Hawk HP Plus worn out ...
Hawk HP Plus worn out ... Well, it's down to bare metal on my fronts again. I had Hawk HP Plus pads installed about 18 months ago and noticed they dusted extremely bad. In less than 15,000, they're down to bare metal ... couldn't believe it when I pulled the wheels this weekend. Do I just drive too hard or is it normal to only get 15K out of the Hawk HP Plus pads?
My miles are all stop-n-go, so, maybe it's just my driving habits?
My miles are all stop-n-go, so, maybe it's just my driving habits?
Dude, you may have some serious braking issues if you have worn through them that quick. I have 10k miles on mine on all four corners and they are still about 80%. You might try braking a little earlier, and not so hard. Also, brake dust isn't really a bad thing. All the racing pads, and auto x pads are actually really dusty. It's kind of a sign of a good pad. I have noticed that the fronts are way dustier than the rears though.
You can't say "they lasted 15k miles, and shouldn't have worn out that fast". Everyone drives differently, and if the pads are worn evenly, you are going to see faster than average wear no matter WHAT pad you run on. Just like the guy who does burn-outs and they says "my treadwear 500 tires suck for wear, they only lasted 6k miles". Come on. Brakes wear out depending on how hard, and how often they are used.
I suspect you put HP Pluses on for superior stopping power, right? And I suspect you like the result? And I also would assume that means you like using the brakes, which wears them out. Stop and go driving kills brakes. If you stop 5 times a mile compared to someone who drives 10 miles stopping once, you are going to wear the brakes 50 times faster....
I suspect you put HP Pluses on for superior stopping power, right? And I suspect you like the result? And I also would assume that means you like using the brakes, which wears them out. Stop and go driving kills brakes. If you stop 5 times a mile compared to someone who drives 10 miles stopping once, you are going to wear the brakes 50 times faster....
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
You can't say "they lasted 15k miles, and shouldn't have worn out that fast".
I had to replace rears, as well, today. All were worn the same ... all the way down nearly to the metal. I ended up going back with OEM pads and they felt as good as the Hawk Pluses during normal driving today ... not saying there wasn't a difference .. just that I could feel very little (if any) difference. I do believe, however, that the OEM's WILL harden to some degree with heat/wear, whereas, the Hawks will prob stay 'soft' and will have a better feel over the OEM's eventually.
I haven't changed my driving habits and the stockers lasted me 45,000 miles. The Hawk's lasted me 13,822 miles. Less than 1/3 the life of the original OEM's. For the the kind of driving I do, there's not enough difference to warrant staying with the Hawk's. If I road raced, I'd prob either go with the Hawks or another brand, but, OEM's suit my driving habits.
I appreciate you weighing in.
I have no issue with shredding Hawks like that. Also HP Pluses are very powerful, MUCH stronger than stock. I can't imagine you saw such little difference if you indeed had HP Plus. HPS's are more similar to stock power, but still a bit stronger, no more dirty than stock pads. I guess YMMV, but it's odd.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,017
Likes: 0
From: Laguna Niguel, CA
Hey Sam, how powerful are the HP Plus's?
I have had Hawk HPS's for several years now and LOVE them. I think they are a BIt stronger than stock, but they do eat through the Autozone rotors at a rate of one set of pads to one set of cracked and warped AZ rotors.
How would the Brembo blanks fare against a set of Hawk HP Plus's?
Would the rotors be worn out, assuming I use the proper bedding procedure to transfer a layer of brake pad material to the rotors...
I have had Hawk HPS's for several years now and LOVE them. I think they are a BIt stronger than stock, but they do eat through the Autozone rotors at a rate of one set of pads to one set of cracked and warped AZ rotors.
How would the Brembo blanks fare against a set of Hawk HP Plus's?
Would the rotors be worn out, assuming I use the proper bedding procedure to transfer a layer of brake pad material to the rotors...
Trending Topics
Powerful enough that I do NOT personally use them on my autocross car... when I need to just scrub a little speed, I those things are so grabby I tend to overslow. Not good when momentum is the name of game and literally .001 can be the difference between winning or not. 
Some folks swear by them for the same use. YMMV. If you want a killer stopping pad that will actually work cold, etc..... these fit the bill.
You are finding out about cheap rotors.... Brembos will hold up better, it's very hard to warp a Brembo, though not impossible. Some heat checking can't be avoided, regardles of rotor, but those of better metal quality do resist it better.
I can't tell you if your rotors are junk or not. But warped and cracked doesn't indicate they are in great shape.
Some folks swear by them for the same use. YMMV. If you want a killer stopping pad that will actually work cold, etc..... these fit the bill.You are finding out about cheap rotors.... Brembos will hold up better, it's very hard to warp a Brembo, though not impossible. Some heat checking can't be avoided, regardles of rotor, but those of better metal quality do resist it better.
I can't tell you if your rotors are junk or not. But warped and cracked doesn't indicate they are in great shape.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
Last edited by Sam Strano; Mar 6, 2007 at 12:24 PM.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Originally Posted by Sam Strano
I have no issue with shredding Hawks like that. Also HP Pluses are very powerful, MUCH stronger than stock. I can't imagine you saw such little difference if you indeed had HP Plus. HPS's are more similar to stock power, but still a bit stronger, no more dirty than stock pads. I guess YMMV, but it's odd.
The stockers are supposed to be 100.000 mile pads. They lasted me 42,895 miles and still had about 1/16th left on them on the pad which was worn the worst ... pretty close to the rivets, though.
Fine, you had HP Pluses, sheeh... take it easy. You have two issues that others don't, extreme wear and a seeming lack of stopping power. Forgive me for trying to investigate. I'll stop with this post
But dealership? Like a GM dealer? I don't know of many dealers who sell and install non GM parts. And also, folks make mistakes. I don't know the history here, and you seem to be unwilling to examine possibilities since I can't think of anyone who has had HP+ pads and thought the power was just ok.
But dealership? Like a GM dealer? I don't know of many dealers who sell and install non GM parts. And also, folks make mistakes. I don't know the history here, and you seem to be unwilling to examine possibilities since I can't think of anyone who has had HP+ pads and thought the power was just ok.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
I would say you may have a brake system problem if your rear's wore the exact same as your fronts... shouldn't happen since you've got about 60-70% on your front brakes for stopping power compared to the rear. Or you just really like to stick that brake pedal on the floor
<Jon5212> I would say you may have a brake system problem if your rear's wore the exact same as your fronts... shouldn't happen since you've got about 60-70% on your front brakes for stopping power compared to the rear. Or you just really like to stick that brake pedal on the floor
I think with the extra weight of the 12-bolt (and I carry my toobox in the back as well), maybe that affects the rears a little, but, I'm with you. The fronts should go well before the rears. The cars dang near stops on a dime, though. I do a lot of hard stops, so, I'm sur ethat contribute immensely to the excessive wear ... still seems like I should have gotten more than 1/3 the life from the Hawk HP+'s than I did form the OEM's.
Sam, I'm not sure why you are getting so aggitated. That really was not my intent when replying to your misquote of what I said. I have bent over backward trying to tell you I was simply posing a question here.
I can't imagine you saw such little difference if you indeed had HP Plus.
But dealership? Like a GM dealer? I don't know of many dealers who sell and install non GM parts.
Mybe I'm first person who truly doesn't think the Hawk HP+ pads are so much greater than the OEM pads. That's just me and how I feel about them. Why do you have such a hard time believing that? Looking overall at both products, with all the advantages and disadvantages of them, overall. I prefer OEM pads because I didn't see much of a difference in the stopping power and I prefer not to have to chnage out brakes every 15,000 miles.
I appreciate your weighing in and am willing to listen to what you have to say so long as it's constructive criticism. Stopping power is about as good as it was with the aftermarket pads, so no problem there. I guess I just brake too hard driving on the street. I'm certainly open to suggestions ... if there is a problem with my braking, what do you think it might be and how can I test your theory ... if you offer one?
Let's see.... You admit you stop hard a lot. You carry more weight. You don't seem to realize the car has EBD that tries to use as much rear brake as possible, just so the brake wear is more even since it wasn't on the older cars.
Your invoice doesn't show what pads you provided, and many have confused HPS with HP Plus before. Sorry if I didn't realize that it's impossible you could have been mistaken, and that I cannot read your mind. And I also recall reading in one of you posts you said the stopping power wasn't that much better the OEM pads? That's the other thing that made me think you had something other than you thought.
I'm aggitated because I was trying to help you explore possibilities. Now, it's pretty clear the only possibility is you beat the crap out of the brakes with a lot of weight in the car, and you flat wore them out, and you don't seem willing to accept that. Why ask why? You wore them out, there is no magic there, they didn't fall apart on you. Replace them and try something else.
Fine, you have HP Pluses, you drive like no other person in the world. Have a nice night.
Your invoice doesn't show what pads you provided, and many have confused HPS with HP Plus before. Sorry if I didn't realize that it's impossible you could have been mistaken, and that I cannot read your mind. And I also recall reading in one of you posts you said the stopping power wasn't that much better the OEM pads? That's the other thing that made me think you had something other than you thought.
I'm aggitated because I was trying to help you explore possibilities. Now, it's pretty clear the only possibility is you beat the crap out of the brakes with a lot of weight in the car, and you flat wore them out, and you don't seem willing to accept that. Why ask why? You wore them out, there is no magic there, they didn't fall apart on you. Replace them and try something else.
Fine, you have HP Pluses, you drive like no other person in the world. Have a nice night.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
Last edited by Sam Strano; Mar 6, 2007 at 06:06 PM.
Some good points ... had no idea about the EBD. Yeah, I'm definitely an old car guy for sure ... 49 Years old ... we didn't have that 'back in the day'.
I did order the Hawk HP +'s and that's what they shipped. When I handed them to the guy installing them at the dealership, he commented they were a cut above the Hawk Standard Performance pads. I wasn't mistaken about the type of pads ... did a ton of searches here and research.
I agree about the part about I just beat the hell out of them and wore them out ... nothing to accept there. Not sure why you say I can't accept that. My question was this:
... and you answered that for me. That's what I was seeking ... an opinion from someone who knows what they are talking about. Thank you Sam and I am very sorry you got so upset. You sound like a fairly impatient person, but, that's OK, I have a brother like that and he can't help it. He's one of the most kind generous people in the world at heart, but, he is very impatient if people don't agree with everything he says.
Anyways, thanks again and I was wondering if you sell parts cheaper since you're a distributor? I think I want to go with UMI parts and sometimes distributors can get a better price than the customer buying direct from the manufacturer. Please let me know. I'm gonna' need k-member and upper/lower control arms this Spring.
I did order the Hawk HP +'s and that's what they shipped. When I handed them to the guy installing them at the dealership, he commented they were a cut above the Hawk Standard Performance pads. I wasn't mistaken about the type of pads ... did a ton of searches here and research.
I agree about the part about I just beat the hell out of them and wore them out ... nothing to accept there. Not sure why you say I can't accept that. My question was this:
Do I just drive too hard or is it normal to only get 15K out of the Hawk HP Plus pads?
... and you answered that for me. That's what I was seeking ... an opinion from someone who knows what they are talking about. Thank you Sam and I am very sorry you got so upset. You sound like a fairly impatient person, but, that's OK, I have a brother like that and he can't help it. He's one of the most kind generous people in the world at heart, but, he is very impatient if people don't agree with everything he says.
Anyways, thanks again and I was wondering if you sell parts cheaper since you're a distributor? I think I want to go with UMI parts and sometimes distributors can get a better price than the customer buying direct from the manufacturer. Please let me know. I'm gonna' need k-member and upper/lower control arms this Spring.
