the 7s are the oem style. the 5 is the Promax contender. I have avid mechs, weigh200 pounds,ride in slop and mud that at times goes above the rotor and say they are much better at stopping in bad conditions. if you ride flat,dry stuff only then stay with Vs but its good to have a brake that is better than your ability so you can improve into them without having to make a new monetary investment. if you go with the old style(or new 7s) you will be happy IMO. it may not seem like a huge difference at first but wait till you hit something new and have reliable stopping power in a condition you did not have before. I may never use the antilock featuer on the brakes on my truck but Im glad they are there in case I do. If you are gonna be downhilling go with a bigger rotor than the 165mm. Avid Mech are more than most people need as Maelstrom said but it sure is nice to have them when the pooh hits the fan @ 20+mph. the modulation only works good if they are set up correctly which is not hard to do if you follow the instructions and when set up correctly they rock. My new EBC golds have much better power than the C4s too