Th3Franz Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 So, apparently I'm too hard on my brakes. I replaced my rotors today and was surprised to see that my pads are almost gone also. So I'll be on my 3rd set of front pads very soon. I've been running Endless SS-M in the fronts for a long time and I have been happy with the performance and low dust. They are quite expensive though and since I have a dedicated set of track pads I can swap in now (Carbotech XP8), I'm looking for a cheaper daily driving option. Hawk HPS and Hawk ceramics are very popular but it seems unclear to me which is the better performing pad for initial bite and friction. Can someone clarify this for me? I want a good performing street brake pad that is quiet to use with my new DBA 4000's. I just need to decide between the HPS or Hawk Ceramic. ty -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatisit Posted August 17, 2008 Share Posted August 17, 2008 i havent tried the ceramic so i couldnt tell u. however hps is the winning pad for DD imo. the HPS dust very little, grab nice, and dont squeal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Th3Franz Posted August 18, 2008 Author Share Posted August 18, 2008 I found out people are running the Porterfield R4-S pads in the front now on their Legacy GT.. so I might go with these. They seem to be a bit more aggressive than the HPS. -Franz The end of a Legacy http://www.youtube.com/th3franz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralsmurf Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Carbotech Bobcats, lasts several times longer than stock pads too. edit...after having them for about 10k they do make noise but you can't hear it inside the car and its not even close to the AX6 or HP+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boostjunkie Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 The Bobcats are good pads. We normally use Hawk HPS's in just about every street driven Subaru that comes through the door. The Hawk Ceramics are a much less performance oriented pad. They are quiet and virtually dust free but don't have the bite or temperature range of the HPS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFromPA Posted August 18, 2008 Share Posted August 18, 2008 Don't yet know if they offer them for the LGT, but I'm going with Akebono Ceramics on my 06 Civic SI. Almost universally positive reviews, compared to the Hawk Ceramics which received mixed reviews compared to other Hawk products... Joe P.s. Check out tirerack...tons of brake pad reviews in their pads section. Just enter your car and see what's eligible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWDMIG Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Why not run the lower carbotechs, i run xp12's in the summer and dont bother change them until they wear out or something to xp8's which last on the track (remainder season) and last through the winter till spring when i can buy more xp12's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralsmurf Posted August 21, 2008 Share Posted August 21, 2008 well they're very loud and dust a lot. i run them on the track but not street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magnetic1 Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 The Hawk Ceramics are probably near the bottom in terms of feel. They were made to last. Next would be Hawk HPS. These are not ceramic based though. Better pedal feel than stock, and more than Hawk Ceramics. The Bobcats would be next on the scale. But they do have a chance of making some slight noise. These are ceramic based and the dust is not dark black. If you are swapping out pads anyways for the track, Id recommend something a tad more aggressive (XP10 or XP12/16 if you run Rcomps) since the LGT is on the heavier side. Free Sonax Cleaner Deal http://www.brakeswap.com Carbotech, Hawk, PFC, DBA Rotors, Motul, Wilwood, Castrol... Great service. No bumping required ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 The XP10 / XP8 combo is a great daily drive set up, hard on rotors, but dust free and pretty quiet too. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fweasel Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 The XP10 / XP8 combo is a great daily drive set up, hard on rotors, but dust free and pretty quiet too. I couldn't disagree more. While they will provide infinite amounts of initial bite which can be like crack cocaine to some, they are track pads and at street driving temps, will operate in their abrasive range, erroding rotors far too quickly. A good street setup, IMO, has a much lower operating temp, putting them in their adhesive operation range much sooner and provide a more linear torque curve. But, I don't drive other people's car, so who cares what I like. ignore him, he'll go away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRS Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I've been using Carbotech's Bobcat pads for everyday and their XP10 for the track. Very satisfied with both, though may step up to the XP12 when the 10's are used up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted August 22, 2008 Share Posted August 22, 2008 I couldn't disagree more. While they will provide infinite amounts of initial bite which can be like crack cocaine to some, they are track pads and at street driving temps, will operate in their abrasive range, erroding rotors far too quickly. A good street setup, IMO, has a much lower operating temp, putting them in their adhesive operation range much sooner and provide a more linear torque curve. But, I don't drive other people's car, so who cares what I like. Permission to disagree granted Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiralsmurf Posted August 23, 2008 Share Posted August 23, 2008 Even the AX6 has significantly higher noise levels than the Bobcat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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