[bpang1234]

I just had my brake package installed on my '16 2SS.

- Hawk HPS pads
- Stainless Steel Lines from Phastek
- Ate Super Blue Brake Fluid (I had an un-opened bottle that I was saving)

I am likely to put these pads through Daily Driving, Autocross and open Track Days / HPDEs. So I am running them through the gamut of what you would "reasonably" expect them to perform in with the obvious extremes of the open track days being the exception. My goals for the car have always been to be able to transition from daily driving to light motorsports with minimal labor which is why I have gone with a high performance street pad versus changing out from street to track pads all the time which to me is a pain.

Initial impressions on 4/12/17 with 200 miles - all daily but a few hill runs:

- Initial bite seems to be 10%-15% improved over the stock pads...you definitely need to re-adjust your expectations versus how it bit with the stock pads.
- Dust is "improved" about 20% versus my best recollection from last Fall...BUT that could all be without proper context. Not like I measure the dust amount with like a laser meter or something like that.
- Pedal modulation is far superior to the stock pads.
- No instances of fade but this is all easy driving and I also have upgraded fluids.
- During install, my guy pointed out that the shiny round weights on the front pads were significantly bigger than the stock pads' rectangular ones. They stick out maybe an inch further out of the caliper. This could be a problem in regards to my 18" snow wheels...but I think I still have a chance with them. I will post a picture later.

[YaBoyJordy]

How are you liking the pads so far? Coming from a mustang with the 6 piston brembos I'm not very impressed with the initial bite of the Camaro so I'm looking to improve it. I am thinking about upgrading to the HPS 5.0 pads soon with some new rotors.

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by YaBoyJordy

How are you liking the pads so far? Coming from a mustang with the 6 piston brembos I'm not very impressed with the initial bite of the Camaro so I'm looking to improve it. I am thinking about upgrading to the HPS 5.0 pads soon with some new rotors.

I really like them for the street and autocross...I guess they would "get by" for a track day but not ideal.

My thoughts stay the same...initial bite is what you would expect...modulation is good...dust is less than stock...not making noise like track pads would. Wear is even and no exhibiting any other weirdness.

All in all I like them and am happy with my purchase...at least for my usage level.

[shattered_memory]

Great initial review! keep us updated. I just ordered a set of hawk Street/Race pads with new rotors and ATE brake fluid. I'll see if there's an improvement once installed. I too am disappointed with the 4 piston Brembos. On the street they do fine, but on mountain roads, they aren't very confident inspiring.

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by shattered_memory

Great initial review! keep us updated. I just ordered a set of hawk Street/Race pads with new rotors and ATE brake fluid. I'll see if there's an improvement once installed. I too am disappointed with the 4 piston Brembos. On the street they do fine, but on mountain roads, they aren't very confident inspiring.

They seem fine to me...more pistons doesn't necessarily mean more brake power.

The pads, lines and fluid seem to have done what they needed to do.

Just did a 2,400 mile road trip to Vegas and back...they performed great on mountain roads which made up a large amount of it. I even found a road in White Bird, ID that is basically Stelvio Pass's American Cousin...ran it like 8 times up and down ha ha.

[bpang1234]

1-Year Anniversary of my OP - 12K+ mile update:

I love these pads...this is an ideal mix of Daily Drive-ability and added Braking Performance. I think I can comfortably stand by these pads for anyone looking to mostly daily drive their car and only do light motorsports (Autocross and a few track days / HPDEs). I would say these put you at the top of braking performance for any pad that you could run on a daily driver. Anything beyond this would be race pads that you really shouldn't run on the street. I, for one, am happy to not have to switch out pads when I intend to do a track day because that is a pain in the ass and I have no time for such antics.

I do not experience any undo noises from the setup other than on RARE occasions that I am creeping to a stop and actually I have ever only heard this while in line for the first run of the day in Autocross.

I have experienced a higher amount of rotor wear than you would expect at my mileage (22K miles) but that is pretty normal for an upgraded pad and certainly not going to kill my wallet. I believe the OE rotors will last as long as the pads and by that time, I will upgrade rotors when I replace pads.

The rest of my earlier thoughts carry forward to today. Very happy with these pads.

[trohde78]

Thanks for the detailed write up. It's very useful in helping me decide on new pads. Do you have the Hawk part numbers?

[bpang1234]

I need to AMEND this review after having tracked the car twice in HPDE events...each day was 4 x 20-minute sessions.

These pads are "OK" for Street to Track but only in very limited use and you will really need to be careful about your braking application. If you are just going out there to have fun, it will be fine, just don't stand on them at every braking zone. Also, you will need to be careful not to miss the beginning of the braking zone as I had on this run:



I am going to be upgrading to the Hawk Street/Race pads or another brand's product that has that type of heat range. The Hawk HPS 5.0 definitely has a lower maximum heat than both the HP+ and the Street/Race pads...but you will have to be on track to reach that threshold.

As such, my final review is that these are great pads for a street car that will see autocross and non-competitive / "just for fun" HPDE time. The ability to run one pad for both is a huge advantage as long as you know that there are limits to what these can do.

[trohde78]

Wow! That had to be a bit scary being told that your brakes were "on fire"! With that experience, would you recommend that I at least go back to the stock pads at the track rather than run the Hawk's?

[bpang1234]

Originally Posted by trohde78

Wow! That had to be a bit scary being told that your brakes were "on fire"! With that experience, would you recommend that I at least go back to the stock pads at the track rather than run the Hawk's?

I still feel the Hawk HPS 5.0 is better than the stock pads. I wouldn't recommend going back to stock. What I would do is know that they are not full on track pads so adjust your expectations accordingly and don't be an idiot like me.

[trohde78]

Originally Posted by bpang1234

I still feel the Hawk HPS 5.0 is better than the stock pads. I wouldn't recommend going back to stock. What I would do is know that they are not full on track pads so adjust your expectations accordingly and don't be an idiot like me.

Haha! I will never push any car to the limits until I have something like a cheap $5K dedicated track car! I considered the HPS to be about on par with the stock pads, so now I'm not sure which I should run.

[Glowtieboi]

Originally Posted by bpang1234

I just had my brake package installed on my '16 2SS.

- Hawk HPS pads
- Stainless Steel Lines from Phastek
- Ate Super Blue Brake Fluid (I had an un-opened bottle that I was saving)

I am likely to put these pads through Daily Driving, Autocross and open Track Days / HPDEs. So I am running them through the gamut of what you would "reasonably" expect them to perform in with the obvious extremes of the open track days being the exception. My goals for the car have always been to be able to transition from daily driving to light motorsports with minimal labor which is why I have gone with a high performance street pad versus changing out from street to track pads all the time which to me is a pain.



Initial impressions on 4/12/17 with 200 miles - all daily but a few hill runs:

- Initial bite seems to be 10%-15% improved over the stock pads...you definitely need to re-adjust your expectations versus how it bit with the stock pads.
- Dust is "improved" about 20% versus my best recollection from last Fall...BUT that could all be without proper context. Not like I measure the dust amount with like a laser meter or something like that.
- Pedal modulation is far superior to the stock pads.
- No instances of fade but this is all easy driving and I also have upgraded fluids.
- During install, my guy pointed out that the shiny round weights on the front pads were significantly bigger than the stock pads' rectangular ones. They stick out maybe an inch further out of the caliper. This could be a problem in regards to my 18" snow wheels...but I think I still have a chance with them. I will post a picture later.

Can you confirm the phastek brake lines will in fact work with a 6 piston set up? If not, where did you get your steel brake lines from?

[Glowtieboi]

Also, can you link me to the hawk pads?

[trohde78]

Originally Posted by Glowtieboi

Also, can you link me to the hawk pads?

They are on the Phastek site:

https://www.phastekperformance.com/category-s/2038.htm