XK8 / XKR ( X100 ) 1996 - 2006

Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pads

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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 02:23 PM
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Default Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pads

Can anyone that has these installed weigh in on what they are like? Do these offer improved, the same, or worse breaking performance than the stock Brembo pads?

I found them on amazon at about $100 for the fronts and $92 for the rears and I am very tempted.

I believe these are the part number for the Brembos.
HB193Z.670 Fronts
HB194Z.570 - Rear

What is the minimum thickness for our 350 mm front and 330 mm rear rotors?
 
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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 09:20 PM
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Purchasing any product on the basis of price alone almost always ends up with a good dose of buyers remorse.

When I was working in a classic auto /classic motorcycle restoration shop I encounter several customers with high performance cars which had those same (compound) Hank Performance Ceramic. Pads installed. The owners uniformly complained of poor brake performance when the pads were less than hot, hard on the rotors, i.e. accelerated rotor wear, and too much dust. I moved them over to ebc red stuff pads, which are appropriate for 90% of all performance cars which are manly street driven. There are better compounds for a dedicated track car of course. Moving these cars over to the redstuff pads solved all the braking complaints.

Its tempting to judge a pad soely by the friction coefficient, but I've found that is just a small part of the equation which determines if a driver will like the braking provided by one pad over another.


Z
 
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Old Feb 9, 2019 | 11:14 PM
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Originally Posted by zray
Purchasing any product on the basis of price alone almost always ends up with a good dose of buyers remorse.

When I was working in a classic auto /classic motorcycle restoration shop I encounter several customers with high performance cars which had those same (compound) Hank Performance Ceramic. Pads installed. The owners uniformly complained of poor brake performance when the pads were less than hot, hard on the rotors, i.e. accelerated rotor wear, and too much dust. I moved them over to ebc red stuff pads, which are appropriate for 90% of all performance cars which are manly street driven. There are better compounds for a dedicated track car of course. Moving these cars over to the redstuff pads solved all the braking complaints.

Its tempting to judge a pad soely by the friction coefficient, but I've found that is just a small part of the equation which determines if a driver will like the braking provided by one pad over another.


Z

I have actually been debating over whether I should get the Hawks or the Redstuff. They both seem to have similar praise in other car forums. Since you prefer the Redstuff, would you care to elaborate on why they are superior to the Hawks?
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 12:31 AM
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I can't elaborate why I am thinking the ebc pads are superior because I'm not an engineer or scientist. I can only relate my subjective and anecdotal experiences. I like them vs. the Hawk product for the reasons already outlined previously where they differ.. Why the ebc's work better when cold or warm ? why they give plenty of bite without wearing out rotors quickly ? ,, these are my anecdotal observations , not the result of scientific testing.. It would be foolish of me spout off a lot of technical jargon when I don't have, or rely, on such knowledge to pick one brand over the other.

i haven't had the opportunity to make a direct comparison of the ebc vs. the Hawk's with the brembos on an XKR. But have no reason to think that they would act differently than what I had already observed on other cars.

z
 

Last edited by zray; Feb 10, 2019 at 05:28 AM.
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 11:49 AM
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I found the Redstuff's on Amazon at similar prices to the Hawks:
  • DP31110C Front pads for $116.22
  • DP31140C Rear Pads for $95.61
Can anyone confirm if those are the part numbers for the Brembos?
 

Last edited by giandanielxk8; Feb 10, 2019 at 11:53 AM.
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 03:55 PM
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I have used the Hawks on most of my performance cars and always liked the results. I don't drive hard though, but they have real bite and last a long time. With the price of the XKR drilled rotors, managing wear is a mortgage payment.
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted by oldmots
I have used the Hawks on most of my performance cars and always liked the results. I don't drive hard though, but they have real bite and last a long time. With the price of the XKR drilled rotors, managing wear is a mortgage payment.
I already weep at the cost of my blank rotors, drilled ones would be worse.

Can I accurately measure the rotor thickness with a ruler or do I need a caliper gauge?
 
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Old Feb 10, 2019 | 09:28 PM
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Originally Posted by giandanielxk8

".....Can I accurately measure the rotor thickness with a ruler or do I need a caliper gauge?
it's time to step up to precision:

Amazon Amazon


Z
 
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Old Feb 11, 2019 | 08:00 AM
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Those are beautiful calipers that Z posted.

Another idea: if you live near Lowe's or home depot they sell a really nice sliding caliper for about $30 -$40 that I use all the time for wood, car, many things. Very precise and it will measure thickness or gaps. Display can be metric, numeric inches, or fractions of inches. Your choice.
John
 
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Old Feb 11, 2019 | 09:44 AM
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Originally Posted by giandanielxk8
Can anyone that has these installed weigh in on what they are like? Do these offer improved, the same, or worse breaking performance than the stock Brembo pads?

I found them on amazon at about $100 for the fronts and $92 for the rears and I am very tempted.

I believe these are the part number for the Brembos.
HB193Z.670 Fronts
HB194Z.570 - Rear

What is the minimum thickness for our 350 mm front and 330 mm rear rotors?
I use these pads in my XKR.
The part numbers you give are correct.
The loud squealing noise has gone and they do not make a lot of dust.
But the breaking is not as good as with the brembos they replaced.
I can't recommend them to you.
 
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Old Feb 11, 2019 | 11:57 AM
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Default NON-Brembo ebc redstuff part numbers for early XKR with ATE brakes

if anyone is interested these are the ebc part numbers for the redstuff pads:

Front: DP3689-2C ($105 on Amazon)

Rear: DP3119-8C ($95 on Amazon)


these are the pads that are fitted to my '02 XKR w/ the standard ATE calipers.

Z



 
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Old Feb 11, 2019 | 02:14 PM
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Never used the Hawk pad, but had the EBC Red Stuff on my 5.0L MGB V8 conversion. They were good and gripped well. All ways told anyone who drove it to get a little heat in them before spirited driving. Low dust and no fade on the D&S Rotors. Originally tried the Green Stuff but too much dust. Have only Generic Ceramic pads on the XK8 now, but happy.
 
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Old Feb 11, 2019 | 11:52 PM
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My experience with the Redstuff vs Hawks where the opposite, I used the reds 1st, but they really needed to be hot before they would grip well. EBC recommended then the yellow ones, which I am sure would have been better, but I lost my faith so after just a couple of thousand miles I took them off. The Hawks where better so I had a couple of sets of these.

But for both, especially when it was wet (ie cold), the initial bite was less good then the original Brembo pads, but I just couldn't live with the black dust that required cleaning at least once a week.

It was about 10 years ago or so when I had the reds, and about 5 years ago used my last set of hawks so compounds may have changed over time.

After the hawks I switched to Pagid RS15. These where much better than the stock ones when cold, and on another level again when getting warm/hot. They squeal though and eat rotors for lunch, but that's ok for the performance you get (and the low dust compared to the stock again).
 
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 04:09 AM
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I can’t seem to make a decision yet. Ideally I would like a low dust pad that provides good braking in street driving.

I’m going to make a poll of this since it seems that for each person advocating the Redstuffs, there is someone saying they are no good and advocating for the Hawks and vice versa.

Finally, if you know a better pad that I can buy, please share it.

Vote: What pad do you recommend?


If a moderator could make this thread into a poll I would very much appreciate it.
 
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 12:13 PM
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Originally Posted by giandanielxk8
I can’t seem to make a decision yet. Ideally I would like a low dust pad that provides good braking in street driving....."

the only good way to decide is going to be unacceptable to most people, at least the people who aren't obsessive-compulsive like me. To know whats best for YOU, you need to buy both brands. Break them in according to the manufacturers instructions (very important for the ebc products) and then drive on them for a couple of months.

Too bad I don't have the Brembo's. If I did, I'd offer to buy the ebc redstuff pads from you if they came in second place in your driving comparison.

Z
 
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 12:41 PM
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I've read generally good stuff about Akebono pads (and their customer service seems to at least know what they're talking about), specifically that they've got decent bite and pretty low dust. I haven't used them though, so I can't speak from experience. Just passing on what I've read. Chances are when I do have to replace my pads, I'll probably go with those (and I'll drop some intel or a review either way).
 

Last edited by EnjoyEverySandwich; Feb 12, 2019 at 12:42 PM. Reason: addressing question more specifically
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 01:20 PM
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Originally Posted by EnjoyEverySandwich
I've read generally good stuff about Akebono pads (and their customer service seems to at least know what they're talking about), specifically that they've got decent bite and pretty low dust. I haven't used them though, so I can't speak from experience. Just passing on what I've read. Chances are when I do have to replace my pads, I'll probably go with those (and I'll drop some intel or a review either way).

The problem with the Akebonos is that they don't offer pads for the front Brembos, only for the rears.


Z, I would be open to do that after I graduate and start making some decent money. As it is right now, I can't afford to buy twice.


I am however, leaning towards the Redstuff pads. Once my powerflex lower control arm bushes arrive, I'm going to measure the thickness on my rotors. Turns out one of my neighbors has a high precision caliper.
 

Last edited by giandanielxk8; Feb 12, 2019 at 01:23 PM.
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 03:33 PM
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Ah, I see the issue. Curious as to what you find, whichever way you turn.
 
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 06:24 PM
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Whatever you decide on, following the manufactures recommended break-in procedure is critical to getting the most out of your new pads. It does take some patience as the break-in period seems to go on forever.

also, the rotors will likely need to be resurfaced so they are perfectly flat. Even if the rotors are not too thin, and appear to be OK, 99% of them will benefit from a resurfacing. It's all part of making certain your new brake pads will do the best job possible.

I've found that just asking the rotor politely to fall off is an exercise in futility. Most rotors I've seen have corroded to the wheel studs. Even if they are due for replacement, pounding on them doesn't often move them. Although it is very cathartic to take a mini sledgehammer to them, it just doesn't help get them off in many cases. I use a spray can of "Freeze-Off", made by CRC. It won't give you the same warm glow like wielding a hammer does, on the other hand, the Freeze-Off is effective at breaking the bond between wheel studs and rotor.

Amazon Amazon

a liberal amount of it sprayed at the base of the studs does have a magical effect on those stuck rotors.

Z
 
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Old Feb 12, 2019 | 07:42 PM
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Originally Posted by zray
Whatever you decide on, following the manufactures recommended break-in procedure is critical to getting the most out of your new pads. It does take some patience as the break-in period seems to go on forever.

also, the rotors will likely need to be resurfaced so they are perfectly flat. Even if the rotors are not too thin, and appear to be OK, 99% of them will benefit from a resurfacing. It's all part of making certain your new brake pads will do the best job possible.

I've found that just asking the rotor politely to fall off is an exercise in futility. Most rotors I've seen have corroded to the wheel studs. Even if they are due for replacement, pounding on them doesn't often move them. Although it is very cathartic to take a mini sledgehammer to them, it just doesn't help get them off in many cases. I use a spray can of "Freeze-Off", made by CRC. It won't give you the same warm glow like wielding a hammer does, on the other hand, the Freeze-Off is effective at breaking the bond between wheel studs and rotor.

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05002-Freeze-Off-Super-Penetrant/dp/B000TFTH00/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=CRC+Freeze+Off&qid=1550016998& s=gateway&sr=8-1

a liberal amount of it sprayed at the base of the studs does have a magical effect on those stuck rotors.

Z

I actually saw this on youtube, I think it was ChrisFix. That stuff does seem to be witchcraft. I will definitely buy some.
 
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