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From digest.v4.n608 Thu May 16 17:40:05 1996
From: "Carl Buckland" <buckland_at_xmission.com>
Date: Thu, 16 May 1996 18:15:05 +0000
Subject: Hawk Brake pads vs Rebco Deluxes vs Race pads

Neil writes...

> Date:          Thu, 16 May 1996 16:46:02 -0500
> To: buckland_at_xmission.com > From: Neil Williams <neilw_at_informix.com> > Subject: re: Hawk Brake pads

> Didn't you post once that you used Repco Metalmaster Deluxe pads for
> the street?
>
> Have you decided the Hawk Y-5 is better for street/autox use?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Neil

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxreplyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Good question. Yes, I was using Rebco (now PBR) deluxes for the street, and will continue to do so come winter time. The Rebcos, which I bought from BMP, are GREAT street pads. Better than stock, MUCH cheaper, and very clean and quiet. If you don't need brakes that stop your car VIOLENTLY, like you need in autocrossing, the PBR's will do the job.

The Hawk Y-5's are MUCH more expensive ($153 for f and r), whereas the PBR's are only about $63. The Hawks are much softer, and therefore probably not as long lasting, and the Hawks are DIRTY and they are NOISY.

Brake pads are beginning to be much less of a mystery to me. Here is how I see it:

STREET PADS are cheap, clean, quiet, last a long time, and are rotor friendly. They tend to fade after they get hot. There are many available. I have been happy with the Rebco/PBR deluxes, available from BMP, among others.

AUTOCROSS PADS are what I would call the Hawk Y-5's. They are expensive, dirty, noisy, and "may" be a little harder on rotors and may not last as long as street pads. So far, Bob Tunnell reports that they are long lasting, and have not seemed to wear his rotors. I am sure that they are more fade prone than a true track/race pad. They do NOT require a lot of heat to work well. They are available from TC Kline, as well as others.

RACE/TRACK PADS are not for everyone. They are ALL, as far as my personal experience goes, expensive, dirty, noisy, short lasting, very hard on rotors, and, generally, don't work when cold. They do, however, work like an anchor around a tree when hot, and don't tend to fade (as much as street pads) when hot. The real key to using race pads is to WARM THEM UP BEFORE HEAVILY APPLYING THE BRAKES! Hard braking with cold race pads usually results in poor braking, lots of noise, and horribly grooved rotors. If you need race pads (and if you do a lot of hard track driving, you NEED race pads), be prepared for the above draw backs, and try to take them off as soon as you are off the track. The drawbacks make them unacceptable for street use, in my opinion. I have a stack of ruined rotors, and permenantly stained alloy rims to prove it. Even if you can stand the rotor and wheel destruction, you will tire of the dirt and noise.

I have tried many different race pads. So far, the Hawk blues "seem" to be the best for my purposes. They are, still, a true race pad, with all of the above drawbacks of dirt, noise, need for heat, etc. They do stop my car-time after time-like a brick wall, with no fade, and no warped rotors. TC Kline carries the full line of Hawk pads.

These are my opinions, but they are based on actual experience,

Carl

Carl Buckland
1000 Boston Bldg
Nine Exchange Place
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
801-531-6686
Fax 531-6690
E Mail buckland_at_xmission.com

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