All true...balance and a choice of qualities. Yes, brake pads are another area where you don’t get your cake and get to eat it too. You have to decide what’s the important quality to you. What I strongly disagree with however is your statement about performance. You make it sound like, and I get concerned that, some guys will read your comment about the stopping the car and get the impression it’s borderline unsafe when nothing could be further from the truth. Take the EBC Red pads I mentioned. Would I want them on the track? Probably not. Will they handle ANYTHING you could possibly throw at it on the street? Absolutely. Have had two sets and they’re awesome. Oh, and no noticeable excess rotor damage. IMO, and At the risk of sounding like my dad here, if someone’s exceeding the limits of a ceramic pad on the street, they’re a f#$&ing idiot anyways.