so, what's up with these ceramic duralast brake pads? anyone here use them and been to the track?

 

I think the only time I ever used AutoZone pads was when I was hurting for money (which is just about always), and I needed to do my brakes.... Kind of a last resort type of deal, I usually don't go with less than OE.

They work.... but I don't know about any perfomance braking with them.

 

I don't have any direct experience with them but I'm pretty certain they won't hold up at the track. They are not a performance street pad, basically they are a replacement for OEM. Be cautious of general marketing claims. Most modern pads have some "ceramic" compounds in them so just about anybody can call their pads "ceramic". Ceramic compounds are added to the complex mix of pad compounds to modify the friction coefficient (mu) and to minimize the quantity and color of dust. Your best bet is to stick with the OEM pads for general street use. If you are getting pad deposits on the street, or are autocrossing, a street performance pad like Hawk HP plus, Axxis Ultimates, Carbotech Bobcats, or Cobalt GT sports would be a better choice. If you're going to track the car on road courses beyond the novice category you should think about dedicated track only pads.

For more info than you probably want https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-55/brake-faq-167264/