Sup all,

I just installed my pullies, RacingBrake Rotor and Hawks HPS brake pad for the front. This time I'm not impress w/ the mod, and the reason why.

1. My mechanic told me (and I saw it too after the installation was done) the brake pad I brought to them, is not a full set of aftermarket brake pad. 1 of the set (the one on driver side) is stock, while the passenger side is aftermarket. I have bought this front set of Hawks HPS Brake Pad from one of the forum member here, name "Paycheck", I paid him on June 21, 2006. Mod can check my PM box if you want.

2. So, I got pissed already. I thought whatever, went to test drive my car. Today is rainning slightly so I didn't even boot it, I feels some power from the pullies but I will test it out later. As for the brake pad, it's terrible. It feels so soft now and can not stop within the distance that I'm expect (compare w/ stock pad). I'm wondering if it's because the brake pad has not break-in yet? Or this set of brake pad really fxxk up.

3. My 2 rear RacingBrake Rotor and the one on the passenger side seems normal, but the one on the driver side, turns blue. I can smell burning and the disc turns to blue. I asked my mechanic and they said since the Rotors are new, it takes time to burn off the oil/coating on the rotor surface.

4. It's a short distance drive from my mechanic to my house (~5km), I felt vibration when I drive. I was in 5th gear @ around 80km/h, the vibration doesn't feels like rattling. It's hard to describe, but feels like it vibrates along when the wheels rotate (rolling forward). I don't know if it's the pullies, or my brake that causes this problem. The vibration is getting so strong that I need to turn into a plaza. After I get into the plaza, I slowly drive around and went home. The vibration is not completely gone, but is not as strong as b4.

5. I'm the third TSX that brought pullies to install @ my mechanic, also I brought the new belt that JTso suggest, so I guess the pullies install properly.

Now, I don't really know what to do. I'm gonna send a PM to the "Paycheck" guy right now and see how he's response. It's a bad day.

 

Search dosent come up with a user by that name

Also, did you replace all 4 sets of pads or just the front two?

 

paycheck, his name still appears on my PM Box, I just send a PM to him to clarify.

 

Just the front two. But when you look @ it from the side, it's obvious that they are different, because the stock one has a white dot on it I believe? and the aftermarket ones has a line of black color model #/wording on it, if the Hawks has one.

 

was this a transaction in our Black Market forum?

Was this the item you bought: https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/fs-hawk-hps-front-brake-pads-341094/

 

Heres the thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=341094

 

Yes. Both of the link is right.

I asked this guy to ship to Hawaii because my girl went there for vacation in July, she can brought it back after and eliminate Custom Fee. I told him to send to my gf's friend's house, which is only 1 girl/or 2 girls (Les) living there. They didn't even want to touch the brake pad I swear. I don't know if paycheck ship me the wrong set of whatever? But I need a pictures of the brake pad (flipped), to see the back.

P.S. Anyone who has a Hawks HPS Brake Pad on your car please do me a flavor, can you take a picture of your brake pad even w/ the wheels on. I want to see the back side of the brake pad.

 

I really don't know what to say. Other than my DC Headers, Cusco Lower Arm Brace Type II and Comptech RSB, all my other parts are used. That's included RMpage's High-Flow Cat, someone Neuspeed strut Bar, someone foglight, and someone Injen CAI. None of them has any problems. The brake pad are claimed as NEW, it does looks pretty new to me too, but I just haven't pay enough attention to it when it's sitting in my room for 2 months. I've uploaded some pictures, someone with Hawks Pad please clarify for me if it looks like yours.

Driver Side




Passenger Side

 

where are you feeling the vibrations from? front driver's side (i.e. your stock pad set-up)?

 

The vibrations start after the install, w/ pullies, 4 brake rotors and 2 front pad on. I doubt it's from the engine but I'm not sure. It feels like my brake pad is touching my brake or something even I'm not braking it.

 

After a 45mins test drive, this is what I experienced from the car.

1. The vibration comes on above 60km/h. At lower speed, the car seems normal. Above 60km/h, it started to vibrate as speed increased. The vibration is an obvious one, I have a Seiko Watch on my left hand and it shakes too.

2. After breaking in the brake pad @ slow speed for about 20mins, it feels a bit better now. But I'm still not impress about the fact that one set of the pad is stock. I still can't get a solid answer right now if really one of the set is stock, but my mechanic works for a lot of Acura (Even doing mechanic or body work for the dealership Acura Woodbine), so I take his word for now.

3. The pullies really helps the low end. Even having the Header and High-flow Cat installed, it still makes some "struggling" sound due to the lost of torque @ low rpm. After the pullies install, the sound is gone. It feels much more solid. I still don't have a chance to boot it but will find out after the vibration problems fixed.

4. RPM @ idle seems normal (rest @ 800rpm), with full A/C on, Heated Seat, turn up the stereo, HID w/ fog, etc.

I'm thinking if this is a mechanic problem on the installation of brake disc. After the 45mins drive, my rear brake rotor is still cool enough to touch it w/ my hands, while the front has alot of heat coming out from the brake area, can feel it from far away.

 

Problem 1 seems like a out of balance problem, or the lug nuts aren't torqued tight enough. Unless the vibration only occurs when you press the brakes.

Problem 2, not sure call up Hawk and find out.

 

^^^ Thx for your input.

The vibration comes on when the car is rolling/accelerating @ speed above 60km/h. Braking does not cause vibration for now.

 

This rotor looks like it has some strange wear going on. Almost looks like the outer rim isnt getting touched.

Also, this is the pic from the sale thread:



The guy said these were "New", yet it looks to me like the outer pads are worn a bit They definatly dont have as much material as the two inners do...

 

The one on the Left especially looks pretty worn... unfortinutly a lot of people are out there to F**k you... and brakes and other disposable parts are apparently easy to dupe people on... I have a friend who is a Mechanic, he was telling me this one time he had a guy come in, because the brakes felt weird... turns out the guy just brought the car used 15 minutes before that, and the previous owner actually took a peice of wood and a bandsaw and made his own brake pads... :rollseyes: so at least yours are not made of wood... Good Luck

 

Any response from the seller to your PMs?

 

Nope~ Not yet, I'm still waiting for his PM to explain.

After another long drive last night, the vibration has partial gone sometimes, and re-appear when speed above 120km/h. So, will that be the brake pad touching the rotor??? Or mechanic problems?

 

It seems the vibration is not related to the brake pads. If you can feel it only above a certain speed then it is a balance issue, either with the wheels or with the rotors.

Not much can be done about one pad being stock. If the seller doesn't respond or doesn't make things right you can put in negative feedback in the Black Market forum. You can PM Ron A, the Mega Mod in Black Market to see if anything else can be done.

 

I'm kind of curious why you bought the pads when the pic shows they are used and why the mechanic still decided to install them knowing the condition?

 

Honestly, I was wondering the same. I'd suggest that anyone who intends to buy wear items like this ask for additional pictures that show the part(s) indeed are in new condition, or in the condition the seller describes them to be. Get lots of pics and, if the seller is unwilling to do that, beware.

Unfortunate that you may have been duped by a forum member, but there are dishonest people everywhere.

 

good question!!!!!!!!!!!!11

 

some people are in too much of a hurry to buy parts they dont research thoroughly...

 

Yeah, the big thing is the mechanic willing to install different pads on each side. The mechanic should have said it was a bad idea right there and not did it.

 

Since I've got a couple of items on this forum before, I was confident w/ the forum member selling habit. This guy even said "NEW" on his post and also when I asked him in PM. I've never see how's a new brake pad before so I can't clarify if it's new or lightly used.

I dropped my car @ the shop then went to work. My mechanic called me a couple of times but I shut off my phone when I work, so he just decided to put it on.

I called the mechanic today and tell him about what's happen last night, he said that maybe it's not the brake pad that causes the vibration, maybe it's the Brake Rotor has wrapped. I told him the rotor is totally new, but he said some new rotor comes in wrapped cause of poor quality check. Is that possible???

 

Possible? Yes, but highly unlikely. I suppose its worth checking though. Do yourself a favor and inspect the wheel to see if maybe one or more of the balancing weights fell off when the mechanic was removing it. It shouldn't be the pad at all. Even if the pad is not seated properly it would not be the cause of vibration. The pad is stationary and the vibration is cause by a rotating mass that is out of balance or is not true. If its not the wheel then maybe the mechanic didn't install the rotor properly causing it to wobble. Or, maybe the wheel lugs aren't tightened down properly. Does the vibration increase when you apply brakes?

 

Dude, if you have a pair of eyes you can clearly see in his pic that the pads on the ends are more worn then the ones in the middle.

 

Hey Chuson, did your mechanic clean off the rotors before installing? Also, did he torque down your wheel or just zapped it in with an impact gun?

 

I really don't know~ I was working while he did the job. But I do know they use an impact gun.

Do you think you can help me out @ your place or anywhere? I'm not sure if my rotor has wrapped but I doubt it since it's new. I'm gonna order a set of Hawk HPS F+R brake pad again. Do you know where can I pick up in Toronto or just get it from e-bay or online store???

 

sounds like you need a new mechanic..

 

PM MrHeeltoe he sells Hawk pads and RacingBrake rotors. I bought a brake setup through him and everything was reasonably priced and shipped well.

http://www.heeltoeauto.com/

These threads are for the rotors but you can view ppl's comments regarding their order. It'll give you some confidence in sending him money.
https://acurazine.com/forums/sponsored-sales-group-buys-10/racingbrake-front-rear-up-rotors-packages-deals-inside-344787/
https://acurazine.com/forums/sponsored-sales-group-buys-10/racingbrake-rotors-available-here-now-316102/

 

1) the wear on your rotors does not look right, the brake pad should fully sweep the outside portion, a small circle will not be swept by the belt on the inside however, yours looks opposite

2) its highly unlikely there's something wrong w/ the RB rotor, no one who has them has a warping problem so far

3) if your brake pads are installed incorrectly it could be scraping the rotor and causing vibration at high speeds. does anyone have experience w/ the inner and outter pad being worn different? the caliper might not be reacting well to it

I would get a new complete set of hawk pads ASAP and have them installed before your really mess something up

 

1- If there is no shaking when you brake the rotors are not warped. The rotors won't warp anyway.

2- vibration during cruising at speed would indicate tire balance. Vibration during accelleration COULD indicate an axle.

3- that pad on the left looks bad. Yes, the white dot indicates it is a stock pad IMO. It looks like he jacked you, or it could have been an accident and he just is not online much.

4- I can supply new pads. I feel bad that you got the wrong parts. I can try to give you a deal on a set of new pads if you are interested. We can send them USPS so you won't need to pay brokerage fees, but taxes are on you.

5- Thanks Crow-T-Robot. We try I think I sold him the rotors as a matter of fact. His s/n looks pretty familiar.

Marcus

 

Yes and no. With a sticking caliper you will get more wear on one pad than the other.

But if the pads are different when you put them in I have no reason to think that there would be a problem with them. Then again, if they are drastically different it could cause an issue with uneven pressure I suppose.

 

Hey Schizm~

I got my rotors from Mr.HeelToe too, I doubt the rotor is wrapped but that was one of my initial thought whne I was trying to find out the problem.

Hey xizor~

Absolutely. I was wondering why does the brade pad only swap half of the rotor. My mechanic took my brake pad off las time, and it seems like only the top half of the brake pad in use, the bottom half of the brake pad is like NEW? wtf?

I'm gonna wash my dirty car now, then I will swap in the stock pad.

Hey MrHeeltoe~

I doubt the rotor is wrapped, so no worry. I will swap in some stock pad and see what's happen. I think I need tire balance as well, but the vibration only came on after the brake rotor/brake pad install, so I'm guessing it has nothing to do w/ the tire balance or the axle (please~~~). I got 2 questions,
1. My rear rotor looks like new still. You know how after you brake your car a day or two, the rotor should look like used. Got swapped w/ the brake pad in circular motion? But mine still has those "Cross-Machine" look one the brake rotor surface.
So does this mean my rear brake pad is not having enough pressure on the rotor???
2. I've sent a couple of e-mail 2 days ago regarding on the brake pad. I need the Hawk HPS brake pad, I got so pissed cause I got tricked, so now I'm even get the rear ones. I need a pair of #HB366F for front and pair of #HB145F for rear. One of the online store will do #366f's for $80.57USD, and the #145f's for $51.40USD, also $15USD for shipping. If you can beat that price or come close to it I will get it from you. Since you are trust worthy and is our forum vendor.

Anyways, I'm gonna go swap my brake pad now and see what's happen.

 

OMG~ It's da fxxking Brake pad~!!!

It's my first time to work on my car by myself. I jacked the car, took the wheels off, and change the Brake Pad myself. Yeh, so proud of it~

Anyways... here's my initial thought after swapping to stock brake pad.

1. Right after I changed the brake pad, I rolled it off my driveway. Somehow my brake didn't work (didn't bite on it), I got scared and I stepped on it a couple more times, then it responded. I took it out to the side street first, o my god, the bite was so much stronger than the "???HAWK???" pad. The stopping distance were shorten then b4 too.

2. HEAT. The last two days, after I parked my car, whenever I walked close to my front wheels, it felt like there's an engine on each of the wheel, so much heat. Today, after swapping the pad, it's much much cooler after long drive. Only some (regular heat dispite) heat were there.

3. High Speed Vibration was GONE~!!!! I took my car on the highway, testing the speed range @ around 120km/h to 160km/h, no vibration found. Brake @ those speed range, no vibration detected as well. So far so good.

4. My car pulls MUCH MUCH stronger today. I guess it's suppose to be like that since I have pulleys install. I'm guessing the last couple of days my brake pad is touching my rotor so it needs much more force to roll/accelerate. Fuel usage were alot lower than the last couple of days too.

5. The brake pad is UGLY. As I mentioned before, and examined it today, only the top half of the brake pad is used, the bottom part still looks new to me. I did more research and most of the Hawks HPS brake pad has 2 slotted vent (I'm not sure if it's the case for the Hawk HPS pad for TSX) on the brake pad, but the one I has looks like stock, only 1 vent in the middle.

6. I drove for 5 mins right after I swapped the brake pad, my whole rotor has a nice full sweep by the brake pad already in circular way. Only about half a inch is untouch.

I'm really impressed w/ the Pulleys right now, it works so well w/ all my other engine mod so far. The only engine mod left for me is Hondata ECU reflash, hope they release it sooner.

 

The Hawks were not the problem, I can guarantee it. We have sold lots of them and installed a lot ourselves. They work very well, even better than stock.

Something is funny with those pads, or the installation, that you had done.....


Please, don't blame Hawk for the issue. I promise and guarantee they are good, or I would not sell them. The other guy messed you up, not Hawk.

Anyway, glad you are tight now!

Marcus

 

Hey Mr.HeelToe, don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's not the Hawks Pad that screwed me up. It's the Wanna-BE Hawks pad.

paycheck PM me back and saying that those are Hawks Pad, but I haven't replied him yet cause there's nothing I can do anyways. I will take a picture of those pad tomorrow and you guys can tell me if they are really Hawks or not.

 

OK~ Please verifty if these are the Hawks Pad or NOT? I have these pads on my front for 2 days ONLY~ I took it off yesterday and have my stock pad on now. Have a short but crazy cruise today @ the TSX Meet in Toronto, feels confident w/ the stock pad.

 

Those pads look bad.

 

those pads looks fuct.. its a scam..