I have a 2017 Forester XT with 131,000 miles - have only done routine maintenance and have had to replace brakes front and rear as well as both control arms and struts, all expected with this many miles on it. I plan to keep it for as long as I can. Love it!
I've heard good stuff about the Hawk ones but I use Hawk HPS myself
I do the minor maintenance myself: oil/filter, air filters, wiper blades.
I save enough $$ on the DIY portion, so I don't mind using my dealer for the other stuff: front & rear dif fluids, CVT fluid, brake fluid, brake pads, etc.
Stoptech stainless steel brake lines and slotted Rotors, Hawk ceramic pads.
For very little money I also upgraded the brakes to StopTech slotted rotors, braided SS brake lines, and Hawk HP pads. Never had brake fade even at tracks like Road America with heavy high speed braking.
I'm running standard DBA 4000 blank rotors with Hawk HPS 5.0 pads. My only complaint is they seem to make a lot of brake dust so I'll probably try other pads when these wear through.
Consider Carbotech pads. I ran XP12/XP10 combo. They worked well on my C5. I tried the Hawk DTC70/60 combo and didn't like how fast they could eat a rotor. The stopping force on them is incredible.
Just put Zimmerman rotors and the Hawk Street pads on my non- PP gti. These pads unfortunately shift up and down and make a loud “clank” when braking on transition from 1st to reverse. They still bite great
I had DTC70s for about 2 months and tossed them without even using them up. Terrible pad. Never used a Hawk pad I liked.
You absolutely do not want DTC70s on street. They will devour your rotors and vice versa.
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If choosing brake pads across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare brake pads across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake pads Hawk Performance were overall better than OEM Subaru.
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake pads Hawk Performance were overall more popular than OEM Subaru.
By vote balance, brake pads Hawk Performance surpassed OEM Subaru:
By number of reviews, brake pads Hawk Performance surpassed OEM Subaru:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, brake pads Hawk Performance led more car-specific ratings than OEM Subaru:
Hawk Performance are chosen by owners of cars such as: Mitsubishi Lancer, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Toyota Supra, Volkswagen Scirocco, and others.
OEM Subaru are chosen by owners of cars such as: Subaru Forester, and others.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of brake pads OEM Subaru with: EBC, POWER STOP, Akebono, Brembo, Ferodo, OEM Volkswagen, Bosch, STOPTECH, Carbotech, Mintex.
Also available: comparisons of brake pads Hawk Performance with: EBC, POWER STOP, Akebono, Brembo, Ferodo, OEM Volkswagen, Bosch, STOPTECH, Carbotech, Mintex.
You can also see who is better among other brake pads manufacturers: EBC or POWER STOP, EBC or Akebono, EBC or Hawk Performance, Brembo or EBC, Akebono or POWER STOP.
