TSiWRX Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 NP. I'm on my new set of RP.04.01 right now, so I know they fit and work just as-advertised. And as for the Hawks, I trust captainmorgan, he's given plenty of good guidance in the past. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 NP. I'm on my new set of RP.04.01 right now, so I know they fit and work just as-advertised. And as for the Hawks, I trust captainmorgan, he's given plenty of good guidance in the past. How do you like the Rotora pads? I mean I am not sure what Rotora pads are on the car as the previous owner did the BBK upgrade. I am sure they are the H2 pads though. I ran Carbotech Bobcats on my WRX I am just curious to know how much better if at all the Hawk HPS are than the Rotora pads...? I use it as a DD I dont track it so I dont need a crazy pad I have just always liked Hawk as I have heard they put out a great product. This is how they currently look http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/Jay04WRX/002.jpg I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 DD is just fine. Dusting is a concern, but it's got good modulation/feedback and no detectable noise (caveat: I'm neither very noise-sensitive, nor do I have the quietest LGT around ) until it's up against the audible "change me out now" wear indicators make themselves known - functional temperature is...er....anything and everything. I went through my pads in about 40K miles. I left-foot brake quite a bit, but don't do it consistently enough to generate fade. If you track or AutoX, many have cited that the H2 Ceramics are *not* suited for such purposes, and will catastrophically fail. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainmorgan Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 So I've had my Rotora set on the car now for a couple years. I check them every spring, pull them off the car, put the pads, check for damage rubbing etc. I havent had to rebuild them, but I think that this spring I will finally do that. I havent had any problems with the, Except one, but its my fault. So I decided not to buy the Rotora replacement pads, and instead bought a set of HAWK HPS HB193F.670 and HB180F.591. The rears work perfect, no issues with them, but the fronts were too thick, so I put them on an end mill and turned them down to .590" thickness, basically burning half their life from them. They work fine, but milling them down a bit changed the surface of the pads and it took a while to get the glaze off. Another issue is that the HAWK pads had a bit of flash on the pad backing, and occasionally the pad would get stuck in the caliper, locked to the rotor, and heat up. Its fine if you're only out an about around town. But mine did this while I was driving I-70 through the continental divide. Not a time when you want to lose your brakes. I let them cool down and wedges the pad bake in place and they worked fine. Not damage other than some color change to the caliper and a little warpage to the rotors, maybe just buildup. All in all, if I had to do it again, I would NOT buy these calipers as they do not offer much improvement over stock, unless you have a track dedicated car, and even then, you might want to look at a higher end, nicer set, or even a set of Brembo take-offs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 ^ Thank you for the information regarding the Hawk pads. I was going to replace my Rotora pads with Hawks but if I have to shave off almost 1/2 the life whats the point I will pay for the Rotora pads. I use my car as a DD I dont track the car the previous owner put the Rotora's on the fronts and didnt have the stock LGT brake set-up anymore. They work fine for me I havent pulled them off the car to inspect them but I will do that when it gets a little warmer out. I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted March 5, 2011 Share Posted March 5, 2011 In terms of brake feel, the Rotoras are a noticeable improvement, but that said, it's a small improvement for a very large cost; not the most efficient way to spend money, for-sure. Modulation was never a problem for me with the stock setup, with or without aftermarket pads, so I consider that a non-factor, although I do feel that the Rotoras are very linear. In terms of performance, I definitely agree that it's far from a worthwhile upgrade - definitely not in terms of everyday driving. But that said, this is going to be the same of any "BBK," as that's truly not where their intended purposes lie. Certainly, if I tracked the car or otherwise engaged in motorsports, I would go with a more "track proven" set, with more readily available (and often cheaper) wear components. Stoptechs and Willwoods would top my list for track/AutoX and drag-racing applications, respectively, the latter on weight alone. Some have had good luck with the Rotoras for track/AutoX, but specific attention must be paid towards proper pad and rotor selection. FWIW, for a set of "street" upgrades that simply looks good and fills the wheel-void, the Rotoras do offer at least about two decades of having proven that they're not a fly-by-night operation in the marketplace - and in terms of durability/reliability, at least in terms of street use, for me, they again earn a nod. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I am bringing this thread back from the dead. I rotated my tires tonight and noticed my rotora pads (that's what I believe they are since they came with the car) are dangerously low. In re reading above I do not want to get hawk pads and cut 1/2 the life off of them. The rotora pads have worked fine and the dust really isn't that bad IMO. I am unsure what set of pads came with my bbk but they were quiet and worked great for my daily driving (I am pretty sure they are rotora). With that being said unless another / better set of pads will replace the rotoras I am just gonna get another set of rotora pads....? What is the best and cheapest place to buy rotora pads? Sorry for the bad pic http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/Jay04WRX/9698adbc.jpg I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainmorgan Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I have 30K miles on my set of Hawk pads that I cut down. I wouldnt say that they've wasted any life. Granted, I dont track the car, it is my daily driver. I'd say they have another 20K left on them. Very good wearing pads. If you do end up going with the Hawks, I'd recommend Porterfield Brakes to get hem from. They will do any adjustments to the off-the-shelf Hawks free of charge for you. If you want, I can supply prints for them to match to spec. http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/ Buying Rotora pads, theres a couple places around. There is no "cheap" place. If you find a place that has them in stock for your caliper, buy them there. There arent too many places that carry them, and getting ahold of Rotora isn't always easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Did you go from rotora pads to hawk pads? How is the dust on the hawks vs. the rotoras? I was also curious about the price and noise difference if any? If that shop will shave down the pads to spec for free that's pretty sweet. There are a few rotora vendors near me however the pads would be special order im sure. I believe the rotors I have came from rotora as a kit I may ask the previous owner tomorrow what/where the pads and rotors are on the car. I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Buying hawks, having them shaved down, etc... Seems like a ton of work! How much more do the rotoras cost over the hawks?! Is it worth it?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainmorgan Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I'd probably put them about equal in terms of dust, but the hawks wore better and had less noise. I've also been running Hawks on all my cars for the last 10 years, so I really like and trust them. The cost benefit of the Hawk pads is well worth it. I think the Rotora pads are $250 an axle, whereas the Hawk set was $250 for all for corners. Since Porterfield does all the work for you, its no work at all! I've attached the pad prints. The rears should not have to have any work done on them, and Porterfield should not have a problem making the Hawks to fit the front to spec.Rotora_Front.pdfRotora_Rear.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 The Rotoras were around $160 or so, shipped, for a pair of their "street" formulation for the fronts (RP.04.1), when I purchased them last year from HPF/Amazon. I was gonna do the Hawks, but the cost and pop-it-in-and-forget-it capability of the Rotoras were what made me go that way instead. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I'd probably put them about equal in terms of dust, but the hawks wore better and had less noise. I've also been running Hawks on all my cars for the last 10 years, so I really like and trust them. The cost benefit of the Hawk pads is well worth it. I think the Rotora pads are $250 an axle, whereas the Hawk set was $250 for all for corners. Since Porterfield does all the work for you, its no work at all! I've attached the pad prints. The rears should not have to have any work done on them, and Porterfield should not have a problem making the Hawks to fit the front to spec. I appreciate the information but I think I am going to go with the Rotora brake pads. Since I only have a front BBK I found the replacement pads from Vivid Racing out of AZ for $152 shipped which IMO is a great deal. The Rotoras were around $160 or so, shipped, for a pair of their "street" formulation for the fronts (RP.04.1), when I purchased them last year from HPF/Amazon. I was gonna do the Hawks, but the cost and pop-it-in-and-forget-it capability of the Rotoras were what made me go that way instead. This is why I am going to go with Rotora pads because they are easy pads to pop in no grinding or cutting. I understand the company above will do that but for me its easier to get the replacement. The dust and noise or the rotora was very minimal and doesnt really bother me and for $152 shipped you cant go wrong. I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 I was able to take a picture this morning of the drivers side brake life. The passengers side has more meat but IMO I need new pads ASAP !!! http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/Jay04WRX/edd8f21a.jpg I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasejase Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 you got two more in the rear Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBlack-V Posted June 22, 2012 Share Posted June 22, 2012 So as you can see two posts above I took a picture of my pads to show the brake pad life. The hats on the rotors always bothered me so when I did new pads I had the rotors resurfaced. When this was done I asked them to sandblast the hats which they did. I then cleaned the hats with rubbing alcohol and sprayed them with 5 coats of high temp header spray by VHT. I am very happy with the end result this was done well over 6 months ago and no rust has shown through since. If you look you can also see i lightly sprayed the loover vents at the top of the rotor. http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/dd340/Jay04WRX/53f7e272.jpg I was 0. And I'm still a zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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