Hawk HT-10
07-09-2012, 01:44 PM
#1
Hawk HT-10
I've done about 5-7 track days a year since May of '06 when my '05 Z51 was about one year old.
The stock pads only lasted four track days each consisting of four 20 minute sessions, and about 6k miles of street driving in between.
I didn't want to hassle with swapping pads and bought a full set of Cobalt GTS pads from LG. They were very noisy but I didn't put many street miles on her and just lived with it when I did.
They lasted somewhere around 20 track days. They literally fell apart when I took them off the car last May. After a little research I ordered HT-10s for the front, and a full set of PC's so I could drive on the street in comfort once again.
The rear Cobalts actually still had some life in them.
Well, it's been about a year and the typical six track days since I started using the HT-10s. Since I haven't had a long break without racing or a need to DD my C6, I've just left the HT-10s on for the past three events.
My last track day, my pedal went mushy during my last session. I figured it was just getting hot even though I haven't ever encountered a mushy pedal racing before. The odd thing was it was still mushy on the way home hours later.
Next day, still mushy. So I take the pads off, rears first and the Cobalts are about done as expected. Just a tiny bit of pad material left. Then I get to the fronts, and the HT-10s are nearly gone as well, but they are also worn unevenly. Each pad is worn at a slight angle.
You would think the pistons were applying unequal pressure, but the inside pad was more worn at the bottom and the outside more worn at the top. Also, the edge of one pad is starting to crumble away and all my cross drills were filled with nasty red clay-like brake dust.
Anyway, I cleaned the rotors, and put the PC pads on, and the pedal feels perfectly fine now. I didn't touch the fluid at all.
So it was the HT-10s that felt mushy. Is this typical behavior for these pads? Are they actually engineered to do this so you know it is time to change them?
6 days is a far cry from the 20 I got out of the Cobalts, so I think I'll go back to them in the Fall.
The stock pads only lasted four track days each consisting of four 20 minute sessions, and about 6k miles of street driving in between.
I didn't want to hassle with swapping pads and bought a full set of Cobalt GTS pads from LG. They were very noisy but I didn't put many street miles on her and just lived with it when I did.
They lasted somewhere around 20 track days. They literally fell apart when I took them off the car last May. After a little research I ordered HT-10s for the front, and a full set of PC's so I could drive on the street in comfort once again.
The rear Cobalts actually still had some life in them.
Well, it's been about a year and the typical six track days since I started using the HT-10s. Since I haven't had a long break without racing or a need to DD my C6, I've just left the HT-10s on for the past three events.
My last track day, my pedal went mushy during my last session. I figured it was just getting hot even though I haven't ever encountered a mushy pedal racing before. The odd thing was it was still mushy on the way home hours later.
Next day, still mushy. So I take the pads off, rears first and the Cobalts are about done as expected. Just a tiny bit of pad material left. Then I get to the fronts, and the HT-10s are nearly gone as well, but they are also worn unevenly. Each pad is worn at a slight angle.
You would think the pistons were applying unequal pressure, but the inside pad was more worn at the bottom and the outside more worn at the top. Also, the edge of one pad is starting to crumble away and all my cross drills were filled with nasty red clay-like brake dust.
Anyway, I cleaned the rotors, and put the PC pads on, and the pedal feels perfectly fine now. I didn't touch the fluid at all.
So it was the HT-10s that felt mushy. Is this typical behavior for these pads? Are they actually engineered to do this so you know it is time to change them?
6 days is a far cry from the 20 I got out of the Cobalts, so I think I'll go back to them in the Fall.
07-09-2012, 02:13 PM
#2
Safety Car
20 track days out of a set of stock style pads is insanely good. 6 days is on the better side of normal, depending on the track and your driving.
The rest of your post details typical experiences.
Mushy feeling when your brakes are worn down is not strange, though a bleed would have likely helped on the HT-10s.
You should swap pads from L to R side, outer RH pad going to the inner LH position and vice versa. This will address the tapering.
The rest of your post details typical experiences.
Mushy feeling when your brakes are worn down is not strange, though a bleed would have likely helped on the HT-10s.
You should swap pads from L to R side, outer RH pad going to the inner LH position and vice versa. This will address the tapering.
07-09-2012, 04:54 PM
#3
I was on stock Z51 tires for a lot of those 20 track days so that probably helped the brakes last. I bought RE-11s for the last six of those, and they've been on the entire time on HT-10s.
I am just curious what causes the mushy feeling. Is the pad material softer as you get closer to the backing, or is it the tapering that causes it?
Had I known about the tapering I would have swapped them. I didn't notice it on my previous sets, nor did I notice it the last time I had the HT-10s off the car back in the winter.
Glad to know it is normal. I typically bleed my breaks once or twice a season and had done it just one track day prior. I know people recommend every track day, but I've never noticed a degradation in feel until this last track day. Once I start using real R compound tires, I probably won't get away with it anymore.
I am just curious what causes the mushy feeling. Is the pad material softer as you get closer to the backing, or is it the tapering that causes it?
Had I known about the tapering I would have swapped them. I didn't notice it on my previous sets, nor did I notice it the last time I had the HT-10s off the car back in the winter.
Glad to know it is normal. I typically bleed my breaks once or twice a season and had done it just one track day prior. I know people recommend every track day, but I've never noticed a degradation in feel until this last track day. Once I start using real R compound tires, I probably won't get away with it anymore.