Brake pads OEM Mazda or Hawk Performance
I ran Hawk HPS5.0 on my WRX for a while (with STI Brembos) and aftermarket rotors. They worked pretty well for dual purpose.
For street manners but still functional for autocross purposes I liked the Hawk HPS 5.0.
I run Hawk HPS which have reduced dust as compared to the factory OE Brembo pads. They are quiet enough too.
Hawk HP 5.0 was a decent enough upgrade for my tuned S5 and still perfectly fine for street use for my first few track days.
HAWK HPS 5.0 on mine currently - no complaints. Keeps the Linear pedal feel (doesnt bite hard in the beginning then dies out if that makes sense) and stops much better than the OEMs. It does dust a bit but nothing crazy.
my strategy when I started to run into a similar type of problem (brake pads disintegrating and eating my budget) was to go to endurance race pads - for me the Hawk ER1 pads seem to be working well.
WRT the Hawk Pads… I’ve run both compounds and for a beginner you’re not going to notice the difference. They’re both good track pads. Do not run them on the street or if you do try to minimize the time you are on them and know you will have horrible stopping distance when cold.
Hawk pads brake great but they will eat your rotors and they are some of the dustiest pads.
The brakes suck. Kind of makes me think they just need to be bled, or the ABS pump needs to be cycled and bled via OBD2 scanner. I ordered SS lines, Hawk pads, and fluid to fix it.
after about halfway through the second session I began to feel a fluttering under hard braking. Some light shaking of the steering wheel. No noticeable pulling left or right. No noticeable brake fade.
Fast forward to the next day. I noticed this black gunk on my front pads. The rears look good as new.
Under normal conditions my Hawk-30 pads squeak. Now I am noticing a rhythmic squeaking when I brake at street speeds.
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