TheHeadFL

So, as the thread title states, I'm looking for some pad recommendations... I figured I'd post a thread to see what people had to say because I'm not using OEM calipers and rotors so my choices differ considerably.

First, some background... I have the Wilwood 13" 6 Piston brake kit on the front of my T/A. I installed the kit back in 2003 and it has around 30,000 street miles on it. (The car is no longer a DD and now sees maybe 500-1000 miles a year)

The kit comes with Wilwood's PolyMatrix 'E' compound, which Wilwood describes as a Street/Strip compound with medium grip and temperature tolerance, etc. Well, I streeted these for about 6 months and I couldn't handle the dust and noise. They stopped like a dream, but howled like a school bus in street driving.

After talking with Wilwood, they recommended the PolyMatrix 'Q' compound, which they also describe as Street/Strip, but also low-dust and low noise. Well, they are utterly silent and they are reasonably low dust, but they just don't have that big bite that I loved about the 'E' pads.

The car currently has the Q pads in it now, and they probably have thousands of street miles left on them. But I'm thinking about breaking the calipers down and rebuilding them (as they have no dust boots and it *has* been 8 years) and refreshing the anodizing (as they are more like purple than black now). Since I'm tearing it apart, I figure I might as well try something different.

There seems to be a considerable array of pad choices available for the '7416' Wilwood pad shape... (http://www.wilwood.com/BrakePads/Bra...x?padtype=7416)

I see that Hawk offers their usual compounds, (HPS, HP+, etc), as well as Performance Friction (many compounds), Porterfield, etc. I hear a lot of people on these forums talk about HPS and HP+...

So my question is this:

Given what I've described above, do Hawk HPS's fit the bill? Would Hawk HP+ pads be too noisy? Keep in mind this is for weekend fun use, and the main concern is the best possible stopping power with the least amount of noise. I am no longer as concerned with the dust since the car sees so few miles.

Opinions?

Shockwave179

iTrader: (7)

I would get the HPS's. They dust a bit more but I've never had them squeal in the 5-6 years that I've been using them. I can't say how they compare to the Wilwood pads though.

TheHeadFL

I think the Wilwood pads I am currently running are ceramic, so the HPS Ferro-Carbon would be a difference. I am hoping they have a bit more initial bite.

I am trying to find a datasheet for HPS pads. Wilwood and others publish sheets that show the 'torque curve' of their pads at various temperatures. I found this useful when comparing brake pads, aside from subjective 'feel'. I have yet to find this info for the Hawk compounds though...

TheHeadFL

Actually after doing some reading I may look into the Wilwood BP-10 compound... apparently they introduced it back in 2005 after I already switched to the Q's. It is 'in between' the E and Q.

So many decisions...

SVThuh

iTrader: (2)

I run the Wilwood BP-20's on the street and on tracks that aren't super brake intensive.

They are great on the street and they are great on the track, but they do dust a bit. They are also quite quiet.

TheHeadFL

Dust I can deal with since this is a garage queen and I can wash it frequently.

The torque curve on BP-20s looks nice... if its quiet like you say, this definitely sounds like a nice pad.

SVThuh

iTrader: (2)

They have been some of the nicest pads I have used, and I've used a lot of them including Hawk, Mintex, Raybestos race pads, etc.

They just work EVERYWHERE!

TheHeadFL

Thanks for the advice! I think BP-20 is probably the way to go for me.

Now I just need to figure out the plan for disassembly/overhaul/powdercoating/etc on the calipers before I tear into it again.

Planning to take a lot of pictures. I've had a lot of people tell me over the years that Wilwood calipers aren't streetable because they lack dust boots. 8 years on they are working just fine, and based on the parts list it may run me not even $50 in seals and hardware to redo these... Can't wait to look at the bores and pistons to see just how right the "they need to be rebuilt every 6 months" crowd was...

SVThuh

iTrader: (2)

LMAO.. The only real reason why dust boots are put on caliper pistons is because some DOT like organization (might be the TUV) somewhere in Europe require them. Wilwood actually makes a model that has Dust-boots just for this reason as they export a lot of them over there.

Dust boots are overrated.. My Wilwoods are off a CMC car and they were ABUSED on the track for 6 years before I got them.. Pulled the pistons and they looked new.

TheHeadFL

Yeah, my understanding is that it has a lot to do with how far out you run the pads. I have never used up more than 50% of my pad life before changing the pads, and when I did so I made sure to clean the pistons before retracting them. If I weren't changing the pads I'd probably be using pad wear spacers.