Hawk Brake Pads, v. EBC Pads

[240DRFTluver]

Which is better. i have heard nothing but great things about hawk and i love their low prices, but I look at EBC pads and wonder why they are so much more expensive than Hawk. Are they better? do they have some super secret pad? So should I go with Hawk or EBC?

[numbnuts240]

what kind of driving?

[mattblancarte]

The only pads I use (at least up to this point) are Hawk HP+

Not sure how to apply a simple rating to them, but they always grab when I ask them to. Even after long lapping stints at the track.

The only downside to having a metallic pad is the noise and dust. It's super loud at low speeds when you're braking on the street.

[Dittoz7]

Hope you have tires to match your new pads performance.

[allenms240]

Hope you have tires to match your new pads performance.

What do you mean?

[numbnuts240]

tires play just as much, if not bigger roles in your braking abilities. if this is a track car, you want good tires just as much as you want good brakes. if it's a street car and you're dead set on performance pads, get the cheaper of the two and save a few bucks.

[allenms240]

Ah, learn something new everyday.As in 'good tires' do you mean wide tires or just a good quality brand of time?

[Frank E Bones]

As in 'good tires' do you mean wide tires or just a good quality brand of time?

Both actually. Im currently using Hawk pads myself, but the best "upgrade" ive done to my car so far has gotta be the Nitto Invos that I got. You would be better of with stock brakes and great tires than you would with good brake pads and cheap tires.

[lbreevesii]

Think of it this way. If you can lock your brakes then(basically) you're exceeding the tires deceleration grip abilities. So more or less, you don't need better brakes, you need better tires.

That isn't exactly finite. For instance better brakes mean you can shed speed quicker if you keep from locking up, but you still aren't getting full effect.

Anyway, I don't know much about ebc's, I hear good and bad. I hear nothing but good about anything from hawk. HPS's give good bite but may fade on a track after a long stint, but they're much quieter than HP+. HP+'s are amazing though.

[Asmar]

I use nothing but Hawk pads on all of my cars... I heard EBC pads were pretty good also but have never had them on any of my cars...

[croustibat]

It also depends on availability ... in France, getting hawks brake pads is difficult and expensive (nothing under 120€), while i can get ebc yellowstuff pads for the fronts for 50€.

i have yet to install the yellowstuff, as i am still using wilwood pads. redstuff ("track"), greenstuff ("street")and blackstuff("oem copy") are poo though. They basically cant cope with heat and self destruct.

Yellowstuff are metallic pads, so has the same benefits and problems as other metallic pads (nice cold bite but noisy and eats rotors).

i think they also do bluestuff, that is supposed to be an endurance pad. Never heard of though.

[240DRFTluver]

thx

Which is better. i have heard nothing but great things about hawk and i love their low prices, but I look at EBC pads and wonder why they are so much more expensive than Hawk. Are they better? do they have some super secret pad? So should I go with Hawk or EBC?

The for all of the input. for the sake of having a more accurate opinion, the goal for my car is a daily driver that i can still have fun with on the track. I'm keeping the KA and leaving it NA. most of my work will be on suspension but im not gonna go too crazy for this car. It's still a daily driver.

[adoboboy]

Don't use EBC! I agree with croustibat about them self destructing.-Compound separated from the backing plate and,-No response from EBC

I have a '96, stock rear caliper and have been running the EBC red stuff for the past year and a half (or about 9k miles) and was happy with them until about a week ago when I discovered the pad compound that comes in contact with the rotor has separated from the backing plate with plenty of meat left. The compound is still trapped between the rotor and plate as you can see from the pictures below but only barely and who knows when it'll pop out. Calipers are a rusty, NYC winters will do that to you.

I've emailed EBC last Friday, April 2nd but still have not gotten a response and at this point not expecting one.

Now I have to remove both rear pads that still have considerably plenty of life left and replace them with another set. I'm considering Hawk HPS but I'm still on the fence about installing cheapo autozone pads to save a few bucks since I'm only street driving on weekends now.

redstuff ("track"), greenstuff ("street")and blackstuff("oem copy") are poo though. They basically cant cope with heat and self destruct.

[adoboboy]

Don't use EBC! I agree with croustibat about them self destructing.-Compound separated from the backing plate and,-No response from EBC

I have a '96, stock rear caliper and have been running the EBC red stuff for the past year and a half (or about 9k miles) and was happy with them until about a week ago when I discovered the pad compound that comes in contact with the rotor has separated from the backing plate with plenty of meat left. The compound is still trapped between the rotor and plate as you can see from the pictures below but only barely and who knows when it'll pop out. Calipers are a rusty, NYC winters will do that to you.

I've emailed EBC last Friday, April 2nd but still have not gotten a response and at this point not expecting one.

Now I have to remove both rear pads that still have considerably plenty of life left and replace them with another set. I'm considering Hawk HPS but I'm still on the fence about installing cheapo autozone pads to save a few bucks since I'm only street driving on weekends now.

Pics below. Pass side is OK and put on there just for comparison to the driver side which is pretty much black.

redstuff ("track"), greenstuff ("street")and blackstuff("oem copy") are poo though. They basically cant cope with heat and self destruct.

FAIL

FAIL

Pass side, the good side.


Modified by adoboboy at 9:35 PM 4/8/2010

[rsmithdrift]

[quote="brandon mitchell]Hawk products are good I cant say nothing bad about them but I think EBC products are above them. Because EBC offers quality products that's why its price it more expensive.[/quote]

You totally fail... way to ressurect an old thread to achieve nothing with your response...

But to make the ressurection usefull, since it's here....
'
How well do Hawk pads HPS (the quiet ones) stand up to heat. I live in mountains and even performance pads can't take it They are a cheap brand though. Starts with a v i think... came with my rotors... anyways I smoke em easily. They litterally achieve 100% overheated brake failure halfway down the mtn and are smoking by the time I stop at the bottom. I need a pad that can still grab after HARD braking repeatedly in quick succession for hairpin turns on a 25% downhill grade. I have new OEM replacement Brembo crossdrill/slotted rotors. I just need good pads for them.

[got chub]

I've used HP+ on my DD for 2 years now. i love them they grab no matter what the speed. they are now down to 20-25% life and are starting to make noise which is expected. i have a friend that has a 3000gt vr4 he has been running EBC reds for 3 years now. I've ridden in his car on the road and track and they feel just the same as mine except for the difference in vehicle weight. i will say that my HP+ are rather dusty and noticeable on my gunmetal wheels, i had bronze prior to these and i couldn't see the dust as much. theres my 2 cents for ya