A – This is a theory that his been in the industry for years. While I will agree that it would be a waste of money to buy a high end carpet and use a low quality pad, the thought that you can put a high quality pad under a low end carpet and expect great performance has never sat well with me. It would be like taking a Yugo and installing a Corvette engine, its not going to make the car handle like a Corvette. Pad is important, but it does not make sense to buy a .40 S/F carpet and install a .60 S/F pad. The quality of the carpet and amount of traffic expected should have some bearing on the type of pad used. We wont tell you to buy the most expensive pad if its not needed for your situation.