My first concern is to reduce the amount of brake dust on my polished rims. Outside of this, I am happy with the stopping force, disc wear, and lack of noise. When I first got the car, the pedal was high and hard. It was not linear at all. After a little break-in, they were good. I do not ask a lot from my brakes. However, they make 5X too much dust
I called tech on the Hawk pads. The guy I spoke with was really knowledgeable. He told me some things I did not even think about. All good stuff, but he tried to talk me into the 5.0s. He admitted that they would make a bit more dust, and that it would be darker dust as compared to the ceramics. He also admitted that there might be a bit more noise too. But, the increase in braking power would make it all worthwhile.
It would seem to me that greater braking power would mean more disc wear and heat. There would be greater potential for noise, and dust over the ceramic. Tech said that the Ceramic will stop better than the stock pads.
Given my prime objective of less dust, and minor concern for disc wear and noise, I am not even considering the 5.0s. Especially if the ceramics stop better than the stock pads to boot. I am looking for input from anyone how has tried both on a ZL1. Tell me why the 5.0 would be the better choice.