Samba

I have the new StopTech rotors and Hawk LTS pads on my car for about 2.5 weeks. The new rotors/pads do provide better braking power. Since this is my first performance brake pads so I have no prior experience to compare to. Anyway, below are my impressions.

1. The initial bite and brake modulation are great.
2. No squeaking at all.
3. Brake dust is low. Better than OEM. See the picture below.



The wheels were cleaned first. This was after 600 km of driving (City/HWY = 50/50) and including two autocross events. The brake dust is in brown whereas the OEM was in dark grey.

After the installation, I followed the bed-in procedure. The brake felt horrible in the first 100 km. Brake pedal felt so so soft. After ~200km, the brake pedal firmed up and the brake works very well.

potmilkz

damn clean up that rust dude.

Samba

lol


To anyone who have upgraded their brake, please post your photo (with the time interval and/or mi/km traveled) so that we can compare the amount of dust for each type of pad. A picture can save thousand words.

Teddybear

lol you beat me to installation! mine are still in the box haha
did u end up getting the cryo rotors? or just the reg ones?

what was the suggested bed in for these?

Samba

I got the regular one ... They are great so far.

I followed the instructions below from Hawk web site.

1. After installing new brake pads, make 6-to-10 stops from approximately 30-35 MPH applying moderate pressure.
2. Make an additional 2-to-3 hard stops from approximately 40-45 MPH.
3. DO NOT DRAG BRAKES!
4. Allow at least 15 minutes for the brake system to cool down.
5. After step 4 is completed, your new Hawk Performance brake pads are ready for use.

Samba

I would easy on the brake and leave extra room for braking for the first 100 km.

deuce415

iTrader: (1)

I think you'll get the least amount of dust with Ceramic pads at the expense of performance.

I'm going to go with Akebono performance pads with Stop tech slotted rotors when its time to do my rotors and pads.

Excelerate

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the feedback.

Samba

I found that the dust now is very easy to remove. After a touchless carwash, the duct was completely gone. That of the OEM pad remained on the surface of the rims after the same carwash. I am very happy with this brake upgrade.

Teddybear

would it wash off if you just hose it down at home?

deuce415

iTrader: (1)

You probably see alot more dusting up north in Canada then I do. My dust is minimal even with OEM pads and easily comes off when i do my touchless clean every 2 weeks. But i think that's because I only drive like 20 miles a day on average in a drought area.

Samba

I will let you know next time I hand wash my car. When I handed wash the rim last time, the OEM dust were all over the place.

Samba

Yes. Much easier to clean than the OEM pad.

Teddybear

nice. thanks. mind you, the oem dust isn't all that bad. Some light agitation from a brush and it's off. I was able to clean the inside of the wheel last week when i washed just with a soft wheel brush.

Teddybear

I just finally got mine installed, along with XLR8 ss lines.
So far so good, bite is much better, though some of that is no doubt the lines.

I haven't had time to bed in yet.

Samba

Man, good to know that you got them installed. What pads did you get?

I will probably get the SS lines when changing brake fluid next summer. I am very happy with my brake.

The only issue is the ring of rust developed after awhile. Paint the rotor surface that is not touched by the pads. Enjoy your new brake.

Teddybear

the LTS.
is the rust on the rotor surface? or the hub? my stoptech's are painted.

Samba

Teddybear

eww... i'm starting to see the wear marks on mine... i'll try to paint them this weekend. Are the rears the same?

frig, i might as well paint the calipers black while im at it.....

Samba

I think you should have found out yourself by now. .... Same.

I wish I have spare time to do so myself. Probably, i will have them painted next spring.

Samba

Finally, the winter has come. It is -17C here. I have been waiting to see how the brake perform in the cold. The initial bite is great.

Teddybear

It's -19C when i got home today.

I notice that when i leave work on a colder day, the first bite is really bad. By the 2nd bite, it's fine.