Hi all,

I'm getting my rx8 ready for track days in the spring. I bought a 2nd set of rims yesterday.

I have the stock pads on my car now and wanted something with more initial bite. On the last car I tracked I put some Hawk HP street pads on and noticed a big improvement. I also found the Hawk HP Plus (autocross + drive you home afterwards) which promise much more bite, but at the expense of rotor wear.

Has anyone tried both pads? I'm a weekend track day guy, and the rx8 is my daily driver. I"m not opposed to swapping pads for track days if necessary (as I'm already doing the wheels) but I'd rather not if I don't have to.

Thanks!

 

HP+ is in a whole other league than HPS, so much better grip. I found the HPS to just be marginally better than stock (the stock pads are actually very good). The HP+ you could stop on a dime it felt like, late breaking every corner is fun as hell

Anyway, they dont last long and are DIRTY, so expect to wash your wheels after every track day.

 

Awesome! How did you find rotor wear? Did you use them on the street as well or just on the track?

 

The HP+ are a better option for light track day duty, they may be a bit noisy when it's cold outside and you're commuting but other than that they are excellent pads.
There are better track pads for sure but they are a really nice compromise and are not too aggressive on the brake rotors.

 

I have the HP street and honestly didn't notice a difference from stock.

 

I agree with everyone here, I'm switching to HP+ this spring.

 

HPS pads produce a lot more brake dust than stock although they do feel better.

 

I've got a set of HPS ordered and coming. I'm going to put those in for everyday use and see how they feel.

Might order the HP+ ones if I don't like the bite of these ones.

 

Update:

HPS pads put in today. They feel better than the stock pads. Little more initial bite.

It's only been one day and I haven't really played with them enough to know if I'm going to get the HP+ pads yet for track days.

I still prefer the feel of the wife's speed3's brakes.