mx5cartalk.com

I'm looking at some new pads for the 5 and the best option seems to be the hawk blues, anyone else using them with good results and would I need fronts only or rears as well?

blues are pretty hardcore, i wouldnt use them on the street at all..
track only id say,

I was running HP+, and they were perfect.

yeah hawk blue are definitely track only

These are the only pad I've tried on my race car but I've been impressed with them on the track. However, I don't think they'd be a great pad for a street car, especially when cold. They do leave a fair bit of brake dust as well.

Paul.

They're supposed to wear the rotor very badly very quickly when kept cold. That said I've been running Ferodo DS3000's on the car upto the track and they've been fine.... just very dodgy in very cold wet weather.

Hellmun wrote:They're supposed to wear the rotor very badly very quickly when kept cold.

True that. James wore out a brand new set of rotors in one drive back from Wakefield to Melbourne.

If I started using the hawk blues full-time I'd seriously contemplate doing a pad/rotor swap when I got to the track.

I actually plan on using the Porterfield R4-RACE when I finish my last set of DS3000's. On the goodwin site they specifically mention they are less destructive to rotors.... at $195 a pop I'd like my DBA4000's to last as long as they can.

Defintley don't want to wear out rotors that quickly, I'll go for some hawk hp+ on the front and see how they go at winton.

Hellmun wrote:If I started using the hawk blues full-time I'd seriously contemplate doing a pad/rotor swap when I got to the track.

I actually plan on using the Porterfield R4-RACE when I finish my last set of DS3000's. On the goodwin site they specifically mention they are less destructive to rotors.... at $195 a pop I'd like my DBA4000's to last as long as they can.

They are, but they don't bite as hard as the Blues either. I had been using the porterfields in the rear of the turbo but have recently gone back to the Blues when I upgraded the fronts to AP racing calipers.

What about these pads from 949 racing, they seem to have a good rep.
http://949racing.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=22

I really liked the Cobalt GT-Sport pads I got from Adrenaline Racing a few years ago. They've changed the compound now, guess you'll have to see miataforum for current reviews. Very good value.

CT wrote:

Hellmun wrote:If I started using the hawk blues full-time I'd seriously contemplate doing a pad/rotor swap when I got to the track.

I actually plan on using the Porterfield R4-RACE when I finish my last set of DS3000's. On the goodwin site they specifically mention they are less destructive to rotors.... at $195 a pop I'd like my DBA4000's to last as long as they can.

They are, but they don't bite as hard as the Blues either. I had been using the porterfields in the rear of the turbo but have recently gone back to the Blues when I upgraded the fronts to AP racing calipers.

CT have you ever ran DS3000's to compare their bite to the blues? Just curious if I'll be disapointed if I try the porterfields (especially seeing as they cost about $50 more than the hawks). If I do go the blues next I guess I might look at resurfacing the DBA4000's and putting them in at the track.

I could also try out those Carbotech XP12's...on the SCCA forums the US guys seem to love them. They're about as much as the R4-RACE pads.

mossy wrote:Defintley don't want to wear out rotors that quickly, I'll go for some hawk hp+ on the front and see how they go at winton.

I use HP+ on my supercharged car and raced it with them before the blue car was finished. I reckon they aren't too far off the blues in stopping power anyhow.

The Hawk HP+ definitely had more bite than the DS2500's when I put them in. Difference was the DS2500's could last a 3 lap session without fade which the hawks couldn't. My car does appear to be a front pad destroyer though

Yep, DS3000 were very disappointing to me. At PI, they wouldn't pull the car up braking at the 120m mark for Honda corner whereas with Hawk HTC60s, it would stop from around the 105m mark.

My list as far as bite goes...

Hawk Blues
Hawk DTC60
Hawk HT10
Porterfield R4 Race
Ferodo DS3000
Ferodo DS2500

Now is order of how I rate them as pads

Hawk DTC60
Hawk Blues
Porterfield R4 Race
Hawk HT10
Hawk DS3000
Hawk DS2500

Only the DS2500 is worthy for dual duty. I got over 40000klms from two sets of DS2500 on our road car. They are great pads.

Hellmun wrote:

CT wrote:

Hellmun wrote:If I started using the hawk blues full-time I'd seriously contemplate doing a pad/rotor swap when I got to the track.

I actually plan on using the Porterfield R4-RACE when I finish my last set of DS3000's. On the goodwin site they specifically mention they are less destructive to rotors.... at $195 a pop I'd like my DBA4000's to last as long as they can.

They are, but they don't bite as hard as the Blues either. I had been using the porterfields in the rear of the turbo but have recently gone back to the Blues when I upgraded the fronts to AP racing calipers.

CT have you ever ran DS3000's to compare their bite to the blues? Just curious if I'll be disapointed if I try the porterfields (especially seeing as they cost about $50 more than the hawks). If I do go the blues next I guess I might look at resurfacing the DBA4000's and putting them in at the track.

I could also try out those Carbotech XP12's...on the SCCA forums the US guys seem to love them. They're about as much as the R4-RACE pads.