# Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!!



## Benjihana (Jul 2, 2004)

These are some TERRIBLE brakes, I almost got into a couple of major accidents because these brakes completely overheat and stop working. I had bought these brakes before and it did the same thing, but I always thought I had bed them in badly using bad rotors or they were just a faulty batch. But now that i got them again, i can see that they just suck period. I bed them in properly and got my rotors surfaced and now they are just as bad as the previous ones i had. If you try to use them hard, they start smoking. I was slowing down from a high speed run, and once i hit the brakes, the pedal just went right to the floor, and they started smoking and smelling really bad. The stock brakes are a million times better. I will never buy Mintex again. What is a good pad for a 11.0 95 gti setup?


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## machschnelGTI (Jun 28, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

I'd like to set you up with a set of Axxis Ultimates or Metal Masters....if you are not impressed I will send you your money back. E-mail me  [email protected]


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## Benjihana (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (machschnelGTI)*

whats the price


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## 97 Golf SC (Nov 14, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

You must have really been driving your car hard. I personally haven't had a single problem with my Mintex. They are definatly by no means a Performance brake, but I would say they can handle some spirited driving. They also have lasted probably 2 years on me.


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## Benjihana (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (1997 Golf GL)*

I don't know why, but its been like that twice, i have to change them soon so i don't get into any accidents.


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## Tjax (Feb 20, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

Mine have been on a year and they havn't failed on me, but yeah they aren't that great performance-wise and they aren't all that low-dust either from my experience. Get what ya pay for I guess.


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## machschnellGTI (Mar 17, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

What year/model/stock or big brakes?


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## 97 Golf SC (Nov 14, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (machschnellGTI)*

Are you sure you whole brake system is working correctly? What I mean is proper bled system, no sticking calipers, correct bias front and rear. Also when was the last time your fluid has been flushed through?
I have been commuting to work this summer 150 miles total round. And on rush hour with 80 some degree afternoons, and driving fairly quick I haven't had a problem. Been a couple of times where I had to brake hard to avoid something. Just as long as you give them some time to cool in between the pads should be fine. I am getting the rotors to turn blue due to the heat that the pads are able to put into them.


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## Benjihana (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (machschnellGTI)*

95 gti vr6 11.0" . I bleeded the lines about a 2 months ago, and the pads i had before this were better(junkies from autozone), but they cracked, so i had to get a new set. I have zimmerman rotors.


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## MikekiM (Aug 21, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Benjihana* »_and the pads i had before this were better(junkies from autozone), but they cracked, so i had to get a new set. 

So you blow right through 1 set of pads, then you blame the pads, and get mintex, and blow through those, and blame the pads again?
Sounds either like you need track pads, or something's wrong with your brake system.
Mintex are street pads for general purpose driving.


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## Benjihana (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (MikekiM)*

my braking system seems normal, how can i check it out?? I want to try a good set of pads or the original stock ones too see if i can diagnose a problem with the brake components,


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## Draksia (Nov 21, 2002)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (MikekiM)*


_Quote, originally posted by *MikekiM* »_
Mintex are street pads for general purpose driving.

Actaully Mintex red box pads are low dust oem equivalent s. They are not performance pads as people seem to believe.

I recomend feredo ds2500 pads.


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## hkgs300 (May 30, 2004)

The Mintex Red are oem replacement. Not a performance pad.
The Mintex Blue (1144 or 1155 formula) are the pads you need for performance.


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## sciroccohp (Jan 29, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

you sound like you drive like me call shine racing and get porterfield pads and they get better and better the hotter they get but still work when its cold.


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## ElectroMike (Jun 26, 2002)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Draksia)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Draksia* »_
Actually Mintex red box pads are low dust oem equivalent s. They are not performance pads as people seem to believe.


I have the Mintex Red with Brembo Slotted Rotors right not and IMO they are doing the job just fine for my need.
They are not LOW DUST as claimed though, for the first month running them, they produced less dust than the OEM's but once they broke in, I can only get 3 clean rim days out of the fronts, that's it and I do run them hot/cold/hot/cold at least 3-4 days a week for good 20 minutes.
To the post starter, I would defiantly try a performance set though, seems like there is either an issue with your brake components or you realy need a performance set of brakes to accommodate your driving style.


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## ChinaTownCBC (May 10, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (ElectroMike)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ElectroMike* »_
I have the Mintex Red with Brembo Slotted Rotors right not and IMO they are doing the job just fine for my need.
They are not LOW DUST as claimed though, for the first month running them, they produced less dust than the OEM's but once they broke in, I can only get 3 clean rim days out of the fronts, that's it and I do run them hot/cold/hot/cold at least 3-4 days a week for good 20 minutes.


I have the same setup as you except I use Brembo calipers. My Mintex Redboxes are ALSO not LOW DUST as claimed by the company. IMO, they dust much more than OEM pads. My Long Beaches always turn gunmetal after 2 or 3 days of daily commuting. Also, the brake pads gives off an unpleasant smell, but not a big issue.


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## gixxer4life (Feb 25, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (ChinaTownCBC)*

I have red box pads with Zimmerman cross-drilled rotors and they hold up fairly well under hard braking


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## greenburrick16v (Apr 26, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (1997 Golf GL)*


_Quote, originally posted by *1997 Golf GL* »_You must have really been driving your car hard. I personally haven't had a single problem with my Mintex. They are definatly by no means a Performance brake, but I would say they can handle some spirited driving. They also have lasted probably 2 years on me.


WERD!!


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## vdubjb (Feb 18, 2000)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (gixxer4life)*

please post this in the corrado forum, they wont listen to me,


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## phatvw (Aug 29, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

I've tried 4 different front/rear brake pad combinations now:
*OEM/OEM*
- good for the street
- pads can leave deposits causing warping under moderate usage
- big time fading on the racetrack
- *pads dissintegrate and pit with heavy usage*

*Hawk HP+/OEM*
- *way too noisy for street*
- excellent bite
- probably a good combo for the racetrack (I didn't try it)

*Mintex red/Mintex red*
- mediocre for the street
- squeaky on parking brake
- slightly less bite than OEM
- pads can leave deposits causing warping
- *very inexpensive*
- brake dust is easier to wipe off than from other pads
- probably not a good combo for the racetrack (I didn't try it)

*Ferodo DS2500/Hawk HPS*
- great for the street
- just a tiny bit noisier than OEM
- almost as much bite as Hawk HP+
- no fading on track
- ABS kicks in later (rear-bias is corrected by grippy Ferodo pads up front)
- very dusty all around
- *great combo for the racetrack*


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## patatron (Aug 10, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Benjihana* »_and once i hit the brakes, the pedal just went right to the floor
 
If your pedel went to the floor, you have other brake issues! Fading brake pads will not cause this to happen! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## MoTown-VW (Oct 8, 2002)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (patatron)*


_Quote, originally posted by *patatron* »_ 
If your pedal went to the floor, you have other brake issues! Fading brake pads will not cause this to happen! http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif









Exactly. You have bigger problems than just overheating pads. Flush your brake fluid. Check your calipers for drag. And (unless you're on a track) slow down.


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## 02GTI-VR6 (Dec 5, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (MoTown-VW)*

MIntex Red box are worst than OE to me as far as fade, I'm not suprised.


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## Questor (Sep 5, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (02GTI-VR6)*

Got to agree here...
New Cross Drilled and Slotted rotors front and rear (From APTuning) and Mintex RedBox pads...less than 1k on the setup...
Driving home today, and I had to brake HARD to avoid a collision, the fade was awful - the pedal went straight to the floor - no ABS activation, NOTHING...
Got home and the fronts are SMOKING, and the rears are completely toast - I mean GONE - there is almost NO friction material left, and a PILE of it on my wheels...
These had seen NO track usage, and NO abuse in the last thousand miles...
Grrrrr! That brake job took up a whole day, and now I'm gonna have to do it again - thanks a lot MINTEX - you've made an angry customer for life...
Low dust my ass...
I'll try to post some pics of my rears.


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## 16vrocco'86 (Aug 22, 2003)

You might want to look into some better brake fluid, you probably boiled it off and thats why you can't stop. Go bleed your brakes and then try them out.


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## 97 Golf SC (Nov 14, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Questor)*

Drilled and slotted rotors are known to greatly reduce the life of pads along with creating more dust that OEM style rotors. 
I would also have to agree with doing a full flush of your brake fluid.


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## Questor (Sep 5, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (97 Golf SC)*

I doubt my brake fliud was boiling after 20 mins of 40-55mph driving with little braking...
I don't think it's normal to see ALL the material from a pad with less then 1k on it whiff of like this...Has anyone else had this happen?!?
Updated broken img locations:




















_Modified by Questor at 1:33 AM 8-18-2004_


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## Sho (Nov 29, 1999)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Questor)*

Weird!







I have had my front cross drill and Mintex Red for 2 years, put about 40K on them. And joined 10 times Auto-x, the pads are like 85% left. Never fade on me, either smoke?


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## remman4 (Feb 4, 2003)

I have front/rear:
mintex with ATE powerdiscs/ OE with OE
I've been nothing but impressed with the stopping power, always had more than I've needed, even with standard DOT4 fluid...
I drive pretty freakin' crazy, HOW bad are you guys?!?


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## GT17V (Aug 7, 2001)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Benjihana* »_*I was slowing down from a high speed run, and once i hit the brakes, the pedal just went right to the floor, *and they started smoking and smelling really bad. The stock brakes are a million times better. I will never buy Mintex again. What is a good pad for a 11.0 95 gti setup?

Sounds like something is wrong with the brake system, either you have a leak, air in the lines, or something.....since the pedal shouldn't go to the floor that easily.
And yes, I have Mintex red with Zimmermans in the back. I do plenty of hard driving, and never failed me.


_Modified by GT17V at 1:16 PM 8-19-2004_


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## vr6ofpain (Feb 5, 2004)

Interesting, I always though the Redbox pads were supposed to be good. I remember that Skip Baber's driver school used them on their Neons and I assumed they were reputable.
My buddy was running them on his heavy 89 735iL with ATE slotted rotors in the front, OEM rotors in the rear. he said they sucked compared to his previous Pagid pads. He also got them to smoke.
I had bad luck with some EBC Greenstuffs. They didnt produce a lot of dust, as advertised, but they warped a new set of Zimmerman crossdrilled rotors and didnt perform well on the street. I put new front zimmermans(the rears werent warped), and new Ferodo Premier pads all around. I am much more impressed with the breaking. But they do dust more, but I could care less. I can wash that off. You cant wash off warped rotors.


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## 00vr6gti (Aug 9, 2004)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (phatvw)*

*Ferodo DS2500/Hawk HPS*
- great for the street
- just a tiny bit noisier than OEM
- almost as much bite as Hawk HP+
- no fading on track
- ABS kicks in later (rear-bias is corrected by grippy Ferodo pads up front)
- very dusty all around
- *great combo for the racetrack*
[/QUOTE]
I use the same combination for daily drivng. I love it. Works excellent on daily commute, but they really perform on a nice sprited drive.. Would recommend to anyone..


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## GLIJetta90 (May 2, 2002)

*Re: (remman4)*

Red Box, 11" cross drilled, 1 set of pads for over a year, not a ridiculously hard driver, never had a problem
Good Luck w/ your problem tho...










_Modified by GLIJetta90 at 2:46 PM 8-26-2004_


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## alexb75 (Dec 29, 2002)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Benjihana* »_If you try to use them hard, they start smoking. I was slowing down from a high speed run, and once i hit the brakes, the pedal just went right to the floor, and they started smoking and smelling really bad. 

If your pedal went to the floor, it means that your fluid was boiling, NOT THE PADS.... this is very typical with stock fluid if not changed for a while. Check the pads physically, I bet they're fine, if they are then just do a fresh fluid and the problem will be gone. 
Also, pls note that Mintex Redbox is NOT a performance pad and is not even advertised as one... so don't expect magic from them. 


_Modified by alexb75 at 11:58 PM 8-29-2004_


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## ruking (Apr 4, 2003)

*Re: Mintex Red Box pads - STAY AWAY!!! (Benjihana)*

This sounds more like a boiling brake fluid issue and using the wrong pads and possibly rotors for an "almost track like performance"
There is no free lunch in the braking department!








As a point of reality, 10 hard 60-0 stops and you are flirting with boil over and almost total brake fade. Most of the 60-0 test are done with a maximum of 4 hard stops.
There are a lot of options to be sure, but one thing is for certain, you can not continue to drive like you do and use so called "normal" street pads and or not change your rotors when your pads are changed! Your driving/braking behavior are making you an accident waiting for a place to happen!
Below is an informational link that can help you on the equipment side. 
http://www.bmwmarketplace.com/...s.cfm


_Modified by ruking at 8:45 PM 8-30-2004_


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