[500000000000X]

I purchased a set of HPS Hawk Brake Pads for my 2012 Ford Mustang GT as a performance upgrade. After some time I noticed warped rotors.

I check the pads and some of the clips were missing. Then I received a new 2nd set under warranty and was ready to install new front brake pads and new rotors when I opened the 2nd set and had more clips fall off as well. I contacted Hawk and they send a 3rd set. I opened the third set and a clip fell of in my hand. I selected the best pads from the 2nd and 3rd set and finished the brake job. During installation another clip fell off, then after a short test drive another clip fell off.

My solution was to go and get new Ford Motorcraft pads which are better made and come with a warranty. I contacted Hawk and they said they could send a 4th set which I refused. Then later I asked if their new 5.0 Line of pads made any improvements, they said no.

Lesson:

1) Don't buy Hawk Products
2) Check your clips. Look at the outside AND inside pad clips.

See picture attached of a clip. They fall off and may cause warping.

Also, the sets of pads I received had recent manufacturing dates.

 

[06CanuckGT]

Holy crap, they're still having this problem with the clips?

 

[Norm Peterson]

I really doubt that the missing clips issue is related to "warped rotors". So-called "warped rotors" are more likely to be uneven pad transfer layers due to poor brake bedding technique or running new pads of different formulation on the old rotors without making any effort to remove the pad transfer from the old pads. Maybe HPS pads are more sensitive to pad material incompatibilities than other brands/levels.

It's not that the clips are all that necessary. The Carbotech track pad sets that I've used don't have them.


Norm

 

[PMDmustang13]

I don't recall seeing those type of clips on the stock pads, hawk hp plus or the carbotech xp-12's. All front pads on the brembos so maybe that is why.

 

[06CanuckGT]

I don't recall seeing those type of clips on the stock pads, hawk hp plus or the carbotech xp-12's. All front pads on the brembos so maybe that is why.

Only the non brembo 2 piston calipers have those pads.

 

[Iconiq]

I've run Hawk for years with no issues. I'm sorry you've had a bad experience but with any product in the world duds happen if thats even what it is. Hawk is an amazing pad brand and i'll stand by them. out of ever 100 people who get them if a hand full have issues i'm cool with those odds

 

[Norm Peterson]

Only the non brembo 2 piston calipers have those pads.

That's not it either. My front calipers are those 2-piston non-Brembos and XP8's, 10's and 12's don't have any clips.

The HPS's did, and I'd have to dig through my pile of pads-no-longer-good-for-tracking to see if the HP+ had clips or not. Might still have the OE's somewhere, too, but I don't recall anything about those having clips or not.




On edit, I wasn't all that happy with the HPS because their bite on the Mustang wasn't nearly as good as it was with HPS pads on two other cars I'd fitted them to. HP+ have good bite . . . and use some of that to eat iron (your rotors). Won't be running those again either.


Norm

 

[06CanuckGT]

That's not it either. My front calipers are those 2-piston non-Brembos and XP8's, 10's and 12's don't have any clips.

Norm

What? All the pads I've put on my 06 have had those clips. Every pad that I've looked at on RockAuto, etc. have them.

Unless you're just referring to track type pads?

 

[Norm Peterson]

It's been nearly 15 years since the last time I bought OE-replacement pads for any of my own cars (and nearly 10 since the last time I was happy with Hawk's HPS).


The last two sets for the Mustang have been track pads, as is the set I have sitting on the shelf waiting for when I'll need to install them to pass tech (50% friction material thickness remaining, minimum). As long as they work reasonably well at the coldest temperatures I get here, I'd rather put up with a little noise and a bit of dust than live with soft or unpredictable bite all the time.


From looking at the factory shop manual, losing just one of the two clips might cause the pad to sit crooked and pull up unevenly and possibly chatter when the brakes are applied (a self-energizing wedging/taper-locking effect). Quick and dirty, you might get away with simply breaking all the other clips off.


Norm

 

[Blazin72]

Norm,

What pad are you using for daily driving?

 

[Norm Peterson]

PM sent.


Norm

 

[740weapon]

Those clips fall off oem pads as well. It's a fundamentally dumb design. As for rotor warp. Aftermarket pads incl hps are for racing imo. Oem pads are for street driving. Racing pads plus street driving equals problems.

 

[PMDmustang13]

Those clips fall off oem pads as well. It's a fundamentally dumb design. As for rotor warp. Aftermarket pads incl hps are for racing imo. Oem pads are for street driving. Racing pads plus street driving equals problems.

You are correct that racing pads on the street can be a problem if you are not careful. They need warmed up a bit for them to get the proper bite. I believe I still have my XP-12 pads on the front of my car and I have no problem stopping. I know I need to find the time and buy some 1521's and install them as I have dedicated centric rotors for the carbotech compounds. I do get a lot of dust and I am surprised that they are no where as noisy as the HP+ pads were.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Those clips fall off oem pads as well. It's a fundamentally dumb design. As for rotor warp. Aftermarket pads incl hps are for racing imo. Oem pads are for street driving. Racing pads plus street driving equals problems.

By no stretch of the imagination are HPS or HPS-level pads OK for racing or HPDE. Street and autocross, sure - they are properly billed as performance street.

OE pads have to satisfy people who are far less demanding than performance enthusiasts, even when they buy a performance car. You'll find people who rank brake life (time between pad and rotor replacement) and the lack of dust and noise above any measure of "braking power". Because they never use the brakes hard except on rare occasions, this logic works for them, however flawed it really is for people who do use their brakes harder.


Norm