EBC Green vs HAWK HPS

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Anyone with experience with both have anything to weight in?

Dust, Noise, Stopping, rotor wear?

I'm about to have my 3rd child so i want the best stopping possible while im packed to the bring with my brood. So maybe there is another option out there?

From everything i've read in other places most people say Hawk. But, a lot of those people admit to have never used EBC. Nor do people ever talk about the dust, noise, stopping, or wear.
 
I had both on my old '95 Maxima.

The Hawk HPS had MUCH better all-out stopping power.... when it was up to temp. The catch was, its optimal temp was so high that I never got it there unless I behaved very, very badly (e.g. maximum braking from 50-5 mph, several times in quick succession). Most of the time, it was good, but not exceptional. I feel like the EBC Green performed better when cold, which seems like a much better deal for street use. Dust and noise were roughly the same; more of both than OEM, but less of both than the Axxis Ultimate I had in between (which, incidentally, performed much better when cold than either of them).

If you have a heavy car and your drive is more stop-and-go than highway, the Hawk HPS might work better for you than it did for me. Otherwise, you're probably better off with OEM, honestly.
 
I think the EBC yellow is supposed to stop better than the green (at the expense of slightly more noise and dust), but doesn't need to get hot to stop well. The HPS is more of a high performance pad, and designed for use at higher temps.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I had both on my old '95 Maxima.

The Hawk HPS had MUCH better all-out stopping power.... when it was up to temp. The catch was, its optimal temp was so high that I never got it there unless I behaved very, very badly (e.g. maximum braking from 50-5 mph, several times in quick succession). Most of the time, it was good, but not exceptional. I feel like the EBC Green performed better when cold, which seems like a much better deal for street use. Dust and noise were roughly the same; more of both than OEM, but less of both than the Axxis Ultimate I had in between (which, incidentally, performed much better when cold than either of them).

If you have a heavy car and your drive is more stop-and-go than highway, the Hawk HPS might work better for you than it did for me. Otherwise, you're probably better off with OEM, honestly.


Interesting stuff.

I have been known to get stuck in traffic but its not often. I drive moderate to fast depending on how irritating the people are that are driving around me.

So you think just a 'meet or exceeds OEM specifications' would be fine? Its a 94 Jetta. I DO plan on having 3 kids in the back and sometimes a woman in the passenger seat. These Mintex pads are pretty much half the price.

Currently the front pads are the basic cheapos i snatched up 5 years ago from Schucks. The pads are maybe half worn. I don't know if its because they are glazed over or because i don't really use my brakes unless i'm going under 30MPH; i usually downshift.

One of the sets on my rear were REALLY worn because i had a bad caliper, so i replaced those with the most expensive set at O'Rielly's a few months ago.

So i'm mostly into replacing the fronts, which most of the braking burden is put.

I just feel OEM isn't good enough for the just in case.
 
Its a coin toss. Either set will work well.

My Mazda has EBC Green and my Toyota has Hawk LTS. Both vehicles stop extremely well.
 
I had the EBC Green and they were ok, but brake dust was horrible. I switched to a ceramic pad will never go back. No dust, great stopping power.

I used the Duralast Gold from Autozone. 40k on the pads and they are about half gone. I have friends that have used the NAPA brand ceramic and love it.
 
Originally Posted By: coachditka
I had the EBC Green and they were ok, but brake dust was horrible. I switched to a ceramic pad will never go back. No dust, great stopping power.

I used the Duralast Gold from Autozone. 40k on the pads and they are about half gone. I have friends that have used the NAPA brand ceramic and love it.


The Duralast Gold for my car is a Semi-Metallic. Ill check out the NAPA ones. I've heard good things. I dont really NEED some super performance pads for my application. As my car isnt boosted. And if i do end up doing that im upgrading the brake system anyways. Which would probably be this summer.
 
I wouldn't call EBC Green or HPS a super performance pad. They are what should be stock. And, there are times I would take metallic pads over ceramics. I'm not one that worries about a squeak or brake dust. This is some of the bad marketing pushed on the consumer. All I want is my vehicle to stop as short as possible in an emergency situation, and is one reason why I won't EVER put store-branded, OE, or generic pads on the front of my vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
I wouldn't call EBC Green or HPS a super performance pad. They are what should be stock. And, there are times I would take metallic pads over ceramics. I'm not one that worries about a squeak or brake dust. This is some of the bad marketing pushed on the consumer. All I want is my vehicle to stop as short as possible in an emergency situation, and is one reason why I won't EVER put store-branded, OE, or generic pads on the front of my vehicle.



I like your insight. And this is pretty much what i was thinking when i was looking at those option [EBC/Hawk].

When it was said that the Hawk's dont stop unless they are warm i was worried.

I really just want something that is going to stop in emergency situations. Im not trying to compensate for having 3 children in the backseat. I mean.... they are going to weigh as much as like 1 adult. I just want to be safe.

Which is also why im getting SS lines and probably Motul or ATE fluid. And possibly the disk to a slotted. Though i dont think that'll make a difference in my application.
 
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I have used green stuff and HPS over the last couple of years, but haven't compared them head to head on the same vehicle. Hawk HPS has been my "go to" product for my VW and Audi rides though. MUCH better than the stock pads.

Someone mentioned Mintex pads. When I bought my first Audi A4 about 10 years ago, the previous owner had put Mintex red box pads on it. They were absolutely horrible....downright scary when they were wet. That seemed to mirror other people's experiences on audiworld/vwvortex. You get what you pay for.

Best,
 
Originally Posted By: Familyguy
I have used green stuff and HPS over the last couple of years, but haven't compared them head to head on the same vehicle. Hawk HPS has been my "go to" product for my VW and Audi rides though. MUCH better than the stock pads.

Someone mentioned Mintex pads. When I bought my first Audi A4 about 10 years ago, the previous owner had put Mintex red box pads on it. They were absolutely horrible....downright scary when they were wet. That seemed to mirror other people's experiences on audiworld/vwvortex. You get what you pay for.

Best,


Thanks!

What VAG application did you stick those Hawk HPS on?
 
Don't waste your money on slotted or drilled rotors. Stock sized rotors should be solid blanks.

You can mildly adjust brake bias with pad selection. Since most vehicles are overly biased toward the rear triggering ABS or rear lock up, use the Mintex red box or store brand generics, as your rear pads.
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Don't waste your money on slotted or drilled rotors. Stock sized rotors should be solid blanks.

You can mildly adjust brake bias with pad selection. Since most vehicles are overly biased toward the rear triggering ABS or rear lock up, use the Mintex red box or store brand generics, as your rear pads.



I have the most expensive O'Rielly's bought rear pads. So im just buying for the front.

I also dont have ABS

Whats the general take on Motul and ATE fluids?
 
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Originally Posted By: Kaie


What VAG application did you stick those Hawk HPS on?


A couple of slightly modded B5 A4's, a VERY modified 2.7T A6, and my folks' MK3 Jetta and B5 Passat.

I also used them on a Hemi Charger, a Saturn VUE, and a Chrysler 300M. In my opinion, they're a fantastic compromise between street and track pads. Two thumbs up.

Best,
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Don't waste your money on slotted or drilled rotors. Stock sized rotors should be solid blanks.

You can mildly adjust brake bias with pad selection. Since most vehicles are overly biased toward the rear triggering ABS or rear lock up, use the Mintex red box or store brand generics, as your rear pads.



The only suitable application for Mintex red box pads is for a paperweight. (or perhaps for the mother-in-law's front brakes...but I digress).
smile.gif
They are THAT bad.
 
Hawk street pads are very good.
But they are an internet sale.
And they are not cheap!
They will have dust.
Properly installed, there should be no noise.

Dust is not a factor to be overlooked - ceramics are better in this respect.
If you are not racing or driving at high performance levels, many street pads will work great.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Hawk street pads are very good.
But they are an internet sale.
And they are not cheap!
They will have dust.
Properly installed, there should be no noise.

Dust is not a factor to be overlooked - ceramics are better in this respect.
If you are not racing or driving at high performance levels, many street pads will work great.


There's dust, but I don't find it to be any worse than other performance pads. If you hate brake dust then these pads are not for you.
smile.gif
I've never had any noise issue with them on any of my vehicles.

Best,
 
Any brake fluid will work fine. Just make sure you bleed your brakes minimally every 2 years. Your local auto parts store should have Valvoline, Castrol, Gunk, Prestone.... brake fluid. I always use DOT4 when possible. No need for pretty colored or fancy named brake fluid from the internet.
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Any brake fluid will work fine. Just make sure you bleed your brakes minimally every 2 years. Your local auto parts store should have Valvoline, Castrol, Gunk, Prestone.... brake fluid. I always use DOT4 when possible. No need for pretty colored or fancy named brake fluid from the internet.



Yeah i have a DOT4 system and have always put DOT4 in it.

The only reason i thought about ATE or Motul. I have a friend who has a WRX and he swears when he switched to Motul 600 his brake system felt more robust and performed much better. Claiming the stock WRX set up was a bit weak.
 
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Any brake fluid will work fine. Just make sure you bleed your brakes minimally every 2 years. Your local auto parts store should have Valvoline, Castrol, Gunk, Prestone.... brake fluid. I always use DOT4 when possible. No need for pretty colored or fancy named brake fluid from the internet.



The ATE DOT4 blue/gold fluid is nice because you can easily tell when you've fully bled the system when you're using a power bleeder. I alternate between blue and gold color. If you're not going to track the car, I'm skeptical that anyone would notice any difference in the brake fluid. Hydraulic fluid is hydraulic fluid.

Best,
 
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