What brake pad?

E36 325I, stock rotors and calipers, autocross in street touring and light street use.

Left to my own devices, I'd probably order a set of Hawk HPS pads, what would you recommend?

Hawk HPS pads.

billy3esq wrote: Hawk HPS pads.

...the "Miata" of brake pads.

Which would be better for street and occasional track days? I looked at Hawks web site and it seems compared to the HPS the HP Plus leans a bit more towards track in the street/track equation. How well do they work on the street? How long do they last? Which would last longer on the track, the HPS or the HP Plus?

My WRX burned through a set of brand new stock style AutoZone pads in one track day! It ruined the brand new rotor also. I don't think I did more than 30 laps or so. Only one rotor was ruined though, the right rear. I want something that will last on the track but doesn't have to be warmed up to work well on the street.

Sorry for the noob questions, I've never had any reason to use anything but run of the mill brake components before, having done only two track days previously.

I've been running the Carbotechs on the race Miata (standard balck and blue combination to address inherent bias issues) and love them, so consider those. However, the next set will be from a company called BHP because I have been hearing amazing things about them.

Greasyman wrote: Which would be better for street and occasional track days? I looked at Hawks web site and it seems compared to the HPS the HP Plus is a leans a bit more towards track in the street/track equation. How well do they work on the street? How long do they last? Which would last longer on the track, the HPS or the HP Plus?

Okay, never used the HP Plus, but I have HPS on both cars. Both see street and regular track use.

The HPS (High-Performance Street) is a Street/Track pad. The HP+ (High-Performance Plus) is a Track>Street pad.

The HP Plus really needs to be warmed to work its best, but will work better than the HPS in hot/abusive (track) conditions. It'll probably last longer on track for this reason.

Everything I've heard about the HP+ is that they don't like to work when cold. But you can make them work if you're aware of they're habits. These are what I'd put on a track mostly, but occasionally street driven car.

The HPS is great on the street, and a solid pad at a track. At the end of a long track day, with two people using it, I can still lock the wheels on the Miata. The HPS is what I put on my cars that see regular track use, but have to function as DD cars.

Sounds like you need a street pad that will handle track usage just fine. That's the HPS

Can you get Axxis Ultimate ceramics for your ride, if so they're great...

I've been very happy with Porterfield R4-S pad for aggressive street/autox pads. Low rotor wear, no noise, medium dust levels, excellent stopping power. Not for use for track days though. I also had a good experience with Axxis Ultimates for my DD.

A friend of mine had HPS on his RX7 then switched to HP+. The HP+ performed better on the street and on the track.

I have HPS on the front of my RS. I'm not a fan. Carbotechs were on the car when I got it (and they had been through many a track day). They worked well on the street, although produced a lot of dust.

I have Redstuffs on my Saturn. They kinda "grind" when they are cold, but if you nail the middle pedal you'll lock all 4 wheels in a heatbeat. Stopping power is always available. I've been driving on them on the street and autox only for ~8k miles.

Track pads need to be warmed to reach their maximum potential... but that doesn't mean they don't work when cold. Most work just fine when cold, but make funny noises.

HPS or Porterfield R4-S

I've used both on "hybrid" use cars and run the HPS on my "full-time" street cars and I almost exclusively run the Porterfield R4-S on my "mostly" track cars. They're decent on the rotors and work fine on a 2500lb or less vehicle on the track.

A big part of the equation is how much your car weighs...

Carbotech. I love their pads and their service. Both have been fantastik for me. Call them up and ask to speak to someone technical and they'll put you through to someone that actually knows what they're talking about. It's a real rarity to be able to speak to the engineers that actually develop the compounds that I usually take advantage of.

FWIW, I've used XP10 pads on the street for a few weeks between track events before with no ill effects (except for the noise). Even their ultra high temp pads work great when cold. Their combo street/light track pad (AX6, I think) is supposed to be fantastic as long as you aren't afraid of dust (which isn't corrosive) or the occasional noise.

Alternately, Axxis Ultimates (came with my Stoptech brakes) have worked acceptably for me at tracks that are easy on brakes as long as I was running relatively hard street tires. They do fade after 10 minutes or so of hard use at Grattan or Waterford. I wouldn't try them at all anywhere that was hard on pads like Gingerman or (god forbid) Blakhawk Farms.

I'll post one other suggestion; just buy a set of track only pads. They last longer, work better, and you can get dust/noise free street pads to make washing your car easier.

stumpmj wrote: Alternately, Axxis Ultimates (came with my Stoptech brakes) have worked acceptably for me at tracks that are easy on brakes as long as I was running relatively hard street tires. They do fade after 10 minutes or so of hard use at Grattan or Waterford. I wouldn't try them at all anywhere that was hard on pads like Gingerman or (god forbid) Blakhawk Farms.

Gingerman is where I fried my stock pads!

Carbotech's were amazing when hot on my 93 MR2. Easily handled a 50min track session at Roebling Rd in 100 degree heat with zero fade. They just kept getting better with every lap.

LOTs of dust, but that's the difference between a fast car and a show car.