Hawk HPS Vs. Stoptech Street Performance brake pads?

[that_grey_m3]

I am trying to decide between the two. For spirited daily driving, not really for track use. I heard these both produce less brake dust than OEM.

So far I am leaning towards Stoptech, as I heard the initial bite of HPS is worse than OEM. Can anyone give me insight to both these pads? Main concern is stopping power, improved pedal feel, and less brake dust.

[M43S7RO]

I have the HPS 5.0 pads on Brembos and love them. The initial bite is slightly less than oem when cold but I think that is normally the case with a pad that will resist fading at higher temps after repeated use where the oem pads would not work as well at higher temps.

Like you, I only use mine for street use and occassional spirited drives. The pads don't generate much dust and I'd even say it might be less than the oem pads.

I was going to try the stoptech street pads but I couldn't find them for Brembos.

[that_grey_m3]

Originally Posted by M43S7RO

I have the HPS 5.0 pads on Brembos and love them. The initial bite is slightly less than oem when cold but I think that is normally the case with a pad that will resist fading at higher temps after repeated use where the oem pads would not work as well at higher temps.

Like you, I only use mine for street use and occassional spirited drives. The pads don't generate much dust and I'd even say it might be less than the oem pads.

I was going to try the stoptech street pads but I couldn't find them for Brembos.

Actually the Hawk 5.0 are also one in my list. I have been reading a lot about them and I think I will go for those. From what I've gathered, they seem to be in between the HPS and Hp+ pads and have a nice linear braking feel to them. I think I might go with these!

[dparm]

Originally Posted by that_grey_m3

I am trying to decide between the two. For spirited daily driving, not really for track use. I heard these both produce less brake dust than OEM.

So far I am leaning towards Stoptech, as I heard the initial bite of HPS is worse than OEM. Can anyone give me insight to both these pads? Main concern is stopping power, improved pedal feel, and less brake dust.

Go for something ceramic like the Akebonos. Stopping power should be comparable to stock but the dust will be lighter in color and hence less visible.

Frankly, having more "initial bite" isn't necessarily a good thing. Ideally, a pad should have very linear feel so that you aren't engaging the ABS the instant you touch the brakes. You want some ability to modulate and not feel like the pedal is at the floor every time. Grabby pads are not what you want, IMO.

[pbonsalb]

I have had the 5.0 and the Stoptech and don’t think either have as good initial bite as stock. Both dust but maybe a little less than stock. For the least dust, use ceramic pads. The stock pads are probably the best choice for most people. Unless you have faded them, you don’t need higher performance pads. You will just lose initial bite, unless you go to a squeaky dusty autocross pad like the HP+.

[SDPLV]

My HPS dust WAY less than OEM. It's night and day. Literally, thats what it looks like on my rims.

[Iyzmi]

I've got Stoptech Sport pads and am very happy with them. I can confirm the slight reduction in initial bite people are talking about but it doesn't really bother me, in fact I actually kind of prefer it. They are cheaper than OEM too which is a nice bonus.

One thing to keep in mind is that Stoptech changed the name of their products a couple years back. Stoptech Sport is probably what you have in mind when comparing to Hawk HPS.
http://www.stoptech.com/media-center...eet-brake-pads

[strokemycocktus]

I have Hawk HPS 5.0 in the front and they give more linear feel with less initial bite than stock, which imo is an improvement. Less dust, no squeaking and hopefully more fade resistance.
Stoptech sport will be just as good, if not better.

[Agua305x]

Is this all more relevant to front brakes ? I'm doing my rears soon. Would any of these pads make any difference from oem or is it not worth it for the rear ?

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Agua305x

Is this all more relevant to front brakes ? I'm doing my rears soon. Would any of these pads make any difference from oem or is it not worth it for the rear ?

The rears aren't doing a ton of work on the street.

[Agua305x]

Originally Posted by dparm

The rears aren't doing a ton of work on the street.

So it would be ok to stick with oem for the rear ? (I don't track)

[Iyzmi]

Originally Posted by Agua305x

So it would be ok to stick with oem for the rear ? (I don't track)

There's nothing "wrong" with this, but I personally prefer having matching pads on all 4 corners. Not like matching rear pads are going to break the bank.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by Agua305x

So it would be ok to stick with oem for the rear ? (I don't track)

My point was more that the rear wheels don't get very dirty because those brakes are used less. If you aren't taking the car on the track or don't get the brakes very hot from spirited weekend driving, the OEM pads are probably fine in the back.

I still prefer matched compounds, even on the street, for the record.

[r0cketm0nkey]

Hawk has less dust, but speaking from experience, I won't get HPS pads, ever. That's not to say other Hawk pads are bad, but specifically, HPS are junk. It nearly killed me, that's all I'll say from my experience with it.

[that_grey_m3]

Update: I settled with StopTech street performance (sport) pads, as they were going for a better price than the OEM pads and the Hawk hps 5.0 were a lot more pricey.

Ive heard great things about this street pad and I am excited to try it out once it arrives!

[pbonsalb]

I have been running the Stoptech sport for about 6 years on my 08M3 — on my second set since I bought new rotors last year and replaced the first set. They work fine in this application and are relatively cheap. They still dust and I don’t think they feel or stop any better than stock pads. They would probably take longer to fade on the track but Indont track.

Applications can vary. I tried them on my E36M3 and was not impressed. I also ran HPS 5.0 on the E36M3 and did not think they were any better than the Stoptech.

[Powashiftin]

I'm running OEM rotors with stoptech street pads, ECS brake lines and a fluid flush with OEM fluid. This setup works well for me. Slightly improved pedal feel and good linear brake feeling from the pads. This setup is plenty for street driving. I don't track so I can't speak for this setup on the track but I imagine it would be ok for light track use.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by that_grey_m3

Update: I settled with StopTech street performance (sport) pads, as they were going for a better price than the OEM pads and the Hawk hps 5.0 were a lot more pricey.

Ive heard great things about this street pad and I am excited to try it out once it arrives!

Any updates after some time with the pads?

[that_grey_m3]

Originally Posted by dmk08

Any updates after some time with the pads?

Much less brake dust, stopping power and brake performance is the same as OEM. Initial bite when the pads are cold is not as good as OEM. Overall for the price i prefer these over OEM pads.

[EricSMG]

Originally Posted by that_grey_m3

Much less brake dust, stopping power and brake performance is the same as OEM. Initial bite when the pads are cold is not as good as OEM. Overall for the price i prefer these over OEM pads.

Lol. Contradiction much? (no offense)

Less bite means less friction means less power, for that temp range. And your brakes are cold on the street MUCH of the time. So that means you have less power than stock MUCH of the time.

[dparm]

Originally Posted by EricSMG

Lol. Contradiction much? (no offense)

Less bite means less friction means less power, for that temp range. And your brakes are cold on the street MUCH of the time. So that means you have less power than stock MUCH of the time.

I suspect he is referring to the fact that the pedal feel is more linear.

It's pretty easy to lock the brakes up on dry pavement, even below maximum pedal pressure, so swapping brake pads doesn't really do much to increase stopping power -- the tires are the limiting factor. There's no real point to grabby brakes, IMO.