i recently just swapped out my front and rear pads for hawk HPS pads and replaced the stock brake lines with mazdatrix SS brake lines. also changed the brake fluid to synthetic.

the first thing i noticed is that i have to push the brake pedal pretty damn hard to initiate braking. much harder than before with the stock setup. but it seems like if i were to track the 8 or put it through some tough twisties the brakes would remain consistent and bite well.

 

sounds like they're not bedded in yet

 

as soon as i got to drive the car around on an open road i attempted to bed in the pads. i did a few stops @ 30% braking then cooled down, few stops @ 50% braking cooled down, then two 80% stops.

 

here is how i bed in all my break pads :

5 stops from 40 mph, medium brake pressure, then let them cool
5 stops from 60 mph, almost full brake pressure, then let them cool

Now your done and ready to drive however. Also keep in mind that you shoul bed in NEW pads with OLD rotors, and NEW rotors with OLD pads.....never NEW/NEW.

With NEW pads (more compound) and SS lines and new fluid, the brake pedal should have LESS travel to start to bite. If you need to push it down MORE (distance) to make the pads start to bite, you could have air in the system.

With the SS lines, more of the brake force should go to move the caliper, vs expanding the line, so you should get more bite with less force from your leg.

Whats the overall review, does the car stop faster (have you done tests) or does it seem to stopping better?

I am doing new pads, lines and fluid in about 2 weeks.

 

i do feel like i have to give a little more effort to start braking but it could just be in my head.

after a few consecutive hard stops the brakes seem to hold up well (on the street not the track). i dont really like using my brakes hard on the street but when i do the car slows down in a HURRY. i need a bucket seat and harness actually before i can even begin to fully exploit the braking capabilties of the 8.

 

I recently upgraded my whole brake system. I went with blue synthetic fluid, slotted/x-drilled rotors, Hawk HPS pads, and Goodridge stainless steel lines. After everything was bedded in, it seems like a much firmer grab, less brake dust, no squeal, but foe some reason I don't feel less sponginess in the pedal, but maybe its my imagination.

 

:O Nope many pads require new rotors or resurfacing of old rotors to be properly broke in.

 

Useless thread resurrection... yet a free post for me yay!

 

Bumping an old thread.... I have similar symptoms as OP. Used mazdatrix stainless lines, and hawk hps pads all the way around. All rotors were resurfaced.
Ive had them on for a day or two and it seems like I have to really put my foot down to get them to bite. But once I do it really stops.... It also seems like when the pads are cold it doesn't brake very well. Pedal pressure is EXCELLENT, I'm positive there isn't air in the system.

I'm guessing it will go away in time, anybody else have a similar experience?

 

Update... done alot of research in the past day or so, and alot of people have these issues. Cold bite sucks, and it takes alot of pedal pressure to get them to bite.

Honestly, I don't feel these are better than OEM pads in any way shape or form. Buyer beware.

 

The HPS pads have a higher operating temperature than the stock ceramic style pads. Also, the HPS have a much softer initial bite to prevent upset of the suspension under heavy breaking.

I'm on my second set with both track and street experience. They are a good compromise. However if you are looking for street only performance then I would suggest sticking with a base street pad or OEM pads.

 

That's interesting because:

A. I didn't know the stock pads were ceramic

B. Its been really cold here lately. If the hawks have a higher operating temperature than the stock pads, that would likely add to the poor cold stopping performance. The first stop in the morning is especially bad.

 

I may have to amend that, the stock pads are either ceramic or organic. The material is designed for operating at lower temperatures since you don't see track temperatures on the street. Hawk has a set of ceramic pads that are designed for street use.

Believe me, the first time I got the HPS pads the first couple thousands miles I kept wondering if I made a wrong choice for pads. They do take a little bit of time to break in under just street driving conditions. I liked them enough to have bought a second set. I might go to something more aggressive for the track but I wouldn't use anything past the HPS if you stick with Hawk.

 

I had a similar issue I however got the hawks ceramic pads, what I found was that changing out the to SS brake lines I had to bleed the brakes twice, first bleed I got air out til no more came out, yet the brakes acted unresponsive, delayed and there was slightly more brake pedal travel then before,

I drove like this for a couple days then Bleed the brakes again, it seemed like using the brakes worked the air out of its Pockets? after getting more air out of the brakes lines I now have instant response and good grib

 

Well it was a whopping 20 degrees warmer today, and what a difference it made for the first few stops this morning. Pads are starting to feel better now too. I'll report back in a week and see where we are at.