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Thread: REVIEW - HAWK HPS Brake Pads

  1. #1
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    REVIEW - HAWK HPS Brake Pads



    Gentlemen: To follow, another chapter in the continuing saga of LuxoM3's BMW.

    Hawk HPS Brake pads. Front and Rear, purchased from BimmerZone for about $160 for the set. Bimmerzone - always fast and efficient and their online chat feature is excellent.

    The Car & Brake Set-Up
    1995 BMW M3. 150k miles of highway commuting. My style of driving is aggressive street, maybe 1 or 2 track schools a year. My car is very mildly modded - brake-wise I am running NEW BMW Motorsport Euro-Floating Rotors up front, Balo OEM rear rotors, UUC stainless Brake Lines and ATE Super Blue for Fluid. I used CRC Brake Quiet (silicone) - back of pads, and a dab of HAWK grease on the guide pins.

    Thought Processes
    I don't need true "track pads" because I do A LOT of driving and don't have the road (commute traffic) to heat up track pads. I wanted something with good grip and low dust. HAWK has been around for a while so I looked into them. Did most of my research on TireRack. Choose Bimmerzone as price and free shipping netted lowest cost. My old pads were the BMW OEM (Jurid) pads - high dust, awesome bite and feedback.

    First 100 Miles
    So after bleeding (PIA process) and break in here's my take on things. Dust - it's pretty low, almost non-existent. So my Anthracite LTW5 rims still look, well washed and sparkly. Good there! Pedal Feel - hmmm... this is gonna take getting used to. The initial bite is low - might be good for trail braking. For hard to "panic" braking, you have to REALLY push down HARD on the pedal to get the pads to bite. They still stop well, but it's gonna take some getting used to.

    One note, and I discussed this online and offline with a number of knowledgeable techs, the Hawk pads are "cut" when you get them. Meaning the OEM pad is all material from backing plate to edge. Hawk cuts a portion of the leading edges of the front pad and the rears (top?!). This reduces the contact area with the rotor.

    That has me a little miffed, as the Hawk pads are premium in price and it's almost like you got less pad for your money.

    Well, with my brakes bled, let's see how this week goes after 250 miles of my driving.

    250 MILES
    Yes, it sucks that in 3 days I can log 250 miles... but such is the job.
    Well here we go...

    COLD STOPPING: has improved dramatically. The front pads look like they are making good contact with the rotor... nice pad trails on the rotor surface. Rear pads still not making full contact... appears to only be using about 20% of the surface area... darn HAWK angled cuts!

    HOT STOPPING: these pads are grabbing well. Not quite like the OEM Jurids, but with a little more pedal pressure, they do GRAB hard.

    OVERALL: Life is about compromises and owning a performance sports coupe is one of them. When I was looking at M3's - sheesh back in 1999, my criteria was FAST, HANDLE INCREDIBLY andcan seat four. Not a lot of choices in 1999. My REAL choice was a 1995 Mazda RX-7 - that whole twin turbo, lightweight, awesome styling thing.

    But with the wife pregnant at the time... well having a backseat wasn't so bad.
    Fast Forward... that baby in 1999 is now a (going into) 3rd grade girl and she is now joined by a 3 year-old boy. They occupy the back seats in Recaro child seats. (I like my kids BTW).

    OK ok ok what's my point... the E36 M3 is no Mazda RX-7 (or an Aston Martin DB8). But what it is, is a great compromise between hauling kids and wife around, enjoying that corner after an hour of stop and go traffic and every now and then, the open highway that is mine at 5:30am.

    FINAL TAKE

    The Hawk HPS pads honestly "are not as good" as the OEM/Jurid pads - but they are a good compromise. Here's my comparison...

    COLD STOPPING POWER: OEM/Jurid 10 vs HAWK HPS 8
    Pretty much when you roll out of the garage and onto the street. Can you stop.

    HOT STOPPING POWER: OEM/Jurid 9 vs HAWK HPS 8
    Ok you are going flat out at 80mph into a 5mph turn... nail the brake...

    PEDAL FEEL: OEM/Jurid 10 vs HAWK HPS 7
    The amount of pressure at brake pedal to the actual stopping or braking

    COMMUNICATION: OEM/Jurid 9 vs HAWK 7
    Push down on the pedal, how soon your brakes will react

    DUST: OEM/Jurid 1 vs HAWK 10
    Do your shiny rims look like a gun metal matte finish by the end of the day?

    ROTOR CUTTING: OEM/Jurid 7 vs HAWK 9
    How deep the pad cuts into your rotor. FWIW, the OEM Jurids cut into my Euro rotors fairly mildly. I will most likely turn them and sell.


    If I had to do it again, I think I would take another look at the Performance Friction Z pad. But the HPS for now, suits what I need them to do and I am not unhappy enough to shell out another $150 to $200 for pads.

    UPDATE
    Well after a few hard stops and some nice open freeway days - I am happy to report that I think I've found the characteristics of the HPS pads...

    Light Pedal - great for trail braking
    Medium Pedal - ok now let's slow down a tad
    Hard Pedal - Let's bring it down from 60 to 0, NOW

    It's been a little bit of a learning curve to get the feel of these pads. Not saying I am TOTALLY stoked about them still, but the braking power is improved... or maybe the driver has improved. :P
    Last edited by LuxoM3; 07-07-2009 at 12:28 PM. Reason: update
    BMW CCA Member 186373 - Golden Gate Chapter
    Former (e)Bombe Magazine Editor, "The Toy Box" product review writer | Current member of Team Jesus



    Gone: 1995 E36 M3 Arctik Silber, 1996 E36 M3 Cosmos, 1991 E30 318is Cosmos

  2. #2
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    Subscribed for 250mile review and final thoughts. I'm thinking about buying these same pads. Thanks for taking the plunge!


    EDIT - 250mi review - decided to order PFC Z rated pads over HPS for above reasons and also after a long chat on the phones with both PFC and HAWK. PFC offers a lot more pad for the same money.
    Last edited by aaron86; 07-02-2009 at 01:22 PM.
    You should've seen the internet explode with whiners when BMW changed the "2002", to the "3 series". It was crazy.

  3. #3
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    Yea the initial bite was awful on my car. They are not really a pad I would recommend for anything.

  4. #4
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    Well, this oughtta be interesting......

    I have a set of Hawk pads coming my way, if they ever get here, from a supporting vendor. I was assured the ones I'm getting are going to be as close to stock, in terms of initial bite, as they could possibly get. Not exactly the same, but from what was communicated to me I shouldn't notice a difference.

    Mine are the Performance Ceramic HB135 front and HB227 for the rears.

    Are those what you got as well?

  5. #5
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    Im on my 2nd set of hawk hps pads... I notice better braking than with my oem pads, and very quiet and very low dust. As far as bite, i think it improves with mileage, so the first few hundred may not be what you expect but it should get better..my only complaint is in heavy rain it takes a moment or two to slow the car down, but thats also expected in heavy rain conditions

  6. #6
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    I have had Hawk HPS pads on my car for the past 2 1/2 years. The initial bite really doesn't get much better. The fact that there is very little initial bite has been a constant source of annoyance for me since I installed the pads. That being said, while it takes a LOT of pedal pressure to get the ball rolling, once you stomp on it, you STOP. If I had to do it all over again, I would go for the Hawk ceramics. They are supposed to have all of the stopping power of the HPS pads, but with a nice initial bite. For now, I just have to wait until these pads wear out.

  7. #7
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    Well the review of the Hawk Ceramics was uniformly awful on tirerack.com. This was across owners of all cars and driving styles. So stayed away from those.

    The only GOOD review I saw of any ceramic pad was Akebono. But I decided against as I am not as familiar with that brand. The only other pads I was seriously looking at was the Performance Friction Pad and Pagid. The PF's quite pricey, the Pagid pretty good too.

    But I ended up with Hawk as they were a BMW CCA race sponsor and such.

    Ok, 80 miles down, 170 to go.

    Quote Originally Posted by yod88 View Post
    Im on my 2nd set of hawk hps pads... I notice better braking than with my oem pads, and very quiet and very low dust. As far as bite, i think it improves with mileage, so the first few hundred may not be what you expect but it should get better..my only complaint is in heavy rain it takes a moment or two to slow the car down, but thats also expected in heavy rain conditions
    It's odd you mention as they age, they get better... the way the pads are cut, you are only getting like 50% of pad use for the 1st 1/2 life of the pad, and the full contact surface when the pad is half gone. :\
    Last edited by LuxoM3; 06-30-2009 at 02:34 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
    BMW CCA Member 186373 - Golden Gate Chapter
    Former (e)Bombe Magazine Editor, "The Toy Box" product review writer | Current member of Team Jesus



    Gone: 1995 E36 M3 Arctik Silber, 1996 E36 M3 Cosmos, 1991 E30 318is Cosmos

  8. #8
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    This compound is 10 years old....maybe more. Its a crap pad with no advantages. I dont knwo why people continue to post on here a talk about how great they are.

    PFC Z rated would have better suited you for your purposes. You can get them online thru Autozone with a lifetime warranty cheaper than anywhere else. NAPA AE Metallics are equally as good.
    Last edited by M3BimmerBilly; 06-30-2009 at 08:29 AM.

  9. #9
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    Well, after checking the reviews on Tire Rack, it seems that the Hawk ceramic pads have mixed reviews. The biggest complaint is squeal at slower speeds. That alone would keep me from buying them. However, this does not change my review of the Hawk HPS pads. The issues that I have with them are the lack of initial bite and the high pedal pressure required to stop. They stop well when you stomp on the pedal, though.

  10. #10
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    Thanks for the heads up...

    Quote Originally Posted by M3BimmerBilly View Post
    This compound is 10 years old....maybe more. Its a crap pad with no advantages. I dont knwo why people continue to post on here a talk about how great they are.

    PFC Z rated would have better suited you for your purposes. You can get them online thru Autozone with a lifetime warranty cheaper than anywhere else. NAPA AE Metallics are equally as good.
    Bill - hows the PFC Z with dust? Cold bite? Hot bite? Fade?

    BMW CCA Member 186373 - Golden Gate Chapter
    Former (e)Bombe Magazine Editor, "The Toy Box" product review writer | Current member of Team Jesus



    Gone: 1995 E36 M3 Arctik Silber, 1996 E36 M3 Cosmos, 1991 E30 318is Cosmos

  11. #11
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    1k+ miles on my HPS/Brembo slotted set-up.

    I like it.. as others said the "initial" is kinda werd, but brakes are suited to the driver/enviroment so it's up in the air for alotta guys.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    I have Hawk HP+ which I swap in for track sessions and they give roughly OEM initial bite when cold, but stop on a dime when warm. Problem is they screech constantly regards of brake pressure unless you re-bed them in frequently. I know several people that have them installed year round with no noise.
    I use Hawk Ceramics otherwise, and they stop fine, just the same as OEM. Except they are quiet and produce no noticeable dust. Not recommended for track use, but plenty good for daily driving.

    Swapping out brakes takes very little time, and I think if people realized this they'd be more inclined to have separate sets of pads.

  13. #13
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    These pads are no good. The bite never gets better. Loads of pedal stomping to make them stop, and they faaaaadddeee at the track!

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by LuxoM3 View Post
    Bill - hows the PFC Z with dust? Cold bite? Hot bite? Fade?

    I installed the PFC Z up front about three months ago to replace a set of Porterfield R4-S. I think I might have got a bad batch from Porterfiled, but they squealed all the time (even with a ton of anti-squeal compound), the wheels shimmied from pad deposits, and the dust was almost equal to OEM. They stopped great, though.

    In comparison, the PFC Z have never made a peep, the shimmies instantly disappeared (even without resurfacing the rotors), and there is almost no dust. The down side is they do require a lot more pedal pressure, but they seem to be consistent whether cold or hot (So Cal cold at least). They were recommended to me by Bimmerworld over the Hawk ceramic saying they were more aggressive (they carry both). I think they are a very well behaved pad overall.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by jsubbi View Post

    In comparison, the PFC Z have never made a peep, the shimmies instantly disappeared (even without resurfacing the rotors), and there is almost no dust. The down side is they do require a lot more pedal pressure, but they seem to be consistent whether cold or hot (So Cal cold at least). TI think they are a very well behaved pad overall.
    same experience.

    I bought them thru autozone 3 years ago for $64/axle with lifetime warranty. I even tracked them several times.

    Eventually I went with NAPA AE metallics, but it wasnt because the PFCs are bad. Just to try something else. NAPA AE metallics are very low dust, zero noise (installed on 3 BMWs now) and improved initial bite over the PFCs.

  16. #16
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    i had the hps on my tsx and i didn't like them, at first i thought i didnt bed them in right

    so i swapped them for the hawk ceramics
    same thing, a little less dust but more squealing and not much bite

    what's a good pad for agressive street driving
    good bite and low dust?
    are the pbr metal masters the ones? i think i had them in the past

  17. #17
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    ya, I felt the same when I installed the HPS on a friend's 530i a few months ago. Initial bite was very low.

    I do have the PFC Z rated. They will dust similar to the axxis ultimates, but can tolerate heat better during DE's without fading.
    #71 SM
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  18. #18
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    I noticed better braking with my hawks, but I also installed a brembo BBK at the same time so I'm sure that affected the results

  19. #19
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    sub'ed. About to decide on pads for my car.

    So apart from the dust (which I don't really care, dealt with dust on ZHP rims before lol), is there a reason why I should not go with the OEMs (Jurid)?

    Also pelicanparts lists two: 1. Genuine BMW, 2. Jurid (OEM supplier). There is a $40 difference between the two for just the fronts. Given that the Jurid is the OEM supplier and BMW doesn't manufacture pads, I assume these would be the same, right? Any experience on these?
    Black Sapphire MetallicNatural BrownSilver Cube e46 330i ZHP/6MT - Sold
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  20. #20
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    I've been very happy running PBR metal masters in my BMWs for the past 9 years
    1998 M3:
    Fact Spoiler, DS2, Z3 shifter, ZKW's, Euro Tails, Euro Rotors, Red Line Fluids, M50, Dr Vanos, Rouge RSMs, Everything else stock and mint!

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    M-Contours, Vanos Conversion, JC Chip, Bilsteins, M3 Front Bushings, ATE Power Discs, Super Blue Brake Fluid, Z3 Shifter, Strut Tower Brace, M3 Sways & Springs, Supersprint Exhaust, and a hitch to tow my quad.

  21. #21
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    The JURID pads are what I had... man they grab and work great... in summary

    Cold: Great bite
    Hot: Good bite
    Fade: low
    Dust: Yikes! (Green protestors line-up at my house every day!)
    BMW CCA Member 186373 - Golden Gate Chapter
    Former (e)Bombe Magazine Editor, "The Toy Box" product review writer | Current member of Team Jesus



    Gone: 1995 E36 M3 Arctik Silber, 1996 E36 M3 Cosmos, 1991 E30 318is Cosmos

  22. #22
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    I will probably go with blank OEM rotors and Jurid pads... decisions, decisions...
    Black Sapphire MetallicNatural BrownSilver Cube e46 330i ZHP/6MT - Sold
    HellrotDove Grey e36///M3 - RIP
    Black Sapphire MetallicNevada BrownDark Bamboo e70 X5 xDrive4.8
    Alpine WhiteCoral RedAluminum f30 328i Sportline/6MT
    Imola RedBlackBlack Aluminum e46 330i ZHP/6MT

  23. #23
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    Reason I use Axxis Ultimates is the intial bite, very important in my daily commute. Dust is awful, but I want the ability to stop NOW. Car came with HP+ IIRC....

    And the Full Floaters are Eye Candy only, no proven benefit on our cars at all. (mine came with them, I only put in Brembo blanks these days, always paint the Hats)

    John
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    ***Got a '95 M3? (actually pretty common on all years! Even happened to Racer Seth Thomas! ) Check Your LSD! http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=390209

  24. #24
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    For me, low dust was a big priority..So I bought the HPS pads, I mean seriously, I drive around at normal speeds in the city, if I ever track I'll buy better pads to track with (exact same argument I have for driving on nexens)

    At first it required more pedal pressure, but I paid a brake shop 50 bucks to bleed my car for me (took them 45 minutes, would have taken me hours) and everything is back to normal.

    Honestly, I'm pretty sure I have better braking power than with the OEM, the last set were put on by the dealership (previous owner), and I really don't notice a significant difference in the sets.

  25. #25
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    I bought pfc z rated's for the front and took out my hps'. The z rateds have a bit better initial bite and bite very hard on the highway and are def a better pad overall. They do dust a lot but dust isnt an issue for me. If you want a pad that will work for everything but a track day, get axxis ultimates or stock. There really are no better options.

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