Ive ran cnc heatsink pads and backings for years........never had any problems with piston failure ...like prongs snaping ect ect... in all fairness just get mikes phat pads and backings in one hit......saves alot of messing around...and will work out less expensive than getting mikes compound and steves cnc heatsink backing.....running phat material with hsb cnc backings ul most probably have to cut a few mm of each pad to run nice once set up on your bike . i voted phat pads just because its less hasttle but like ive said never ever had any problems with the hsb cnc backings