The biggest complaint most drivers have about their current brake pads is dust. We've all been there before with the black, greasy looking build-up on our wheels. The build-up occurs most dramatically in the front as that's where the majority of a vehicle's stopping power is generated.
All brake pads will produce dust as they wear, however there are some pad materials that create a less noticeable mark on the wheel. A newer form of friction material, called ceramic composite, will create a light-colored dust that's much less noticeable and is less likely to stick to your wheels. Ceramic pads are also quieter and easier on the brake rotors and can extend brake life beyond a semi-metallic pad. If you would like to make a switch to ceramic composite pads some good choices would be the Hawk Performance Ceramic, Centric Posi Quiet Ceramic, Satisfied Pro Ceramic VS, Akebono Euro Ceramic and Akebono ProACT Ceramic.
A ceramic pad meets or exceeds all Original Equipment standards for stopping distance, but isn't usually an upgrade in actual stopping power. If you have a track vehicle or are specifically looking to increase braking power, a semi-metallic pad would be a better choice. Semi-metallic pads will sacrifice the noise, durability and cosmetic improvements of the ceramic composite to increase stopping power.
To learn more about how ceramic pads can help with brake-generated noise and dust, read "Why Ceramic Brake Pads?"
Upgrading a vehicle's braking system is one of the easiest ways to increase driving performance and decrease lap times for any track event. The most common mindset a driver has is: "I need to make my track car go faster," but top-speed or acceleration is only half of the battle. Just because a track car is the fastest doesn't mean it'll finish first.
The fastest car on the track will get you from corner to corner faster, but if the braking system is lacking in power the driver will need to brake sooner and for longer than a slower competitor with an upgraded braking system. Therefore, while you may be blazing by competitors on the straight-aways or make up time in between turns in an autocross event, the car with the better stopping power can carry a higher speed for longer into a turn, thus decreasing overall lap times. Decelerating is just as important to a track car as accelerating.
The easiest way to upgrade the braking system on any track car is to switch to a dedicated track only pad. These pads are not intended for street use as the friction material is too aggressive for everyday use, creating more brake dust and noise than your typical brake pad. However, they provide an unparalleled amount of stopping power that no street pad can match.
For lower speed autocross events and casual lapping days, Hawk has the Blue 9012 Track Only Pads and slightly less aggressive Black Track Only Pads. If you'll be autocrossing, lapping or road racing at higher speeds then consider the Hawk HT-10, DTC70, HT-14 and DTC60 pads.
Find brake pads online for your track vehicle when you shop by vehicle.
Many BMW owners have a love-hate relationship with their factory brake pads. The factory pads provide excellent modulation and stopping power, but they produce a lot of dust. The black, metallic dust quickly coats your wheels, and if you don't clean them regularly it can damage the finish of your nice alloy wheels. When brake pads wear down, we often recommend switching to the Hawk HPS Street brake pads.
As a high performance pad they offer stopping power and modulation that's better than most Original Equipment and comparable with the BMW brake pads (which are above average in performance). Hawk HPS Street brake pads are designed to work across a wide variety of temperatures and keep noise and dust to a reasonable level. Many of us at Tire Rack use the HPS (High Performance Street) pads with excellent results. I was very pleased with the set that I had on my BMW 325i.
The HPS is available for a variety of applications. To see available brake products for your car, shop by vehicle.
I recently upgraded my wife's GMC Envoy to larger 20" tires and wheels (SUVrims). And while everything initially looked great, I found the vehicle was in need of brake pad replacements. Turns out the new wheels I installed were much heavier than the original 17" wheels and the change (along with wider and heavier tires) were too much for the stock brake pads to handle. After some research, I selected the
Hawk LTS Truck/SUV Pads and have been very pleased!
These
Hawk brake pads incorporate severe-duty friction technology that combines the durability of Hawk's commercial fleet products with the better stopping power of its performance street and motorsports formulations.
Note: Brake pads are wear items and as such, should be inspected regularly and replaced as necessary. It's time for a brake pad replacement when approximately 1/8" of friction material remains on the steel backing plate.
Whether your SUV brakes are nearing their end or you're upgrading to a larger set of wheels and tires, take a look at the the
Hawk LTS Truck/SUV Pads.
No one likes having to get down on their knees to scrub brake dust off of their alloy wheels. To make the chore less difficult, take a look at
Griot's Garage Wheel Cleaner. Made from premium, biodegradable ingredients, the product is safe for you and the environment, while cleaning all types of wheels.
However, many enthusiasts and drivers are discovering the joy of low-dust ceramic brake pads. While most ceramic pads have a less initial "bite" compared to higher performance brake pads, ceramic pads produce a light colored dust that is much less noticeable and less likely to stick to the wheel. Ultimately, this leads to wheels maintaining a cleaner appearance longer.
Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads are developed to meet the ultra-low dust and low noise attributes of Original Equipment ceramic brake pads while keeping the high friction levels professional brake tuners have grown to love from Hawk Performance. Unwilling to compromise performance, Hawk Performance offers a solution to many consumers' number one complaint: dust. Featuring a fade resistant, linear friction profile that allows your ABS brake system to work more effectively, Performance Ceramic Pads are quiet, clean, safe and fast stopping.
Consider the features and benefits of Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads when thinking of installing a set over today's standard pads:
- Very low dust
- Improved braking over many inexpensive pads
- Stable friction output
- Extremely quiet
- Extended pad life
- Increased rotor life
Read "
Why Ceramic Brake Pads" to learn more about the benefits of ceramic brake pads.
With all the talk about horsepower, torque, 0-60 times and top speed, what often gets overlooked is the performance of a vehicle's braking system. Let's face it, how important is 600 bhp and a 0-60 in 2.9 seconds if your car takes a country mile to stop? This may be obvious to some, but ask yourself when was the last time you saw a commercial for a car or truck bragging about engine performance without ever mentioning the brakes?
Brake pads, referred to in the industry as friction material, are the least expensive component of the braking system, yet they offer the most impact on performance. Like tires, not all brake pads provide the same performance characteristics and it's important to know which products best fit the vehicle and the driver's needs.
Ceramic pads are designed for very low dust and noise, but compromise on braking force. Ceramic pads are O.E. on most domestic and Japanese coupes and sedans.
Semi-metallic pads provide maximum braking force or bite but are louder and leave heavier dust on a car's wheels. These pads are commonly O.E. for performance European vehicles and the most aggressive semi-metallic pads are used in specialty applications such as cars used in racing events.
Composite friction material offers a balance between braking force and low dust/noise. Think of these pads as a happy medium over ceramic and semi-metallic.
Shop by vehicle to find the brake components that work best for your vehicle.
Every day I receive calls from motorsport enthusiasts keen to get back out on the track this summer season. Although wheels, tires, horsepower and suspension components are very important (and often times more fun), it is important to remember what is stopping your vehicle.
Paying close attention to your brakes will not only improve your lap times but more importantly keep you out of the grass.
Using the one of the most sophisticated manufacturing processes available, Hawk Performance produces some of the finest brake pads on the market. In addition to their very popular line of Performance Ceramic and HPS Street Pads, Hawk carries several different ranges of race pads for every race and skill level. Considering ceramic brake pads for your vehicle? Read "Why Ceramic Brake Pads" to learn important characteristics about ceramic pads and how they can improve your vehicle's stopping power.
Shop by vehicle to see which brake components are best for your vehicle.
Grinding, squealing, long stopping distances? It could be time for new brake pads. Tire Rack can help with a wide array of pads and rotors for most vehicles.
Ceramics give the lowest noise and dust, but won't increase stopping power. The
Akebono Pro Act Ceramic Pads are a great option in the ceramic line-up. Available for many applications and attractively priced.
Semi-metallics will shorten the stopping distances and increase the initial bite. There are varying degrees of stopping power available. You can get a nice increase in capability without a dramatic change in noise or dust with the
Hawk HPS. If you really want to step up the power with no regard for dust levels, the HPS from Hawk really delivers the goods. They are close to a track pad, but don't need the warm up of a true track pad, so you can use them on the street.
Tire Rack also carries track applications that you can't reasonably use on the street, but will let you late-brake into the corners and really shed off the speed while at the track.
View available brake pad options for your vehicle.
Tire Rack offers aftermarket replacement brakes for many vehicles including Acuras. You can improve stopping power, dusting and noise with great pads from Akebono, Satisfied and Hawk Performance.
For low dust and noise options:
A great direct replacement. Akebono Ceramic Technology (ACT) helps reduce noise, harshness and vibration.
Using a special ceramic material creates a quiet and smooth braking experience.
Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads A low dusting ceramic formula with higher friction for quicker stops.
Options for better stopping power:
Akebono Street Performance Pads 
High quality and long-lasting while providing stopping power. If you push your vehicle to the limit or like having the safety net of extra stopping power, then these pads are for you.
Satisfied GranSport 6 Pads 
Using Race Grid Technology, these pads provide superior stopping, while maintaining low noise.
Hawk Performance HPS Street Brake Pads Made in the U.S.A. This premium braking pad provides fast stops, quick initial bite and low dust and noise levels.
Not stopping as well as you would like? Hawk Performance Brakes has a brake pad to help improve your braking performance. Hawk makes disc brake pads for sedans, SUVs, light trucks and sports cars. Let's take a look and see which of the Hawk brakes may work best for you.
- HPS Street Brake Pads
- Designed for high speed driving or repetitive heavy braking, providing advanced braking characteristics to enhance the driving experience.
- A Performance Street brake pad
- HP Plus Race Brake Pads
- Designed for autocross and track days providing racecar-like stopping power.
- Will show more dust, noise and wear to achieve this additional stopping power.
- An Autocross/Track brake pad.
- Performance Ceramic Brake Pads
- Designed for ultra-low dust and noise while providing high friction levels
- A Premium brake pad.
- LTS Truck/SUV Brake Pads
- Designed to provide superior stopping power for full-sized light trucks, SUVs and vans while generating low noise and dust
- A Performance Street brake pad
- HP Super Duty Brake Pads
- Designed for severe duty applications frequently towing max capacity loads, providing maximum stopping power and high heat dissipation.
Hawk brake pads are available for some race applications as well. Check to see which
track pads work well on your
vehicle.
Also read: All About Performance Brake Pad Categories
Hawk Performance offers several performance levels of brake pads for Honda Civics. If you are a casual driver and do not push your car to its limits then you should take a strong look at the
Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pad.
This pad will offer improved stopping power over the factory brake pads and since they are ceramic they will not produce any dark brake dust.
Hawk Performance brake pads are excellent replacement pads for light duty trucks and SUVs.
Hawk Performance LTS Brake Pads have a Ferro-Carbon Compound that was developed utilizing polymer research and carbon fiber processing. Take a look at some of the key features and benefits of the Hawk Performance LTS Brake Pad.
- Smooth engagement
- Extremely fade resistant
- Low noise
- Low dust
- Extended pad life
- Increased rotor life
When it's time to replace your brake pads, Hawk Performance is the best option.
If you are like me, you're probably really tired of cleaning your wheels a day after washing your car. While the brakes on my BMW are very good, they just make a mess of the wheels. I have found two things that really make a difference.
Number one is changing to a ceramic brake pad like
Hawk Performance Ceramic or
Akebono Euro Ceramic. They are still going to give you the braking you need but you can go between car washes before you have to clean the wheels.
Secondly, I use
Griot's Garage Paint Sealant to coat the wheels. The sealant really keeps the brake dust from adhereing to the wheels and makes washing them so much easier.
Meet your stopping needs with brakes and brake rotors available for your Acura. Don't worry about picking the wrong products. We check every order before we ship it out and offer lots of user reviews on the brake system products we sell. And our search results by vehicle will only generate a list of products that are specifically a fit for your vehicle.
Use our
brake performance rating system too, to help you pick brakes that meet your needs. Ratings are provided in three categories: stopping power, low dust and noise. The more red dots you see the better stopping power, lower noise level and lower dust. Original Equipment (O.E.) replacement brake pads all the way up to all-out track pads are available.
Some of the most popular Acura brake pads available are:
Check now to see which brakes will work best for your Acura.
Tire Rack offers many different automotive products, including brake pads.
Hawk HT-10 Track Only Pads Hawk HPS Street PadsHawk LTS Truck/SUV PadsWhether you're looking for
Hawk HT-10 Track Only Pads for your Porsche 911, or
Hawk HPS Street Pads for your Chevy Impala, or a pair of
Hawk LTS Truck/SUV Pads for your Dodge Ram 1500 Quad cab, we have something for you! Hawk HPS Street/Sport Pads have been a popular vehicle application because their designed for overall performance improvements specifically for sport vehicles and sedans by increasing stopping power and offering noise and dust reductions. Find your brakes today!
What brake pads would be the best for my SUV?
If the application permits, I always suggest the
Hawk HP SuperDuty Brake Pads or the
Hawk LTS Brake Pads. With a vehicle this size, you want extra stopping power. The
Hawk HP SuperDuty Brake Pads are designed to give you excellent stopping power especially when you are towing a heavy payload.
Th
e Hawk LTS Brake Pads are designed to give you excellent stopping power along with low noise and low dust. These vehicles are heavy and require brake pads that will perform in extreme conditions. The Hawk pads will handle your braking needs.
Find the Hawk pads that are right for your vehicle
here.
Are your brakes a little tired? Looking for high performance pads for your sports car? Try the brake pads that I always use: Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads.
Hawk Performance is the Original Equipment recommended performance brake pad upgrade for Chevrolet Corvettes and is an accessory performance brake pad supplier for Mazda, Nissan and Hyundai. They also provide brake pads for NASCAR, SCCA and NHRA.
Let’s take a look at a couple solutions for the driving enthusiast.
Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads (Premium)
Hawk Performance HPS Street Brake Pads (Performance Street)
I have used both of these brake pads on my cars. The ceramic pads have improved stopping power, create low dust and are very quiet. This pad is very easy to live with. The HPS pad will offer improved stopping power over the ceramic, but will have a little more dust. I also noticed that both of these pad compounds had longer life than my stock pads; that was a nice surprise.
Last weekend’s project was to replace the brakes on my Pontiac. The O.E. brake rotors and pads had served us well but it was time for something a little better. Over the winters, the rotors had rusted and didn't look as good with the new Elbrus wheels on the car.
The nice thing about brake systems (brake pad and brake rotor combination) at Tire Rack is that there is usually more than one option for your vehicle. For example, for my 2000 Pontiac there are nine different choices of front and rear brakes and seven different brake rotors available. That may seem overwhelming, but actually it is pretty easy to make a selection. Decide ahead of time what is important to you: low noise, stopping power, or low dust. Then select a
performance category and use the
red bubble brake pad grading scale nnext to the brake pads to pick the best pad. Whether they end up being ceramic disc brake pads or composite disc brake pads, pick the custom brake set-up that works best for your needs and driving style.
My goal for the brake system on the Pontiac was to achieve good, predictable stopping power with minimal noise and lower levels of dust. I selected the
ATE PremiumOne Rotors with
Hawk Performance Ceramic Pads front and rear. They look and stop much better with the new wheels!
Michelin
Pilot Sport Cup Tires. Check.
Hawk Blue 9012 Track Only Brake Pads. Check.
Forged Racing Wheels. Check.
A day booked at the track. Ahhhhhhhh. Bliss. The smell of hot brakes, tires and engines. Old, bald men going through their midlife crises and standing around their new Porsches and BMWs comparing the size of their tires and scratching their bellies at the price they paid for the wheels that will no DOUBT take valuable seconds off their lap times. Seconds that will make them KING of the water cooler on Monday morning. As they are removed from the trailer and installed one by one, how many of them are inspected for cracks? You'd be surprised.
"These wheels are FORGED, and they won't break!" I hear it more than you'd think. Thing is, what most people don't realize is that while lightweight and strong, any wheel , even forged wheels, can crack due to stress or impact. There may not be an obvious bend in the wheel. Where there is a crack, there is a break waiting to happen.
While it's fun to tease (out of jealousy, really), it is important to remember that regardless of what you are racing on, it's imperative that you periodically check your wheels for cracks.
Modern performance cars with high output engines, huge brakes and well tuned susspensions put as much force and stress on wheels as many dedicated race cars. Race teams go through great trouble to inspect wheels for signs of trouble. You should inspect yours, too. The intense extended heat and stress caused on the entire vehicle requires that drivers take extra time and care to ensure there is no hidden damage to any vehicle component.
We have a great
tech article that track drivers find useful.
Being king of a Monday morning water cooler means you have to be able to get to it first.
As with any modification, there are always going to be changes in the performance of the vehicle.
While the
Dick Cepek wheels and
BFGoodrich tires look and perform great, the braking system on the Jeep is now a little slow to stop the extra rotating mass.
A simple upgrade on the
front brake pads should be enough to bring it back to the stock or better stopping distance. Jeep recommends and equips the Wrangler with
ceramic brake pads from the factory so we will stay with ceramic pads and go with either the
Hawk Performance Ceramic Brake Pads that offer the best stopping power in our lineup or the
Akebono ProACT Ceramic Brake Pads and
ATE PremiumOne Brake Pads that have a little less dust for the front.
