Fast Street Pads: Ferodo vs Hawk

I have been running Ferodos as my high performance street pads for a long time now. Originally I had DS2000's which felt great. When they went away I moved to the DS2500's which were still great, but they seemed rather soft on cold stops, but got in operational temperature quickly.

Sure they were dirty and gave the odd squeek now and awhile, but I loved their feel.

But I have a new potential for my stables that needs brakes. My instinct says got back with Ferodos, but I've been looking at Hawk HPS because I can get them for half as much and have heard very good things about them.

Anybody have any experience in using both brands?

Went with hawk HPS for the e28 - if for no other reason - they're a GRM advertiser. They do a nice job hauling down 3100 lbs of cruiser. A little squeak on low speed stops and not horribly dusty. Much better feel than stock - good comments from pro drivers at the challenge as well.

What car? In any event, I ran Hawk HP+ on my old Miata year-round for 2 years including autocross, spirited street and daily driving. They were great once they got just a little heat in them but scary for the first cold stop in the morning. I'm currently running Ferodo FDB451 pads on my 944 Turbo. Not a ton of miles on them but so far they have been OK for street and one autocross but not really the bite I was expecting. The same pads are spec'd for Maseratis and Ferraris so I figure they should be able to stand up to spirited street use. They were cheap from RockAuto at about $100 for all 4 corners delivered FedEx from England.

I vote Hawk HP+ for a DD with track use. Yeah they don't bite really well the first stop or two, but you get use to that after driving it once, so not a big deal.

I have the HPS on my Ti.. never had a single problem in any weather hauling it down for a corner from extra legal speeds

Nice, the HP+ sounds like it acts just like the DS2500's. That's why I was looking at the HPS's just because they sounded like they'd act more like the older DS2000's. A hairless maximum stopping torque, to get that better feel on the first stop.

Its going to be going onto an '87 Scirocco 16v. Its mostly DD use, spirited driving, and if this car can hold itself together, maybe I can get an occasional AutoX in.

I ran HPS's on my RSX for 5 years including autox action and never had any reason to switch away from them.

Stop nicely even in the winter.

i autocrossed miatame's 99 m3 with HPS's and they felt really good (though spongy, but thats probably rubber lines) plus he says theyre quieter and MUCH cleaner on the street with good initial bite.

we run HP+ on the e30 challenge car and i LOVE them. they are squeaky in normal driving and dust a bit, though probably still less than oem bmw pads. i've never felt they needed more than a tap to get good initial bite, but the car weighs only 2370# so perhaps "poor" initial bite is still better than most, and theyre pretty awesome hot.

HP+ pads on my EP3, no complaints, no regrets; excellent brake pad.

I've tried the HPS on my FD and my Miata. I don't like them all that much. My main complaint is with regards to the bite. It just never feels like there is enough bite. Doesn't inspire much confidence.

I prefer the Axxis Ultimate pads over the HPS pads b/c they have better feel.

I'm going to get in on this but not to highjack. Just a parallel inquiry.

We are getting ready to choose pads for out 24 Lemons car ('94 Celica GT) and I was planning on getting Hawk Blue's for the front and maybe HP+ on the rears. Anyone have any endurance racing pad advice?

For combo street and track, I actually prefer Porterfield to both of the brands you mention. Just another data point to consider.

another possible data point could be ceramic pads? I don't have any experience with them, but maybe someone on here does?

Not a fan of the Hawk street pads. The HPS doesn't have good bite, the HP+ has good bite but eats up the rotors, dusts immensely and is very noisy.

The Hawk Blues are extremely old tech pads, you're better with a set of HT10's.

amg_rx7 wrote: I've tried the HPS on my FD and my Miata. I don't like them all that much. My main complaint is with regards to the bite. It just never feels like there is enough bite. Doesn't inspire much confidence. I prefer the Axxis Ultimate pads over the HPS pads b/c they have better feel.

Wow, glad I held off a bit on buying.

I've heard many good things on Porterfields, but they cost about as much as the Ferodos. Seeing as how the budget for this car is getting stretched thin (hence why I'm going away from my trusted name) is why I was looking at Hawks in the first place. But they sound interesting for next pad set.

The Axxis sound good though, Ferodos were dirty birds too, but good bite on the cheap ($50 a set) sounds good to me.

I've had good experiences with Hawk HPS on several cars, everything from Hondas to a Jeep Cherokee to my current Miata. They provide good stopping power even when cold, good fade resistance, and aren't too dusty.

Other's are complaining about the lack of "bite", and I like that they apply a progressive amount of stopping power based on your pedal pressure, it is easy to give a small amount of smooth braking. I've had pads in the past with "bite" and it was harder to give just a little bit of braking without upsetting the balance of the car. For a DD, lack of hard initial bite is a good thing, as long as they have the friction needed to give maximum braking with reasonable pedal force. These aren't track pads.