Really Need Help With Choosing Pads!

**lawrenceSA** · 11-06-2014, 07:04 AM

If you want to maximise your PC, then a 5" BP with some Lake country 5.5" Hydrotechs is a good place to start.

With a DA the smaller the pad, the better the cut - opposite to a rotary - and so if you can afford to, you should also look at a 3" (or is it 3.5") BP with some 4" pads for the tighter areas.

For the Hydrotechs get yourself some Cyan for compounding, Tangerine for Polishing and Crimson for final polishing/glaze/LSP type work.

**surfn8r** · 11-06-2014, 09:06 AM

If you get Mike Phillip's The Art of Detailing, you will find all the info you need to choose the right pad for the right job and the right product...It was extremely helpful to me..:

**Garyhw48** · 11-06-2014, 04:38 PM

Originally Posted by surfn8r

If you get Mike Phillip's The Art of Detailing, you will find all the info you need to choose the right pad for the right job and the right product...It was extremely helpful to me..:

I agree that this will help, but as Mike has said in his videos there are no standards on the colors and types of pads and it makes things really confusing. Seeing them on a video or in a picture is a lot different than holding them and trying them on a buffer.

I have personally wasted hundreds of dollars on different pads not knowing which ones to buy. It almost seems like a racket the way this is being handled. I have a cabinet full of pads that I will probably never use.

Right now the consensus of opinions seem to favor the LC Hybrid pads. I don't know why because I haven't purchased any yet. One advantage of the Hydro-Tech pads are there are only three colors to choose from, blue cutting, orange polishing, and red finishing. But to be honest I think I got better results using CCS pads on my last car.

It would really be nice for me if the pad manufacturers would at least try to standardize some kind of system to make this a little less confusing. I haven't helped you at all but one thing I would recommend is don't waste as much money as I have trying to figure out which pads to buy. Get some more opinions from the other guys on this site and good luck.

**Garyhw48** · 11-06-2014, 06:40 PM

Check out the new thin pads from Meguiars that Mike just posted pictures of. I am ordering some of these as soon as they are available.

I don't think we will be disappointed. Hope they come out soon.

**Blade** · 11-06-2014, 07:16 PM

What others said - on the PC, use pads no bigger than 5.5". My very first mistake was getting the AG kit that was offered with the PC back then. They were 6.5" pads, this was years ago, probably not offered anymore due to the conflicting but correct advice on this forum.

I spent a whole day polishing my vehicle with those pads. The results looked great until the panels were viewed under bright halogen lights and then the nasty swirls became visible. A few months later, I tried again with 5.5" and 4" pads without varying my technique or product. The results were outstanding!

**blown03** · 11-20-2014, 08:41 AM

Still being somewhat new to corrections and using my PCXP . I think it is way worth your money and time to have both 4 " and 5" backing plates . Even 3" . But if I had to only choose one it would be 4" . That would be because Lake Country 4" pads are not tapered so you can cut in close around emblems ,taillights etc.. really nice . I think it was already mentioned but being smaller they do spin better .I cant imagine a 6.5" pad let alone 9" on a pcxp .. I also tend to have way more pads that I need . I'm not so good about cleaning them on the fly , they are not cheap but also not all the expensive , I rather have to many on hand then not enough and have to order them and wait ? days for more .

This is from an hobbyist point of view though ,I'm sure the Pro's can do allot more with allot less . I'd add one more thing if this is your first time .You may want to have a couple different name brands of polish on hand to choose from ..Or even several within a given brands line . You may find you'll have better luck with one then another and again , having to order stuff online and wait for it can be a bummer bringing your otherwise simple and fun project to a screeching halt turning it into a bad experience . Hope this helps some......