After having done autocross and track days on several different pads, it's come to my attention that the experience with each may be beneficial for other members.

Car is a 2009 Mini Cooper S, Manic Stage 3. Most common tire used is Federal 595 RSRR but Hankook RS3, Nexen N Fera Sur4, Bridgestone RE-71 and BFG Rivals have also been used in the course of time.

1. Hawk HP+ (best)
High braking power, no warm up needed for autocross, stays strong for 30 min of track time. Gentle/progressive fading above that, pedal becomes firm and less responsive when fading. High noise, high dust. Livable to drive on street, not ideal. May trigger ice mode in hard braking at autocross. Best to try avoiding triggering ABS. Works well for spirited driving, autocross and regular HPDE.

2. Stop Tech sport
Slight increase in braking power over stock. Requires significantly more pedal travel than HP+ to work. Fades after 20 min of track time, more dramatically than HP+. Dust on par with stock pads, little to no noise. Good spirited daily pad. Not recommended for motorsports unless only used in front and rear pad is more aggressive. However, longevity is not an issue.

3. EBC Yellow Stuff
Not ideal for track work. 4 hours of Sebring destroyed a new pair of front pads. Less friction than HP+ yet similarly resistant to fade. Longevity is the issue. Less noise and less dust than HP+ but still significant. Recommend no more than 30 mins at a time for track work, ideally 20. If willing to deal with noise/dust, HP+ is much better choice. Only saving grace is that it does not tend to trigger ABS.

4. Akebono
Same if not less braking power than stock. Very prone to fading. May fade in under 5 minutes of aggressive braking. Slightly less dust than stock. Not useful for any level of spirited driving. Pedal becomes firm and unresponsive while triggering ABS when pads fade.

 

I really liked the hawk pads I was running for the track up until about 3 years ago, I got rid of my track car for a more practical car for work. I liked them so much that I was putting them on the rest of our vehicles including my wife's Ridgeline because she demanded when we got it that it stopped as close to our track car as possible. I was only running 5 min short bursts on a small road course for maybe 4-5 times max throughout the day so I just used their Street/Track pad they had out at the time. It was not noisy at all but was a bit of a dusty pad. My son put some of the performance Hawk+ pads last year on his 06 Mini and those made him sound like a bus coming to a stop, he got the wrong ones for daily use and was too lazy to swap them right away. I agree that the Hawk + are not ideal for the street as to get the braking power really requires for them to be warmed up. I ran hawk pads for probably 10+ years and up until ra few months ago when the wife and I purchased new matching Mini Coopers, I hadn't thought about them. I will probably get her a set for her F57 and then a set for when I do the JCW brake upgrade on my F55.

 

I wonder what pads you had if not HP+...?

I've used HPS before on my RSX and those were nothing special. Equal to stock.

I already ordered a pair of front HP+ to replace the dead Yellow Stuff. EBC will be hearing from me though...

 

I can't remember. I just remember they were advertised back then as good for the track and getting you home, they were also advertised as street/track pads.

 

Are any of the tested pads recommendable for running errands (no daily commute) and 1-2 track days a year? Looking for a pad that will hold up to spirited driving on weekends plus an occasional track day without having to switch pads for the track.

 

HP+ would be your best bet. Won't leave you disappointed with spirited driving or track days.

I'd recommend a split of HP+ rear and Stop Tech sport Front over EBC Yellow Stuff all around since the track day would destroy EBC. Stop Tech may fade after 20 min on track day but you'll have a more powerful rear and a nice rear brake bias.