Im looking to get some new pads, I know about Hawk HPS.

My car is mainly a daily driver with some track time here and there.

Im going to do the works with SS brake lines, and I already have irotors.com rotors.

The rotors have gotten good reviews on Mercedes forums as well as BMW forums, so I figured Ill give them a shot.

Thanks.

 

For street use, I'd recommend OEM or something mild, like a Hawk HPS or Axxis Ultimate.

For track use, you want something with a higher working temperature range. Hawk HP+ are okay for mild track use on a light car, but I'd personally suggest something more aggressive like a Carbotech XP8/XP10. These pads will give you fade-free performance at the elevated brake temps seen during extended track use.

The downside to good track pads is that they don't work well when cold or wet and they tend to be very abrasive on rotors. By contrast, street/autocross friendly pads tend to fade easily and wear very quickly at the elevated temperatures seen during track use. This means that good track pads typically aren't good autocross/street pads, and vice versa.

For the best of both worlds you need a set of street/autox pads and a dedicated set of track pads. If you're already changing wheels and tires at a track event, it doesn't take much longer to swap pads while you're there.

Stay away from pad compounds that claim to be "street/track friendly". Typically what this means is elevated noise, dust, and rotor wear on the street, worse cold and wet performance than OEM, and not enough temperature range to avoid pad fade during hard or extended track use. In other words, pads that are marketed as capable both on the street and the track tend to be the worst of both worlds.

 

I thought this was the case as well until using the Porterfield R4S. It dusts little, is very quiet and has decent cold bite on the street. At the track, it has taken a beating and does not fade (where I would get some fade from the HP Plus in similar scenarios). The one thing I don't like about the R4S is the almost nonexistent initial bite, which takes some getting used to- but does eliminate any tail wiggle under threshold braking due to the less abrupt weight transfer forward under initial braking.

 

My friend who has M5 got recommend from M5 club for Posi quiet (ceramic).
He has it for a while and like it so he also recomnend me.

I have never try other brand so I only can compare with oem.

Posi quiet offers better stopping power even when it is very cold or in hot day.
It has not rain here yet since I got new brake so no comment on that.
No noise problem.
Never have brakw dust problem either. If oem will give you 10 in 0-10 dust problem. Posi will be around 2. Dust is light gray, not easily visible. Also Ceramic dust is also alot easier to clean.

Thats all from street use.

 

I like the Porterfield brakes too.

Check out their website.

 

I have a set of Hawk HP+'s for sale for $5 plus shipping if you are interested.

 

I was somewhat disappointed with HPS Performance Ceramic brakes. They have a worse-than-stock initial bite, which I miss (but, it's true, you do get used to it), and I did one HPDE with them on a smaller/shorter track (NHMS in Loudon), where they held up fine. Of course, I'm a newbie driver and my braking was not as hard as a good driver.

I was talking to a fella with an RX-8 at the track, who has one of the XP-series Carbotechs. He just throws them in the night before the track day, drives to the track and back in them. He doesn't use them as a daily brake pad because they dust a lot. Changing the pads is fairly straightforward, just undo one bolt and you can swing the caliper open.

 

[QUOTE=altiain;2496948]For street use, I'd recommend OEM or something mild, like a Hawk HPS or Axxis Ultimate.

For track use, you want something with a higher working temperature range. Hawk HP+ are okay for mild track use on a light car, but I'd personally suggest something more aggressive like a Carbotech XP8/XP10. These pads will give you fade-free performance at the elevated brake temps seen during extended track use. QUOTE]

I too like the the Carbotech XP8s. A little squeaky on the street when braking very lighting, but otherwise fine on the street and super good on the track. I've had them on an A3 and a GTI prior to the RX8.

 

So what is the verdict? Or I guess I should ask should I go Semi Metallic or Ceramic?

I am thinking that I might use Centric Posi Quiet Cermaic. From what I have read is Centric is credible since they do own Stop Tech.

 

I have had the Axxis Ultimate on my car for a while now and it is time to change them out. They stop well and should be able to handle the heat of a few track days. The problem is they dust heavily.
I thought there was a problem with the Hawks destroying rotors.

I haven't decided what I will be using next on the car.

 

I documented a year's worth of track days and daily driving with Hawk HP Plus pads and found the rotor wear to be virtually nil.

 

What bout the Cobalt GT-s pads??

 

^
They were extremely good pads when I sampled them at a lapping day at Homestead in an FI RX8.
Cobalt, however, does not recommend them for daily driving when I discussed the matter of daily use with them.

 

hmm, so none of the cobalts are for daily driving eh.... then what's the best daily driver pad then? cuz i hear bad things about the Hawk pads...

 

OEM

 

Hawk has a compound for every application. Lumping "Hawk" in to one "bad" category is like saying all beer is bitter.
Bad results come from the improper pairing of a specific Hawk compound for a specific application. There is a decent Hawk compound within their catalogue for every application imaginable. One can even choose the proper compound per axle to achieve the desired result.

That said, for daily driving, this is all moot. OEM pads are all one needs for daily driving.

 

actually that was jus a typo i meant to include the 'HPS'....

 

Daily driving with Hawk pads = FAIL
DD with MS pads =

 

which hawk pads dominion?

and it seems we have contraversy...

i heard from a few sources the cobalt gt-s make the best DD pads?

i heard Hawk HPS sucked, and i heard OEM should be avoided, to say this thread remains unanswered would be an understatement

 

I have the Hawk HPS pads and honestly there's not a whole lot of difference between them and the OEM pads. There is slightly stronger initial bite, but honestly there's not a huge amount of difference.

 

A friend of mine got Hawk HPS pads and the bite is just not as good as OEM. It takes noticeably more pedal effort to brake harder. Yes, brakes bled twice to make sure.

 

I use the EBC Red Stuff pads. Me likes.

 

I tried getting away with the Ultimates at the track and regretted it. I'm an advanced driver and I run R compounds, and I fragged a set of front Ultimates in four sessions at MotorSport Ranch Cresson, which isn't a particularly brake-intensive track. I managed to fade the pads significantly by the end of a session, and they wore extremely fast. I really wouldn't suggest these pads for track use for anyone above a novice/intermediate driver on street tires.

By contrast, I liked them a lot when I used them for street/autocross duty. Now I run Carbotech XP8 front/ Panther Plus rear at the track and OEM on the street.

 

just put in autozone ceramic brakes... F + R cost 60 bucks... why... cause I only use my Hawk pads on the track and take em back off.

 

I think the Brembo brakes that came with my evo 5 have spoilt me for life now that im driving the rx8 because i jsu dont seem to get that confident initial bite and hold with these brakes.

I was sure it was the pads but im hearing you guys recommend OEM pads and i dunno if i'm doing something wrong cuz it cant be these pads you guys recommending...