I've been told that I will probably not notice any difference between the HPS pads and the stock BMW/Mini pads. The reason - "the stock pads are really good in terms of feel and fade resistence."

I commute about 60k mile per year and will attend 3-6 track days a year - no more.

I have HP+ on another car. They're great, but noisy and a bit rough, which is okay for a track only car.

What say you?

 

I say .... get a set of HPS and switch over to them for track days. Real easy job to switch pads.

 

I say you are correct. They seem to hold up slightly better under high use, but only slightly. They dust less for sure

 

Okay, so it's Hawk HPS, motul dot 5.1, and the brake stiffening kit. I should be able to stop, no?

Will I see any of you Nov. 10th at Lime Rock? Onasled??? It's a NASA event.

Michael

 

hey I was just looking into the same pads and found at raceshopper.com. You can save almost $50 for front and rears.

 

...I thought these were available for front only??? Very typical of Hawk. $100 +/- shipped to my door for the fronts.

 

Raceshopper provides free shipping with any purchase of Hawk HPS pads.



Alright just back from placing my order, front and rears, $165 to my door from N.Y.

 

I use the HPS on my rears as I have Willwoods with H compounds up front for the track. When back on the road I switch back to the HP in rear and a more streetable compound up front. I went through a new set of rotors rather quickly when I did not put my street set on. A New rotors and I make sure I switch as soon as I'm done at the track. .

I have that rear bushing (stiffening) kit and I have to say that I felt no improvements to note. Maybe better for a front mod...?

Hmmmmm, NASA ? I'll have to look into this Michael. I've kinda resigned to the fact that I'm done for the year. Been around LRP a whole lot this season :impatient

 

Onasled,

This will be my first instruction event in many years. I have a client/friend/instructor who races within this organization as well as others. I believe they are new to the NE. So a few of us are going Nov. 10th. I'm actually praying for rain...I need more experience in the rain.

Thanks for the braking info BTW. I can deal with many deficiencies, but stopping isn't one of these.

Michael

 

I run Hawk HPS front pads (and Mintex red rears / now replaced with Ferodos) and ATE Super Blue fluid both street and track. They work reasonablly well in both places. For DE events, I haven't been having brake fade problems at NHIS. I've even had instructors comment that my car has good brakes.

On the street, everything works well when cold, no noise.

 

The cold performance evaluation is appreciated Thank you. Nothing worse than tooling along on a crisp December morning, enjoying a cup of coffee, and suddenly, a deer pops out of nowhwere...not that they can be found hitchhiking mind you. Waiting for brakes to warm up at times like that...

 

Sooo true. Too many poeple feel they want "race brakes" and the ultimate in performance without defining the intended use of the vehicle. Many of the best pads on the market don't work well for daily use and cooler operational temps. They bite like crazy at 700-800 degrees however. Also many of these pads are very hard on rotors (and your ears) when used at low temp. Massive loss of iron with a dust cloud on the side of the car is just not what most people want for a daily pad.

Matching the pad to the use is critical to the overall performance on the BBK. Understanding the use, how it plays out in biasing equations, and weight distribution is the importance of working with a knowlegeable dealer.

 

I'LL BE THERE!!! I'm coming with my cousin and she is driving a Boxster and i'll be driving the G35. This is my first HPDE so it'll be an experience. Unlike you, i am NOT hoping for RAIN!! You'll see me in my freshly dented Red G35. My name is Dennis. It'll be fun seeing some mini's running around!!

 

Hey Dennis,

This will be my first track event in 15 years - DE event I should say. I'm driving a Pure Silver 05 JCW. I'll be with two friends; one driving a green race prepared M3 and the other a dark silver RS6...a beast!

 

Just to give you another opinion on your initial question, I have the HPS's on my G35. Initial bite is reduced slightly, but so little that they heat up enough by the time I make my first stop at a stop sign. My wife doesn't even noticed the increased pedal pressure on the first stop.

On the other hand, in the rain like we had here last week, they were dreadful!! If you ran through a deep enough puddle, they would cool off and the next stop would be cool brakes WITH water on them. I almost rear-ended someone with them. I had to put all I had into the brakes to stop from 40 mph and they chattered on the rotors horribly. I just learned to drag the brakes every once in a while when I went through big puddles or when I got off of the highway. I've had them on the car for about 2 years and this is the first time the rain really caused a problem so I would assume they are fine most of the time. Unfortunately I can't say what they will be like in the mini, but I would assume they would be a little better in the rain since the Mini is a much lighter car.

Personally, I plan on getting them next year for the Mini for the reduction in brake dust alone.

 

And, your experience pretty much sums mine with these pads on two other cars. I only asked, with regard to the Mini, because assumptions can be well, you know. Thanks for the update.

I'll try to find you and introduce myself on the 10th.

Michael

 

The otherwise stock JCW ran fine at LRP, but it definately ran out of brakes more than once at the end of the straight. The bumps past the bridge also invoked ABS which can be a bit scary since this does nothing for shortening braking distances.

The standout deficiency in this car at the track is front brakes. Otherwise, a very nicely balanced package from the factory.

 

Glad you had a good day. Yes the stock brakes are a bit of a shortcoming on the MINI. I ran with Ferodo DS2500s for a while (from Raceshopoper, great prices), eventually they were no longer enough brake for me. After a couple of other tries, I've settled for the time on Carbotech XP-8s, the XP-10s are suitable for R-compounds. They both stop well even when not warmed up, are not noisy on the street, resist fade, and wear well. Another track junkie friend with stock brakes on his MINI has been pleased with the XP-10s and been using them consistently after trying a bunch of different pads.

http://www.carbotecheng.com/main.htm Info and phone number at their site. If you call, ask for Matt and tell him Michelle with the DS MINI with wheel bearing problems sent you.
Good luck!

 

PF97 front pads...problem solved.

 

I was running Hawk HPS and motul super 4. Perhaps I should have opted for Hawk HP instead. Dunno?

Another part of the braking equation is better tires as well...track only tires. If the ABS is coming on at times, I've also got a friction, or lack of friction problem. Niether the brake fade or the ABS activity is a major problem area. I just have to keep a little bit more in my pocket, as Charlie says, going down the straight. I expect this will become a much bigger problem at Watkins glen.

Who makes PF97 pads?

 

PF = Performance Friction

 

I've found the HPS pads to be good, but not great, at the track (with ATE super blue fluid). At New Hampshire International Speedway, my brakes would get fairly inneffective towards the end of the day. At the begining of the day, instructors will usually comment that "this car has good brakes!" on their first few laps in my car. At the end of the day, trying to haul the car down from 90mph to 40mph, I could push down on the brake pedal as hard as my frail body would allow and not be able to get the brakes to lock up with normal street tires (Goodyear F1 GS-D3). The brakes did keep me going around the track all day, but they definitely lost some performance as the day went on.

Of course, I'm still running around with the brake dust shields on, so there's an easy way to help make things better.

Predictable brakes would make me oh so happy on the track. That's the biggest concern running through my head most of the time - "will my brakes slow me down enough?"

 

Dust shields actually help keep water off very hot rotors in the rain - warping can be almost instantaneous. This may not be a concern with bigger rotors, however.

I used PF pads on another car 16 years ago, and they worked great. I got away from PF pads because they did not produce pads for any of my cars thereafter.

The 11" Wilwood kit is looking sort of nice at this point. I can use these with 16" wheels.

 

If you're getting into the ABS that tells me you're locking up the wheels under braking; if that's the case you don't really need any more pad, especially if they're not fading as you say.

If you have a good, firm brake pedal and the car won't stop you need more pad; if you have a soft pedal and the car won't stop you're boiling the fluid; that shouldn't be a problem with Motul.

Whatever, you'd better make sure you get the car slowed down enough for Turn 6 at the Glen, as there's not much runoff room if you don't.

 

I just put on a set of HPS a few weeks ago. Monday I'm going to Infineon. This will be interesting to see how they do:smile: