I've been reading lots of posts on here over the past few days and found a LOT of contradictory info on brakes which has my head spinning. I have a 2000 Coupe that's due for a brake change so I figure I would swap the rotors as well and may as well upgrade them.

I don't want to spend a TON of money (keep it under $1000) on this. I'd like to get more stopping power from the system but brake dust is the main concern. As this is my daily driver in the summer, it gets tons of miles and is driven purely on the street.

I've read lots of posts about the Hawk HPS pads but some people say they dust a lot more than stock and others say less. What's the real deal on these?

From the Hawk confusion, I am now leaning more towards the Delco Ceramics and the Delco Performance drilled and slotted rotors along with new braided lines.

Are the hawks really that bad compared to the Delco on dust?

 

 

I have the Hawk HPS pads and from what I can tell, they have less brake dust than the stock ones.

 

I've got Autozone Ceramics on mine.... Installed with my new drilled/slotted rotors and they work great !

Front: Morse - Ceramic #731C

Rear: Morse - Ceramic #732C

Go to www.autozone.com and check them out. Only $37.99 per set !!

 

Links don't work.....

 

If you go Delco make sure you paint the rotors with hi-temp
paint--you will thank-me.

 

I have AC Delco Ceramics - and I don't really recommend them...


I wanted low dust, squeek free operation - for my Daily Driver.

Problem is - my car sees LOTS of spirited driving on public roads... And the ceramic brakes are fading after only a few hard braking runs... NTM they don't feel like they bite very hard...

When these wear out - I'm going to get a nastier set of pads, and just deal w/ the dust... it'll be worth the extra stopping power and fade resistance...

As far as rotors go - unless you're spending more than $1k, it'll be hard to beat the OE Blanks... Blank rotors are plainly the best for real stopping power...

-Dan

 

Changed it.....

I've got Autozone Ceramics on mine.... Installed with my new drilled/slotted rotors and they work great !

Front: Morse - Ceramic #731C

Rear: Morse - Ceramic #732C

Go to www.autozone.com and check them out. Only $37.99 per set !!

 

I suppose i should say "They Work Great" too, because they really do what they advertise. They don't squeak at all, and there is VERY little dust. In that case, i'm satisfied with them... but when I'm driving "Spirited" and get fade after my 3rd or 4th brake into a corner - I get a little unsatisfied...

-Dan

 

synack,

First, there are several different "grades" of Hawk pads, so part of the confusion is people don't always make clear which one they are talking about. The two most common are:

HPS (High Performance Street) these are similar to the OEM pads that came on your car. They will, like the OEM pads, give you good stopping power for street driving.

HP Plus - This pad is a higher performance pad ... it dusts more than the OEM and HPS pads, and will squeal when cold. This pad is commonly used by people that use their cars for "performance" events such as an HPDE. Very good stopping power and very resistant to fade.

Hawk also has a Ceramic brake pad, but I have no experience with them. They are relatively new, and are sold for people looking for a low-dust pad.

In general, ANY ceramic pad will dust less than a semi-metallic. Also, a ceramic pad will NOT perform as well as a semi-metallic.

Finally, rotors ... if you're going with a ceramic pad, drilled/slotted rotors are a waste of money from a performance point of view, as the pads themselves are the limiting factor here. If you want drilled/slotted for the bling factor, then put them on, but they won't improve braking with a ceramic pad.

 

Hey Dude, I Was Where U Are At A Week Ago. I Ended Up Going With Irotors Cross Drilled And Slotted. They Are Zink Coded(no Rust And Shiny) And Machined From Brembo Blanks. Check Out Their Web Site At Irotors.com(not Promoting Them Just Stating The Route I Went) The Kit I Got Came With Their Pads That "are Designed To Work With Their Rotors" For $369 Shipped To My Door , Will Up Date U If U Pm Me On How They Preform.

 

I too went with Brembos D/S but not from this vendor plus Hawk HP's. they work fine for me.

 

One reason for the confusion is your expectations (and many others) are somewhat contradictory.

1. Why are you doing brake work? Pads thin? Rotor vibration?
2. When was the last time you had the brake fluid flushed? Brake fluid needs to be flushed out every two years. It's amazing how much better a brake system can "feel" with fresh fluid.
3. You state you want "more stopping power". Does this mean one stop after a blast down the road, or repeated braking during a curvy run? If it's just one stop, then virtually any brake system you'll get will have the ability to engage the ABS. At that point, the brake limit is the tires. If it's repeated braking, then definitely stay away from the ceramic brakes, they hit their temperature limits quite easily. Also, plain rotors (a.k.a. "blanks") will brake better than DS rotors, and will not crack near as easily.
4. If your rotors aren't vibrating, then why are you replacing them? My rotors went over 100K miles before I replaced them, and even then they were OK, I was getting better at my autocross and had a good deal on some rotors. The blanks I'm running now have gone through 4 years of autocross, and an additional 50K+ miles, and they're *still* fine.

Now, if you want "bling", then spend the money on whatever DS rotors you desire. They're OK for the street, but don't let anyone tell you they're better than OEM.

As far as pads go, I run the Performance Friction pads from Autozone. They don't dust much, have good cold bite, and don't fade even during a mountain run. Without direct experience, I think the HPS pads perform about the same, but the dust might be slightly more.

HTH, and have a good one,
Mike