IW STi Forum banner

Hawk HPS 5.0 pads decision

1K views 12 replies 6 participants last post by  Jay11STI 
#1 ·
Hello friends,

I have a 2012 sti sedan and looking to replace my brake pads and rotors. I've decided to going with DBA rotors and Hawk HPS 5.0 pads.

There are 2 versions of of Hawk 5.0 pads that fit on the car, not sure if there's much a difference but would like to know which would be the better one to choose:

Part# HB432B.661 appears to be a smaller pad and covers 2008-2012 WRX STi

The other Part# HB453B.585 fits appears to be a bit larger pad and covers 2004-2014 WRX STi

Don't know if there's any other difference? or which one i should go with.

Appreciate your help
 
#3 ·
I get 180 and 453. They are rear and front. I do not get 452 listed for those years.

But I'm not a Hawk fan - even though they are on my 05. Running em didn't help that feeling.. They do work . . .
 
  • Like
Reactions: neowylde
#4 ·
@neowylde You want to go w/ the 180/453. Same pads/brake design for model years 04-14. Why they split the coding into different chassis years is unknown.

You seem decided on the setup, have you run Hawks before? I will echo mheyman; they work but am also not a fan. They produce a ton of brake dust and are especially noisy. Brake response is dull.

Unless your budget is tight or you're only doing A-B road driving and the occassional spirited weekend road driving, skip the hawks.

If you've got the coin, I just went with Endless MX-72+ on my 05 per shop recommendation and am -extremely- impressed with them. Good luck!
 
#5 ·
Thanks for your recommendation @MikeO I've never had Hawks before , just been reading from other threads , and STi owners that they've been good.

I use the car for street driving and some spirited driving and not for any racing. Never heard of Endless before but if they have better pads for A-B driving road driving than the Hawks I'll consider, just need to find where I can get them I Canada :) What do you think of DBA rotors? What do you recommend for regular road / spirited driving setup?

Thanks for your help!!
 
#7 · (Edited)
Not a problem. At the end of the day, regardless of driving style/needs; brakes are a very essential component of any car. If cost is not of top priority, having better brakes is never going to hurt.

At the end of the day, for typical road use, Hawks are a fine pad for the price point at ~$250/set. The Endless pads are double the price of those Hawks, but they'll stop your car when they're cold/warm/hot/wet/dry/etc without any issue. And next to zero brake dust compared to the hawks; on top of being a better performing pad.

I have not had project mu's, but I have a few friends who have tracked with their brakes/pads and stand by them. So definitely also worth looking into per @ChefPhil 's rec.


DBA rotors are great, I have the 4000 series on my rears currently. If you're not tracking the car, I think you would be happy with the street series. They will certainly be an improvement over the stock rotors.

Personally though, for the initial amount you're paying for the streets, I would spend a little bit more to do a full upgrade to the 4000 series. They will probably be another $100 over the street series for all four, but a more substantial upgrade over stock. Or you do the 4000's up front and streets on the rear. Either way, they'll definitely be much sharper than the stock rotors.
 
#8 ·
+1 for Project Mu B-force pads and DBA rotors. This is my second time around with this combo since I liked it so much. I've driven this set up daily, and spirited driving, mountain roads, country back roads, and even the legendary Tail of the Dragon. These brakes have served me well.

 
#9 ·
+1 for Project Mu B-force pads and DBA rotors. This is my second time around with this combo since I liked it so much. I've driven this set up daily, and spirited driving, mountain roads, country back roads, and even the legendary Tail of the Dragon. These brakes have served me well.

Thanks @Jay11STI for your recommendation, I'm trying to find Project Mu's in Canada. What are the part #'s for the front and rears? are they PBF906 and PBR906?
 
#10 ·
Only issue w that is finding Project Mu parts . . .but I would be running them still if they had been available for either of my STIs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: neowylde
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top