Paid article presented by Hawk Performance
photos courtesy of Hawk Performance
Hurtling down the road or track in a car is one of the best feelings in the world. One better: Bringing all of that speed down to a controlled, safe stop. Brakes are a huge deal in our world, and companies like Hawk Performance make them work their best. …
It's disappointing that when I do a product search by vehicle on their website they only go as new as 2017.
I've got a 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE...
In reply to mspeedP5 :
I'm sure a phone call would be effective.
For sure, give them a call.
My 2006 MX-5 just got a sweet upgrade. From parts store ceramic pads to HPS 5.0 all around. My butt dyno says it was at least a 50% improvement in stopping power. And since physics says deceleration is just negative acceleration I can now brag about having 300 “brake” horsepower.
I'm disappointed they discontinued the Street Race pads, the DTC-30 compound worked just as well on the street and cold as the HP+ but with an extra 300 degrees of temperature capacity on top for track days.
Adam
I've loved Hawk pads for a long time but for track duty I can't seem to find a good fit. DTC-30's get hot and only last 2 track days, I don't think I got the 60's hot enough, and the 50's got bad reviews and I'm not sure they're around anymore. About to try some Raybestos ST43...
I ran a set of HPS street/autox for 100,000 miles until they needed replacement and I like that they switch with track pads without rebedding. I also run the SuperDuty on my SUV and they are great- good cold bit, no dust or noise unlike the description surprisingly. I tried the Street/Race (DTC-30) on the street and it was a nightmare! Squealed like a dump truck and left a race weekend layer of dust after one drive to work.
I run the 5.0 on my Fiesta ST and they are a great dual-use pad. They offer good modulation and plenty of stopping power at the autocross, but are easy to live with on a daily driver. Noise and brake dust are the same as an OEM pad.
I ran their race pad for track days and agree that they are amazing on the track, but not acceptable for the street. They stop fine on the street, but the level of brake dust is hard to keep up with and they are noisy. For hauling a car down on track though, they are worth the investment.
I really liked the DTC-60's on my RX-8, but unfortunately they didn't make track pads for both ends of my 2015 WRX, so I had to go elsewhere.
I ran the Superduty front / HPS rear combo on the Jeep for a while. I ended up switching away for a couple of reasons. A big one was the forced front / rear mis-match as the Superduty pads weren't available for the rear. Beyond that, the fronts dusted like crazy, but it was mostly rotor dust, not pad dust. They ate rotors. Like 2 sets of rotors down to minimum thickness and the pads weren't shot yet. They did stop very well with a little heat in them though and they tolerated heat well. In cold weather they were a little wooden and sketchy until they warmed up a little. And a panic stop at 10* outside was a full second of "oh E36 M3" while the pads warmed up and then you were eating windshield. Contrary to Hawk's warnings, I only heard them make noise once or twice in probably 90k miles with that combo (2 sets of pads).
The replacement pads for the Jeep were a set of Carbotech AX6s. They dust even worse than the Hawks, but it's all pad dust so it cleans off much more easily. 20 minutes of bedding and my front wheels went from clean to completely black. Stopping power when warm is slightly better than the Hawks, but cold bite is noticeably better, especially in cold winter weather. They are louder though. If they're stone cold or good and hot, they're quiet. If they're normal street driving in warm weather temperature and I brake too lightly in traffic, they squeal. Brake harder and they get quiet.
Heat tolerance seems just a hair better than the Hawks, but nothing major. I got the Hawks to fade slightly once or twice, but only really beating on them. After bedding, I've never been able to fade the Carbotechs, but I'm not sure I've pushed them quite as hard.
Both pads do have a slight flaw for street driving: I'm too light on the brakes. So they don't stay bedded in all that well and start to lose bite. The Hawks took a bit more to get them re-bedded and keep them bedded in, the Carbotechs just took a little bit of me remembering to brake harder at times, especially when it's cold.
The Hawks do carry one big advantage though. They're less than half the price. Oh, and they're actually in stock at places when you order them. Unlike the Carbotechs which cost cubic dollars and when I ordered them, I had to wait about 10 days before they shipped. I'm pretty sure it was something like "oh hey, someone actually ordered those Jeep pads we put in the catalog, I guess we should make some."
I am a huge fan of HAWK pads, they go on everything I keep.
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