Whether you enjoy spirited driving or you’re an Autocross warrior, choosing the right brake pad is crucial for optimum performance and minimum maintenance.
EBC and Hawk Performance are two of the biggest names in automotive brake parts. Specializing in high performance braking, these two companies are often the primary choices of automotive enthusiasts. EBC makes brake pads, rotors and fluid for a variety of vehicles; cars, trucks, SUV’s, motorcycles, ATV’s, bicycles and carts. Based in the United Kingdom, EBC has been making brake equipment since 1978. EBC makes a variety of brake pads, from mild to wild.
- EBC Ultimax brake pads are a semi-metallic compound offering an improved coefficient of friction over your stock brake pads while maintaining a quiet, predictable brake feel.
- EBC Green Stuff brake pads are the entry level performance brake pad. Perfect for heavier rides or commuter vehicles that do double-duty autocross sessions. Good initial bite provides an excellent brake feel while keeping dust and noise to a minimum.
- EBC Red Stuff brake pads are a ceramic compound that offers a high coefficient of friction for excellent initial pad bite. A great pad for spirited drivers who enjoy late braking. Due to the ceramic compound, you can expect less dust from these brake pads than from the Green Stuff pads.
- EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads are not great for driving on the street, but perfect for heavy track use. The amount of friction this pad delivers is huge, upping your forward G’s by as much as .2 (that’s a lot!). You can expect lots of dust with this pad, so if you buy the Yellow Stuff, make sure to buy some wheel cleaner too.
- EBC Green Supreme brake pads were made for trucks and SUV’s that demand better stopping performance without an increase in noise or dust.
Hawk Performance is a division of Wellman Products Group, which also owns Power Slot. While Power Slot makes all the brake rotors, Hawk makes all the brake pads. Hawk is so good at making brakes that the Sports Car Club of America has chosen Hawk to be the official brake pad of the SCCA.
- Hawk HPS brake pads are the ideal street-performance replacement pad from Hawk. Great initial pad bite in a low-dust semi metallic compound makes the HPS a winner for weekend autocross warriors.
- Hawk Performance Ceramic brake pads offer higher levels of friction than your stock pads while retaining the stock wear, noise and dust characteristics. Ideal for spirited street drivers who prefer little to no maintenance over higher performance.
- Hawk HP Plus is the perfect autocross and track day pad. Engineered to withstand higher temperatures for longer periods of time, the HP Plus pads keep brake fade to a minimum and friction to the max.
- Hawk LTS brake pads are a performance pad for heavier vehicles. Perfect for trucks and SUV’s, these pads will give you great braking feel, low dust and superior fade resistance.
Resources: Hopefully this guide will help you make a better decision about your next set of performance pads. If you need even more information about auto parts and brake pads, check out these excellent resources of EBC brake pads and Hawk brake pads.