whomikedao

I've had a couple of track days stock and decided to start modding and went with the famous HP Plus pads. I already knew they were going to squeal and that's not the problem, it's the opposite.
I've always read threads that they don't get any quieter. Mine started out squealing then after two weeks of driving and an HPDE event, they don't really squeal, or because I can't hear well? Is that a concern? What's the reason they squeal in the first place? Does it matter if my rotors were resurfaced?

ZDan

I've had them quiet down after being used hard at track events. And I have had them continue to make noise. I wouldn't worry if they don't squeal, just be glad. When they do make noise it's incredibly loud and annoying on the street.

billios996

ditto

GravyRobber

They will quiet down after some track use. They will get loud again with normal driving...just a reminder that it's time to get back to the track

arctic_blue83

I installed a set of HP Plus pads on my AP2 not too long ago and haven't noticed any squeal to speak of. For the record, I re-used the OEM shims, sprayed the back of the pads with disc brake quiet/anti-squeal and used a bit of brake grease on them shims themselves. To anyone having a problem with squeal, that's what I would recommend doing.

The brake dust on the other hand...

B serious

Don't resurface rotors. Buy new ones.

HP+ rely on a transfer layer to work. When you bed them in or track them, they have their precious transfer layer. So they'll be quiet and wear slower and produce less dust.

Once the transfer layer is scrubbed off from using them cold (street use), they will squeal again. This will take some mileage. If you track them often....they will always have a transfer layer and will never squeak.

HP+ aren't track or street pads, FWIW. They're autocross pads. But...I'm sure they will work on track for someone who is starting out.

DefSport

I've used HP+ on the rear of a few cars and they were always quiet. DTC-30s on the other hand... holy crap they're loud on my S13 in the rear (on 300ZX rear 2 piston calipers). Once they get up to temp on track, they give out a very loud squeal in proportion to the pedal pressure. It's loud enough that all the corner workers snap their heads over to my car in the braking zones because it almost sounds like squealing tires... if not louder.

As far as HP+ on front of an S2000, I probably wouldn't do it. The pads are good up until you over temp them, then they smear pad material on the rotors. You'll likely do that on the front.

DTC-30s might last up front for a dual duty car, but I wouldn't bet on them being quiet based on my experience. DTC-60s have always been quiet for me, but they're definitely "very soft" those first few stops on cold rotors. Not something I'd recommend for mostly street driving. But they'll take everything you can dish out on track.

RedCelica

Im with B...buy new rotors and never have them turned. They're really cheap, so why reduce their structural integrity?

As far as brake pad noise is concerned, it's always best to properly bed them. A track day will do this

DefSport

overheating pads on track before bedding them is horrible advice. They will smear material and judder, even high temp pads like DTC-60s.

Do 5-7 hard stops (80% braking)!from 70-30 mph fairly close together. Drive around without hitting the brakes if you can for the next 8-10 mins. Let things cool. Brakes are bedded.

arctic_blue83

I would like to retract my previous statement about the lack of squeal when running HP+ pads on the street.

I previously gave the Hawk HP+ pads too much credit in the "streetable" department. They weren't that bad before I put them through a track day at High Plains Raceway. Immediately after bedding them in, they weren't bad at all; I didn't hardly hear a sound. After driving around for a while, they started to squeak more and more when coming to a complete stop in traffic. It wasn't what I would refer to as "terrible", but it was noticeable vs the OEM pads. After a few lapping sessions at HPR, these things got LOUD! We're talking full blown dumpster truck noises at almost every stop light.

They also dusted like crazy; but they're an aggressive "street pad", so that was to be expected.

Someone above me mentioned that these pads are not a "street" pad, or a "track" pad and I would agree with that assessment. They're definitely more of an autoX compound. Great initial bite, with relatively strong stopping power without putting too much heat into them. But on my local track (HPR), there was noticeable pad fade after 1-2 laps on every session, with a continual drop in performance lap after lap. They were not confidence inspiring to say the least. For reference, I was running stainless steel braided lines and freshly bled high temp fluid; the pedal never went soft (i.e. fluid wasn't the problem), stopping power just continually went down.

I think I would keep pads like this limited to autoX events. They're a bit too loud and dusty for my tastes on the street; not to mention the dirty looks and comments I got from the wife whenever she rode shotgun and coming to a stop sounded like the death cries of a banshee! And on track, they leave a lot to be desired in regards to consistency and inspiring confidence.

I recently swapped back to my OEM pads and will likely pickup a Carbotech XP10/XP8 combo for future track days.