Seems to be lacking brake pad data for our cars.
Maybe my experiences with various track or street pads will help ppl decide.

Scott's Brake kit from BBU


Hawk HPS:
The common tried and true pad.
An excellent street pad on basically anything.
Stock brakes or modified.
I ran these on my 92 RS for a long time.
Low dust
Ultra low noise
Low rotor wear
Good cold bite.
They do need some heat in them to work. Maybe not a good pad for sub freezing temps. But idk who drives their Camaro in the snow anyways.
Hawk stated temp range: 100F-700F
Get over 500F and the pad will drop in stopping power by a lot.
Coefficient of friction: 0.4



Hawk HPS 5.0:
Basically identical to the HPS just with a bit more bite.
Coefficient of friction: 0.45
Temp range: 100F-750F
Like the HPS, they stop working if they get too hot.
Some cars with factory sized tires might have issues with locking up brakes/ABS activation with this pad.



Hawk HP+:
A streetable track pad Hawks says is ideal for Autocross.(It's not)
I do not like these pads.
I've used it a lot on my 92 with a 13in 6 piston Wilwood kit from Scott at BBU.
Friction coefficient: 0.58
Pad dust: Medium
Rotor wear: Medium
Noise: Squeaky at lower speeds
This pad has some BITE.
Very easy to lock up tires with HP+
But cold bite is kinda bad, worse than the HPS.
HP+ need a good hard stop to have any bite. But really operate better after a few hard stops.
Claimed temp range: 100F-800F
Claimed Ideal range: 300F-600F
I'm gonna call BS on hawks 100-800 claim.
HP+ have a Very Very narrow operating range
They want to be around 300F and not hotter or colder.
Anything below 300F and they have garbage stopping power.
Above 400F and they glaze over and completely give up.
I've overheated HP+ at autocross events even with front brake ducts.
On top of that, HP+ have very odd sticky modulation characteristics.
They tend to drag so trying to stop efficiently without ABS is very hard.
And these pad will easily upset ABS systems that arn't super great.
HP+ also do not mix well with manual brakes due to their bad release characteristics.
Hawks also claims HP+ can take light track use.
I'd say using these on any car above 2500lbs + 150hp at the track is a suicide mission.




Hawk DTC-30:
Originally a dirt track pad, but also used for street and mild track use.
& My favorite Autocross pad.
Claimed temp range: 100F-1200 F
Claimed optimal: 100F-800 F
Friction coefficient: 0.5
Rotor wear: Medium
Noise: mild but consistent squeaking.
Dust levels: medium
Cold bite: excellent
Hot bite: excellent
Very hot bite (800F+): decent, but nothing like what dedicated track pads can deliver.

These seem to work well with manual brakes.
Most likely because these were originally circle track pads.
Most race cars don't have boosted brakes. Not all pads like manual brakes.

The DCT30 is better than the HP+ in every way except noise.
Better cold and hot bite.
Better temp range
Similar dust and rotor wear.
No weird temp characteristics like the HP+.
Easier to modulate.
But it tends to squeak a bit more than the HP+, but it's not a super loud sequel.
I like these DCT30s, they are my current go-to Autocross pad.
I even run a DCT30 in the rear of my 92 for track use.
Since the rears stay around 400-500F and don't get hot like the fronts.
Note: This pad will NOT survive on the front of a 3rd gen on track if you have a very fast car.
I used the DCT30 for a wet cold track day.
Didn't get any brake fade, but it was 60F and wet.
Rotor temps were 857F
I dared NOT to go over 125mph on the straights and 110mph between turns.
If it was a dry day, NO way would they survive.




Wilwood BP10:
Wilwood's base level street pad
I used these when my 92 had upgraded Wilwood calipers & boosted brakes + 200tw tires.
Noise: dead silent
Bite: low (below the HPS)
Friction coefficient: 0.38
Dust: mild dust, a bit more than the HPS
Rotor wear: Near zero
They have extremely low rotor wear.
After 2 seasons of Autocross my rotors had almost zero wear.
These pads need one quick stop to get up to usable temperature.
Temp range is limited.
They have a very high rate of friction LOSS at higher temps.
I wouldn't do repeated 100mph stops with these.
Overall a very good street pad for someone doing mild Autocross or hooning around town.



Raybestos ST43:
My favorite track pad so far.
Friction coefficient: 0.58
Temp range:100F-1300F
Cold bite: Very good.
Rotor Wear: Mild at high temps.
Very high wear when cold.
Dust: extremely high when cold.
Medium dust when hot.
Noise: Very Squeaky.
Seems like no matter how hard you push them they keep a consistent amount of bite.
I know a guys running the 8-hour lucky dog endurance race using these pads.
Repeated 130mph stops and zero fade combined with my brake ducts.



BAER ceramic street pad:
Used in BEAR brake street kits.
Cold bite: ok
Dust: low
Noise: quite
Rotor wear: Low
Friction coefficient: 0.42
A steet ceramic pad.
Not sure who makes the pad.
BAER doesn't make the pad, but I couldn't find out the brand.
It's basically a slightly worse HPS pad
I overheated these at the track in my rear brakes. But that was my fault for using a street pad at the track.
Not much to say about these pads really.

I'll be trying out the ST47 or DCT70 big boy Track pads next season.

 

Have you tried Wilwood BP20 brake pads on the street?? They're supposed to have a better bite. I'm currently using BP10

 

I haven't used the new BP 20 pads.
I think that pad would be probably decent for street use and mild autocross use.
I definitely would not bring that to the track.
The friction drop off with temperature is high.
The old BP 20 didn't have that drop off, But I think that was the non-California legal copper version.
Those aren't made anymore.


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I use Powerstop on all 7 of my vehicles, and I don't need a lengthy dissertation or reams of data to know they have superior performance and improved stopping ability over OEM.

 

Lol okay bud. Continue buying eBay crap

 

This is a great thread, with great real world data and experience....and quite a good cross section of pads discussed right from the onset. Love it, and thanks for posting!
I work in fleet maintenance at ski areas, and one thing that is mind blowing is how radically different, issues are from one ski area to the next, with the same year/make/model of equipment...mostly snow cats. I learn about issues that other ski areas have that we don't have, and it blows my mind. "How can that be??" I'm sure they think that about issues that we see, that they don't.

I see that, here in the brake thread....


I've used HP+ on my C6, my '92 C4, a '91 Stealth RT/TT (remember those? ) and our CTS-V, and thought that they worked pretty darn good on the track. I had no issues on track. That statement does NOT = "I think that they're great", or that I would recommend them, b/c I simply haven't tried enough pads to feel that I can make a recommendation or have comparisons, like you have....I don't. I just read that above and thought, "Wow, how can that be?", when I've ran 3800 lb, 300-400 hp cars on track with those pads and they worked "fine", for me. Just different conditions, tracks, operators, snow, slopes, etc.

Still, I see your review as awesome b/c if YOU had issues w/the HP+ (as one example), then I'd think that the pads that worked better for you, would likely work even better for me....I'm inclined to try 'em for future track days. Thanks for taking the time to buy, try, test, and post about these different pads. Very valuable and great information!

 

This isn't a a dis or anything like that.
But if you used HP+ pads on any modern Corvette at the track and survived, means you're not going fast enough ha ha.
I've overheated HP+ during autocross events.
Also I've talked to quite a few people on grassroots Motorsports that had similar bad results.
Even a lot of the Hawks pad suppliers don't recommend the HP+.

I think if you stepped up to a DCT60 or ST43 pad, you would be blown away on how much better they work.
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If your budget can fit it in just get the best brake kit you can get. I bought a Wilwood big brake kit with 4 piston calipers and honestly I should have spent more and got a brake setup with 6 piston calipers

 

Make sure not to get caught up in the piston count meme.
The piston count is largely irrelevant.
What does matter is your pad compound.
The size of the brake pad.
the size of the rotors.
& Piston area.

I have six pot front Wilwood brakes that aren't really all that powerful.
It's because it's a very small six piston caliper with a 13-in rotor.
For example some of the 5th-6th gen Camaro brembos are only 4 piston, but have a much larger brake pad and more piston area.



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Yea true story. My brother just put some Caddy Brembo brakes on his 94 Mustang and they are huge! The pads are easily 2.5x larger than my Wildwoods

 

I figured a response like that was coming, but I'm confident in my tracking abilities; I drive away from most non-race only cars on the track, plenty of cars that I shouldn't be able to drive away from.....and typically only get passed by race-only cars. GT3 RS 911's or race-prepped C5 Z's/C6 Z's....and with a 300 hp, 32 year old stock car....I'm pretty OK with that, and my "going fast enough". Is 120 mph into turn 1 at UMC "fast enough"? Or 140 in the C6?

As I said before, it's the same thing at ski areas with equipment. Some have problem "x".... others have never seen it.

I'm totally keen to try different pads however, that have a solid, meaningful endorsement like yours, in this thread.

 

haha! Only if you get their awesome cross drilled rotors too!!

I'll take the dissertation, I have the same wilwood setup! Thanks Mclovin.

 

any insight or thoughts on the Power Stop pads?

 

Power stop parts are just OEM replacement stuff.
Fine for the street.
I'd argue a Hawk HPS is a much better pad for street use.
More expensive though

 

Thanks for starting this thread, it is very informative.

I have been using EBC yellowstuff now on most of my swaps using anything from PBR, 4th gen LS, willwood brake conversions... i do not do any track events, but i do like their street performance, they are quite dusty though and also have some occasional squeal

 

I started with Hawks 5.0 on my BMW 545 and switched over to Hawks PC. Nothing notable in street performance, PC less dust. Then I put Hawks PC on my BMW M6 and was able to test them street wise compared to factory pads which are semi-metallic. Again, nothing notable except less dust. I'm not racing and heating them up, but do get into aggressive braking situations with both cars. For my Formula, no aggressive driving!! That's what the beemers are for. Hawks got my vote, I have contacted them and they actually answer the phone and answer questions. When I get done building my dream garage, and can proceed to the 1LE brake upgrade, I will definitely be considering Hawks.

Didn't realize Raybestos had performance pads.

This is the PC I refer https://www.hawkperformance.com/pc-performance-ceramic

 

Great post, I was running HPS 5.0 in LS Fcar calipers, Wilwoods in the rear with BP-10. Now I have Wilwood 6 pistons with BP-10s, I haven't touched the factory proportion valve, but the BP-10s I am glad I am not crazy, first stop say leaving a parking lot is a little sketchy, cold bite is almost non existent, usually my foot is on the floor. Then after that it progressively gets better, freeway, awesome, noise great, dust great, initial cold, nonexistent. I was thinking about swapping to Hawks HPS.

 

Thank You for posting this information. I have been upgrading the brakes on my 87 Monte Carlo SS, 350 TPI conversion, and I have been confused as to which brake pads to go with. I am currently running Corvette C5 front brakes and plan to change the rears to Baer SS4.

Fred

 

Apparently people are still reading this thread.I tested 3 more Track only pads this year Raybestos ST47, ST45 and a Carbotech XP24. ST45:Track only pads Friction: 0.67Mu --- to 0.55Mu when hotTemp range: 400F-1300FRotor Wear rate: medium Stupid high bite at medium temps that mellows out as temp increasesDust is pretty low for a track pad assuming you keep them above 500F+They squeak a tiny bit when warm but no noise when cold surprisingly enough. Good rotor Wear and lifespan I believe these were common NASCAR pads for a while.I run these on the rear of my 92.Not ideal for rear track pads because the first few stops will have the rears locking and my ABS going off. Once they get hot, they lose a bit of friction, and become balanced front to rear.Unfortunately Raybestos moved production to Mexico, then we're forced to bring it back when the plant couldn't manufacture pads correctly.The supply is super low and pads sell out immediately. Raybestos ST47:My new favorite Track padFriction coefficient: 0.64MuTemp range: 400f-1300FDust: medium Rotor wear: medium Noise: squeaky when hot and driving at low speedsI run these in the front of my 92 And I like these Pads a lot.150mph stops aren't much of an issue with these pads.Bite stays good well beyond 1300fPretty easy on rotors for a top level track padDust is minimal assuming you can keep them hotEven when I exceeded my brakes's abilities during track day on Hoosier A7s, the ST47 never fully gave up. They got too hot, but never became dangerous. Unfortunately my brakes are a bit small for repeated 150mph stops in 1hr tack sessions. Carbotech XP24Friction coefficient: 0.65MuTemp range 400F-2,000F Dust: medium dust at high tempsRotor wear: medium when hotNoise: pretty quiet surprisingly enough These pads preform very very closely to the ST47sIf you blindfolded me and installed one set on my car; I probably wouldn't be able to tell them apart.However, the XP24s seem to fade easier on the upper limit.They claim 2,000F vs the ST47s 1,300FBut the XP24 has way less bite at hotter temps.But, unlike the Raybestos pads, the Carbotech pads are available everywhere. I'll be testing Carbotech AX6 autocross pad and maybe Hawk DCT80s next season.And maybe getting enough coin for a AP racing brake kit.

3in brake ducts routed like the American Sedan guys run em

Hoosier slicks are hard on brakes

 

thanks for your detailed update!