Hawk Pads, Stock Rotors?

[Jam]

hey guys, my brake pads are close to becoming a mere sheet of ceramic nothingness. My question is, can I purchase and install Hawk HPS pads on stock rotors? I've read hit and miss comments on "rotor bedding"with different types of pads but haven't been able to find any facts on a manufactures website or and other place. Who has run HPS pads on stock rotors without turning them or replacing them? If I had the money I would love to put down $380 for a set of brembo blanks but after purchasing a ws9 hood money is tight. thanks in advance.

[HeadlessNorseman]

Buying an expensive hood when you need brakes? :nono:

Just get the pads. Do your rotors need to be replaced too? When you bed them in just dont ever stop. Its hard to find a place to do. Just use them lightly a few times then go from like 40-10 really hard a couple times till they smoke. Works well enough. But you dont really need to bedding more helps new rotors than new pads.

[BonzoHansen]

hey guys, my brake pads are close to becoming a mere sheet of ceramic nothingness. My question is, can I purchase and install Hawk HPS pads on stock rotors? I've read hit and miss comments on "rotor bedding"with different types of pads but haven't been able to find any facts on a manufactures website or and other place. Who has run HPS pads on stock rotors without turning them or replacing them? If I had the money I would love to put down $380 for a set of brembo blanks but after purchasing a ws9 hood money is tight. thanks in advance.


You should resurface or replace rotors regardless of pad brand/compound, it's the right way to do it. You can get rotors resurfaced for like $10.

If you are just gonna pad slap then just buy $30 crap pads and get the better ones when you can do it right. $0.02.

[SuperSweet]

You should resurface or replace rotors regardless of pad brand/compound, it's the right way to do it. You can get rotors resurfaced for like $10.

If you are just gonna pad slap then just buy $30 crap pads and get the better ones when you can do it right. $0.02.

+1 It would just be stupid to not cut the rotors

[creeper]

i found this interesting:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/2003/bf110322.htm

"In technical bulletin #00-05-22-002 to its dealers, GM says, "Brake rotors should only be turned when one of the following rotor surface conditions exist: severe scoring with depth in excess of 1.5 mm or 0.060 inch, pulsation from excessive lateral runout of more than .080 mm or .003 inch, thickness variation in excess of 0.025 mm or 0.001 inch, or excessive corrosion on rotor braking surfaces."

GM also says "Rotors are not to be resurfaced in an attempt to correct the following conditions: noise/squeal, cosmetic corrosion, routine pad replacement or discoloration/hard spots."

In other words, GM frowns on rotor resurfacing during what it calls "normal" pad replacement. But is any brake job ever normal? Every job is different and every rotor needs to be carefully inspected and evaluated to determine its condition when brake work is done."

on a side note, i'm ordering hawk hps's soon, and will be at least resurfacing the rotors. the last pad change i didn't, but that was with cheap autozone ones.

[bubba428]

new rotors are cheap. a pad is a pad...if your not using performance rotors, don't waste your time with hawk pads. get the advance auto gold pads and the cheap rotors. its $45 for the 4 pads and 29 for each rotor

[HeadlessNorseman]

Hes going to buy the hawk pads anyways

[NJ Torque]

Do it right the first time.

[BigAls87Z28]

Buy a set of regular pads and save up for the Hawks. No sense in burning through 70 bucks for a set of pads on rotors that havent been resurfaced correctly.
The Hawks have a specific break in procedure and doing it on teh rotors will just mess things up. The former brake dust will just imbed into your pads, giving you a nice squeeling noise every time you come to a stop.

[Jam]

this is the feedback i was looking for, thanks a lot guys, I'm just going to buy cheap ceramic brake pads from NAPA and then when I have more money I'll do rotors/hawk hps'/ big brake kit. it would be kind of dumb to not do it right the first time and end up wearing out the hawk pads faster. thanks.

[BonzoHansen]

new rotors are cheap. a pad is a pad...if your not using performance rotors, don't waste your time with hawk pads. get the advance auto gold pads and the cheap rotors. its $45 for the 4 pads and 29 for each rotor

A performance rotor? On the street new replacement rotors and hawk pads would be great. No need fo anything blingy.

[WildBillyT]

I have run Hawk HPS pads on the GTP for almost 5 years now. Stock rotors. They work awesome. Same deal on my dad's 2500HD. Stock rotors, HPS pads. Also work awesome, especially when towing.

Buy the HPS pads, get your rotors cut and call it a day. If you can follow instructions and you burnish the brakes properly you will be fine.

[sweetbmxrider]

i always do rotors when i do pads. you will have the worse brake pulsation when slowing from 50mph+

if you are just doing a pad slap, just get the cheapest **** out there. otherwise, good rotors and ceramic pads from napa would suite just fine. pad slaps are ftl

[HeadlessNorseman]

big brake kit.

You know that a big brake kit is a lot of money and would require different pads and rotors anyway?

[NJ Torque]

You know that a big brake kit is a lot of money and would require different pads and rotors anyway?

Or you could go the cheapie way and do the C5 rotors with stock calipers/pads...

[Jam]

this is all very true, i'm just going to get new rotors and ceramic pads from NAPA for now and then when i have more money saved up i'll do a BBK.

[sweetbmxrider]

just make sure the slides move freely, you clean up the brake dust on the mounts, and reuse the shims.

[creeper]

if you're going out and buying brand new rotors anyway, why not just save an extra $50 and get the hawks to use with them? i don't see why you NEED brembos to use them, they're not an all out race pad.

or if you're set on a big brake kit, why blow that $2-300 on rotors right now just to be broke again when you're trying to save for a big brake kit? just slap $20 pads on the stock rotors for the time being, then you've got 1/3 of the money for a nice brake upgrade already.

[Jam]

if you're going out and buying brand new rotors anyway, why not just save an extra $50 and get the hawks to use with them? i don't see why you NEED brembos to use them, they're not an all out race pad.

or if you're set on a big brake kit, why blow that $2-300 on rotors right now just to be broke again when you're trying to save for a big brake kit? just slap $20 pads on the stock rotors for the time being, then you've got 1/3 of the money for a nice brake upgrade already.

i'm most likely just throwing on NAPA pads for now.

[creeper]

this is all very true, i'm just going to get new rotors and ceramic pads from NAPA for now and then when i have more money saved up i'll do a BBK.

i'm most likely just throwing on NAPA pads for now.

instead of hawks on the new rotors? or on stock rotors?

[Jam]

i'm just gonna get Napa's finest pads and call it a day.

[creeper]

ooo okay. that's what i would do. actually it's what i did do, only i went with autozone's duralast GOLD ceramic brake pads. pretty happy with them overall. picking up a set of HPS's now only because i'm getting them for a really good price and i can't pass up a good deal haha.

[BigAls87Z28]

ooo okay. that's what i would do. actually it's what i did do, only i went with autozone's duralast GOLD ceramic brake pads. pretty happy with them overall. picking up a set of HPS's now only because i'm getting them for a really good price and i can't pass up a good deal haha.

:nod: I must say I am really happy with our Gold Ceramic pads. For the price, havent found something better.

[Jam]

how much are the Gold ceramic pads @ autozone... cause i've came to the realization that NAPA sucks!! even w/ the account I have w/ them.

[creeper]

:nod: I must say I am really happy with our Gold Ceramic pads. For the price, havent found something better.

yeah i was pleasantly surprised with them. bought them without doing any research at all and they ended up being very decent.

they cost like $40 for fronts and $45 for the rear. and then their standard ones are like $25/$25. i see they also have another step up now as well, the CMAX which includes all the shims and that.

[HeadlessNorseman]

yeah i was pleasantly surprised with them. bought them without doing any research at all and they ended up being very decent.

they cost like $40 for fronts and $45 for the rear. and then their standard ones are like $25/$25. i see they also have another step up now as well, the CMAX which includes all the shims and that.

CMAX are worth it in most cases. They are the best pads we have. I wish you could just buy them separate without all the hardware stuff. But yeah thats what i would go with and ive just stuck new pads on old rotors 100 times before and nothing bad ever happened...so idk what everyone is complaining about.

[BonzoHansen]

Why would you want pads w/o hardware? You think that significantly raises the cost?

And it's not really about something bad happening, it's about getting the most out of you brakes. You can't feel adding 10 feet to your stopping from 70, but it happens. As my Dad used to say "there's a right way, a wrong way and my way".

[sweetbmxrider]

i guess i have no clue what i'm talking about, i just deal with it on a daily basis. must be the salty air round here :shrug:

[LTb1ow]

I run Hawk pads on stock rotors.

[BigAls87Z28]

I pad slapped the Caprice. Apparently Autozone doesnt make Golds or Cmax's in the 614a spec...laaaame.

[sweetbmxrider]

:shudders: you pad slaps too? :facepalm:

[LTb1ow]

What is this pad slap you speak of?

[sweetbmxrider]

not replacing the rotors when you replace the pads. it was cool back in the day when america made the rotors out of good ole american metals and they were so thick you could machine them down. nowadays, no thanks. but hey, if it works it works i guess

[LTb1ow]

So I should have replaced my rotors?

Damn.

[sweetbmxrider]

eh if you don't notice anything you are probably ok. usually you run into lateral runout and the rotor's thickness will change. you won't really notice it at low speeds unless its really bad. usually 50mph+ into some moderate braking you will think the abs is kicking in :lol:

[BigAls87Z28]

Ahahaha, yeah I know, but overall the car stops very well. I measured run out and thickness of the rotor. IMO, the hub/rotor designs tend to be a bit more robust then the floating rotors on more modern cars. Not to mention running into problems with the mating surface of teh rotor to the hub, also could cause vibration and run out in the rotor.
Its a caprice...I wouldnt feel a thing even if the lateral run otu was an inch. ahahahahahah

[sweetbmxrider]

hahahaah so true

[MonmouthCtyAntz]

Run up to advanced or autozone and grab a set of pads, they'll do the job. Mine work like a charm.

[Jam]

i ended up contacting J Reed and got some Duralast Golds (front/rear), my rotors look a little etched in so i'm gonna have them cut for $10 before the brake swap.

[MonmouthCtyAntz]

i ended up contacting J Reed and got some Duralast Golds (front/rear), my rotors look a little etched in so i'm gonna have them cut for $10 before the brake swap.

Good call on the duralasts, good luck w/ them.

[BonzoHansen]

The right way to do brakes is generally outlined here, along with backyard novice ways that are reported by some to work, and the OP question is answered. Justin already cleaned up all the uselss posts so to stop anymore :dancinglock: