THSCC Forums

I ran HP Plus's on the Vette for awhile for autox. They are noticably more aggressive and will stop the car quicker with less pedal pressure. They dust like crazy though. To be honest, I think they are over kill for autox. I also believe that for me personally, they helped me to over slow the car for maneuvers where I didn't need to slow down that much. Hawk claims they will handle the heat of the track, but I don't believe it. I liked the feel of them, because they would stop the car with little pedal pressure. I learned through time, that is not always a good thing, at least for me personally. If it takes more pedal pressure to slow the car, it generally means that you have a greater range of pressures to work with to modulate the brakes to get the desired amount of braking.

I've heard really good things about the Hawk HPS pads though for autox. If you try Hawks, try the HPS compound. They don't dust badly and are easier on rotors than the HP Plus. The blues are strictly a track compound.

This year I ran Performance Friction Z rated carbon metallics. After the Hawk HP Pluses, I thought there was something wrong with my brakes it took so much more pedal pressure to stop the car. But after getting used to them, I think they're fine. I think Dishman used to run those on his old C4 Corvette as well. Save your receipt from AutoZone- they come with a lifetime guarantee. I haven't really noticed them being harder to stop cold vs with a little heat in them. That could partly be a function of your brake set up on the car.

But let's make sure one thing is clear- you will always need different pads for a high speed track event, especially if you have a heavy car. Don't even kid yourself that you can get away with one pad for both. If you try to run a street pad on the track at serious triple digit speeds, it will melt. If you try to run a track worthy pad for autox or street use, it won't stop the car well and you will destroy your rotors in about a week. They will dust like crazy and sound awful too.

Anytime we have a discussion about brake pads or tires, you must keep several things in mind. Compounds may change over time, and yet the manufacturer may not change the name of the product. Also, we all drive different cars, with different weights, different suspension and brake set ups, and different driving styles. So, even when we are discussing the same tire or same brake pad compound, we are still not totally comparing apples to apples. The difference that driving style can make on track is especially dramatic for how a particular brake pad lasts or a tire holds up. Techniques used when braking from 120 to 140 mph can have a huge impact on how well your equipment lasts- much more so than braking from 60 mph in an autox.

Miles

Here I am

Street and autocross, huh? Hands down the best "bang for the buck" pads for that use is Axxis Ultimate. They tend to be a bit dusty for some people's taste.

Our Bobcat compound is well like by many for autocross (ask Tom Hoppe). Much lower dusting than Ultimates too. Tends to be a bit more expensive than Ultimates, though. It's my pick for street tire autocrossing.


HP+ really isn't well liked by all that many autocrossers. They are dusty, and I've heard more than one report from customers that they are mildly rotor aggressive (although not NEARLY like Blues) and the dust if allowed to get wet becomes hard to remove from wheels (although not NEARLY like Blues).

That's really the rundown. I think Hawk HPS and PFC street pads are much closer to what an OE pad is in terms of performance. OK, but not all that special.