jkg2101

Hello - i recently installed 4 new rotors (factory) plus all new pads - Hawk HPS padlets at all 4 corners
I also flushed through new fluid

At first, with street driving, things seemed fine, except for a slight squeal intermittently as expected
after my first track event, the pedal seems different - the initial "bite" is weak, and then with more pedal pressure, things are fine. I bled the system again, but no change, and the pedal does not feel like there is air in the system.

it maybe feels like there is more pedal travel in the system now, with good braking once it engages. or maybe this is just poor initial bite of this material??

I went to a second track day, and things were fine there - the brakes work well on the track, but at street driving, that soft pedal feel is present.

Does anyone know if this is how these pads just work? for light braking on the street, the pedal feels softer. Is it possible that the padlets are wearing unevenly, so there is more pedal travel required to get them to grab the disc? i looked at one padlet, and it looked fine.

Mordeth

It's likely a function of the pad material. It simply needs to get to a higher temp before the pads are operating optimally. HPS pads are known to be a little soft on the street until they get up to temp. If you have bled the brakes and are confident there is no air, then it is simply a function of how these pads work.

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.

2k Cobra

^

How about dust???

JesC6Z

KNSBrakes

The HPS are street pads and so they are a bit of a risk if tracked hard.

They will fade and potentially glaze like any other overheated street pad so that may be what occurred. Take one out and if it's partly shiny and blue that is iron oxide which is bad at friction. Sand that off and re-install. The rotors may show some of this as well.

Consider a stronger pad for track use.

To the other poster - correct - Hawk HPS are not stronger then the stock Z06 pads. They are a good bit lower dust though and are reasonable for lighter brakers to save some dust without going full soft ceramic.

Pads are like shoes - ones that fit (your needs) are the ones you want.

I still have the stock pads on my 08 Z06 street car. Great pad feel but I'm going to try the new DBA SP street pad to see how those feel/work.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

HPS is not a track pad. How many events do you plan on doing a year? Also, are you not willing to swap pads for track and street ?

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Track pads are not low dust.. Are you tracking your car?

Innovate

Ken is correct on that they are probably glazed over. Grab some track pads and rotors, then you will be good. When I tracked my street car a few years ago I had separate pads and rotors for the street and track. Dust will happen and Hawk HPS's are heavy dusting pads. My next go around with my Z I am going Carbotech, they dust less and are easier on rotors. Also, do not cheap out on rotors. Auto parts store rotors will warp on you easily, especially with an aggressive pad.

Ken @KNS has a killer deal on DBA T2's for $90 apiece for each corner. I have them on my Z.

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

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.

AzDave47

For those of us that do track regularly, we swap street pads to track pads (I also have dedicated front track rotors). We change the pads by undoing the 2 bolts that hold the caliper to the hub and do not use the torx bolts.

Innovate

All of this.
DBA T2's with the Carbotechs on the street are great and take a minute to swap for the track. $360 for the set of DBA T2's from KNS Brakes and grab the street 1521's and XP10/12's for the track. I would go ahead and spend the money, tracking is addicting.

jkg2101

Thanks for all the "gentle" advice.

In my defense:
1. those 2 caliper bolts are a bear to get off- they seem to be an intereference fit, so they dont loosen, but does repeated removal of the caliper mounting bolts weaken them?
2. I have 3 kids, 2 dogs, and 5 other cars that demand my attention (67 vette, 69 mustang, 57 chevy, 74 pantera, and kirkham cobra) - yes i know, first world problems!- plus a job which needs about 65 hours a week to pay for all these things!

seriously, thanks for the advice and maybe i'll go back to street pads for the street.

i got the idea for those HPS pads from reading posts here on this site, by the way.

Innovate

Pantera? I love those cars and my dad goes wild when he sees them and get the story of "I could of bought one back in the day for cheap." lol. I would have to trim the projects down haha, the '05 Mustang GT Spec Iron racecar and my '06 Z are enough for me!

jkg2101

Mordeth

The caliper bolts are torqued to 129 lb ft. You need a breaker bar style socket wrench (long 18"), a 21mm socket, some penetrating oil like PB Blaster if they have been on since day one and leverage, and they spin right off. An impact wrench with a swivel socket also works if you are struggling removing the bolt. All you have to do is turn the wheel in and you have much easier access to the fronts. They come off with leverage and lubrication, like any old bolt tightened to this torque level. I install new pads every 2-3 weeks in between races and I'm on the same bolts from the factory except for one. And that was because I lost a washer that went clanging into the abyss so I replaced the bolt and washer for the hell of it. I have never once had an issue and I assure you that I abuse the living crap out of my brakes. I can burn through a set of XP24 full racing pads in a weekend when I'm on slicks.

I'm not going to debate and am not interested in who has time for what. Just what should be done. We are all busy. Happy to list the procedure I use to swap pads. Otherwise, good luck and happy racing!

KNSBrakes

Everyone needs to learn this the hard way it seems so you are not alone.

MTPZ06

We need more Hawk is junk threads then...because I thought they've been summarily trashed in here for years.

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.