A lot of other pads tend to just fall off with much less warning. Difference being one you miss the apex and use a bit too much of the track... the other you slow down some but not enough to not drive straight off the track. I've got 15k miles on my DS2500s including street driving and 4 days at VIR... I'll measure them next time I have the wheels off, but I'm almost positive they're still over 15mm total thickness last I checked (new is 19mm, backing plate is like 7mm of that IIRC).
On my last car (a 97whp Mazda2) I was going through Carbotech AX6/8/10 and G-Loc R8/10/12s (tried them all) every 4 days on track. That car only saw triple digit speeds a handful of times. The GTI sees 130+mph regularly with the 3.12/1.11 combo while weighing 1000lbs more, and the pad combo has seen 7 days, with another 2 or 3 days possible before needing to change the fronts out. I don't think the rears will ever wear out. Granted different platforms and all that... but the odds seem stacked in the favor of the tiny car. You get what you pay for. The Ferodo 2500s you can get through FCP Euro and have lifetime replacement to offset the cost in the future.
I will say the G-Loc and Carbotech compounds I ran felt AMAZING, particularly when it comes to trailbraking. I do NOT know how their 1521/Bobcat compounds(street) would compare as I haven't run those myself.
People are very opinionated about brake pads, myself included:
The only people who run Hawks are cheap bastards and people who get them for free via contingency dollars. Even those people eventually sell their hawk certificates somewhere once they figure out they're faster when they're not using crap pads. I know of several people who ran Carbotech or G-Loc brakes on track for NASA TT but with Hawk stickers for contingency just to sell off the certificates.
I WILL say the HPS 5.0 compound is not bad at all for a daily/auto-x compound. They're not as bite-y as I typically prefer but they're not terrible. Used on track once and burned through a whole set of new pads in 2 days FWIW. I wasn't expecting much out of them there, but it was my first HPDE and was what I had on hand.
EBC are overhyped. Have not put them on any of my personal vehicles, but have seen several cars totaled on track at VIR when they crumble or separate from the backing plate. Probably never going to experience that autocrossing or street driving but they're nothing remarkable.
I can definitely sympathize about the Ferodo prices... I'm about to purchase another set of DS3.12s for the front - those run $475. But they LAST and ultimately should end up being cheaper in the long run. At some point I do intend to give Carbotech AX12s a shot (or go straight to 20s) as I did really like the feel of them particularly on brake release - but I have rotors already bedded in the Ferodo compound, and may be changing pads in the middle of a 3 day event so don't want to make a complete change just yet.
