Guys, I used to do some amateur road racing and was a high performance in car driving instructor. As a result, I became obsessed with braking components. I ran a Corvette with 6 piston Wilwood calipers and two piece rotors in the front and heavily modified "stock" components in the rear. I eventually ran NOTHING but Performance Friction pads. I learned the hard way, chomping up expensive rotors and pads, including the brand most mentioned in this thread. Often at the beginning of the very first day, guys would tell me that they had just installed new Hawk pads (various compounds) and new rotors. I hated to burst their bubble right off the bat, but I told them that their rotors would be shot after the first day. They were incredulous...didn't believe me. Later that weekend they would seek me out to ask me how I knew. It was purely based on experience and observations over a broad course of time.
So here are my thoughts and comments: if you are simply trying to maximize your otherwise stock brake componets, I would recommend Performance Friction Z rated pads. They have a little more bite upon initial application, and really whoa you down when they get a bit hotter. They will last longer than stock, and will NOT chew up your rotors. PFC also makes a "Highway" pad that will work better than OE, but not quite as good as the "Z" pad when hot. Both are MUCH cheaper than OE pads, and more effective. I just replaced the like new fronts on my LTZ because I wanted better brake performance and paid $54 online for the "Z" pads. I forgot just how good these things were!
Now here's the trick if you want these pads and your rotors to last dang near forever...you MUST bed them in properly. Even though with the "Z" compound it's not required. Here's how I do it: After install, that night I drive it to an empty industrial park and make about 4-5 runs from about 50 mph down to virtually zero. (DO NOT KEEP YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE AFTER "STOPPING" OR YOU WILL WARP YOUR ROTORS!) After this series of runs, I take a ride in the country for about 10-15 minutes where I don't need to brake, to let everything cool down. That's it. During that process, it will become very clear that instead of fading, those pads really get more effective. I hope you can benefit by this experience and very cost effective upgrade.