Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

I recommend dedicated street and track pads. The applications are so different. It is much harder to jack up the car and take off the wheels than it is to change the pads. Changing pads is a piece of cake.

Originally Posted by Lawdogg

I run Carbotech Xp 20s and Xp 12s on the track and leave them in for street too. Loud and dusty? Sure, but they stop on a dime and don't really need any heat to bite.

Originally Posted by Unreal

Hawk HPS are just about the worst pads made, and my experience was basically the same. Worse than OEM z06 pads. Maybe they are an upgrade something like a honda accord, but they are a step down on a z06. If you want solid pads, look at the carbotech pads. I swapped to XP8s and the stopping power is night and day different.

Originally Posted by meanjoe

I usually agree with you on almost all your post's. Not this time, I changed out the stock pads for the Hawk HPS padlettes and I have nothing but good things to say. No dust to speak of, nice and quiet and stops on a dime. I'll be replacing these with same pads when these wear out.
Just for comparison, the part number for the front that I used is.............. HB 531F 570 HPS I found these on Amazon for $167.00 and I think they are even cheaper now. Rears are about a 1/3 less money.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by Mordeth

1) It takes about 20 minutes per side to change pads, and that is if you are taking your time with a beer in one hand. If you are a woman with a purse then it will take you 30 minutes. So never mind this "I have so many projects" nonsense. If you have time to write and respond to posts on the Corvette forum then you have time to swap brake pads, a trivial procedure that any non-disabled person can do.

2) You don't need to remove the caliper pins to swap pads. You simply remove the two rear caliper bolts, pop the caliper off and replace the pads. I am happy to provide a detailed write-up of the steps and tools needed if you like.

Furthermore, there is no such thing as a "good" dual purpose pad. Anything that tries to be good at everything ends up sucking at everything. Hawk HPS pads are **** on the street, **** on the track and **** as a general rule. What you are experiencing is normal (as I already stated) for this POS pad that shouldn't be given to your worst enemy. Toss them directly in the trash and be done with it. No idea why Corvette owners continue to purchase these things.

Buy yourself a nice set of track pads and rotors that you keep in a box in your garage, and swap them on in an hour or so when you prep the car for the track. I suggest Carbotech XP10 or XP12 for the front and XP 8 for the rear. Alternatively you can purchase the Powerstop Track day pads as a lower cost alternative. I suggest DBA T2 for the rotors. An excellent combination for a track pad that will hold up just fine for a novice/intermediate driver. After your track day then simply remove them and put back on your street pads/rotors. Any normal, sane person will follow this very simple procedure, that protects you and others on the street and the track and ultimately saves you money over the long term as you aren't burning through street pads/rotors in a day at the track. Nor are you compromising the braking system on the track by using **** parts. Nor are you spitting corrosive dust all over your car using a soft, compromised, squealing pig of a pad on the street.

And for the street, stick with stock rotors and buy yourself a set of nice, low-cost, low-dust street pads like the Powerstop Z26. Around $150 for the whole set. Or if you have money to burn then Carbotech 1521 for the street.

This entire combination will last you a long, long, long time and you won't waste time worrying about these things - which will free up your time for "all of your other projects". And you will have an optimal setup for each scenario, instead of a compromised setup in all scenarios. You aren't saving money or time with your current arrangement.

Originally Posted by jkg2101

I am a pretty good mechanic. Changing the brake pads is a bit of a challenge, mostly just getting the caliper pistons to go back in enough to fit new, thicker pads. I found it best to remove the calipers, as others have suggested, rather than just trying to remove the pins, since it is hard to get the pistons to retract without some kind of clamp.

Originally Posted by jkg2101

thanks everyone for advice

i went with stock GM OEM rotors - because I am pretty sure they are not made in china. The price is fair for the quality, and many of my trackmates run them on the track. i dont race at a high level. my car is stock

I run probably twice a year at lime rock, and the rest is street. i dont like the feel of these pads for the street, but I am not sure if they are just cooked/glazed, or if this is just how they operate.

I am not an experienced track driver, but I did not love their performance when braking on the front straight from about 130 to about 60 MPH. I expected a bit more, but I dont have the experience to know if they were good or bad.

I previously ran the stock pads and they were fine, but i drove slower last year

I would prefer not to swap pads for the occasional track day because:
1. i have so many other project to do that time is tight
2. I secretly worry that one of those fancy torx head bolts that hold the pads in is going to strip one day, given how tight they are when I remove them

If anyone has any suggestion for a really good pad, and padlets vs solid one piece pad, I am all ears. The stock pads, despite their reputation in some circles, actually were quite good all around

justin

Originally Posted by jkg2101

I installed new carbotech xp8 track pads (mildest track pad) at all 4 corners. I have only driven them a few miles, to bed the pads, but the initial bite and stopping power is SO MUCH better than the Hawk HPS I installed a month or two ago.
In defense of the Hawk pads, maybe they were "cooked" by a total of 4 25 minute sessions on track? I don't think I drive that hard, but...

Either the pads were cooked/glazed at the track, or they are just no good. I did think they were OK for the few miles before the first track outing.

Anyway, looking forward to driving with these new pads in place.

I am a pretty good mechanic. Changing the brake pads is a bit of a challenge, mostly just getting the caliper pistons to go back in enough to fit new, thicker pads. I found it best to remove the calipers, as others have suggested, rather than just trying to remove the pins, since it is hard to get the pistons to retract without some kind of clamp.

Originally Posted by jkg2101