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Few people could argue that brake pads are one of the most important parts on your vehicle if not the most important part. Brake pads are what cause your vehicle to stop quickly and efficiently when you apply the brakes. Finding a quality brake pad that will give you reliability and performance is essential to the overall care of your vehicle. There are many brake pads to choose from and we have researched quite a few available on the market. The one we were most impressed with and chose to feature in our review is the Hawk Performance HB608Y.630 LTS Brake Pad. Designed by Hawk Performance, Hawk brake pads are a leader in stopping performance.
A leader in friction products for over 25 years, Hawk Performance is a well-known brand on the street and on the track. They believe in quality and design that offers assurance that their brakes will do their job, no matter the circumstances. Produced, designed, and engineered in the United States, Hawk brake pads are, according to their website: “Race proven, street legal.” They offer Hawk brake pads for over 30,000 vehicles.
Comparison Table
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Hawk Performance HB608Y.630 LTS Brake Pad
The Hawk Performance HB608Y.630 LTS is made for light trucks and SUV’s. It has excellent pad and rotor life with excellent heat dissipation. It has Hawk Performance’s Ferro-carbon formulation that has superior stopping power without the dust and noise. These Hawk brake pads offer 20-40% more stopping power than stock replacement pads and work well in light-duty trucks, all classes of SUVs and vans up to 1 ton. They “bite hard” whether cold or hot.
Product Specs
The HB608Y.630 Hawk brake pads have a strong initial bite whether the rotor is hot or cold. Made for a wider range of both import and domestic vehicles, these pads offer Hawk Performance in stopping power and fade resistance. In addition, they outlast the competition in rotor and pad wear. They have a 100-700 degree optimal temperature range and operating temperature. Hawk also offers a “how to” page on their website to help with the proper installation of their brake pads.
How Others Compare to Hawk Brake Pads
We picked a few similar products available on the market to see how they compare to Hawk brake pads. We have listed our choices and the results of our research below.
Hawk Performance HB608Y.630 LTS Brake Pad
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Ease of Use
Though there were some mixed reviews on which vehicles these brake pads fit, we found very little to dispute how well they work once installed. They have excellent heat dissipation which means less wear and tear on the pads and on the rotors. With Hawk Performance’s Ferro-carbon friction material, they have low dust output and are quiet.
Assembly Time
For assembly and installation time, most users seem to agree that these Hawk brake pads are quick and easy to put on their vehicles.
Design Quality
Designed to perform, the Hawk brake pads are impressive. When you add in Hawke Performance’s experience on the track, along with their aerospace and military technology.
Warranty
Hawk Brake Pads have a limited lifetime warranty on all materials and workmanship of their products. This does not include normal wear and tear of the pads, but we liked their willingness to stand by their workmanship.
Pros
- Strong initial bite, hot or cold
- Ferro-carbon friction technology
- Low torque
- Great fade resistance
- Low dust output
- Hawk Performance aerospace technology
- Better heat dissipation
Cons
- Cost more than other brands
- Mixed reviews on squeak
ACDelco 17D1522CH Professional Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad
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AC Delco 17D1522CH Professional Ceramic brake pads are designed to resist corrosion and premature wear. The durable ceramic uses less metal which results in less dust and noise. They come ready to install right out of the box and require no curing before installation. Friction material is molded to the backing plate for bond integrity and there is noticeably less vibration when applying the brakes.
Ease of Use
Overall, users agreed that these brake pads perform as intended when installed and give no issues.
Assembly Time
With their straight-out-of-the-box installation and no curing required.
Design Quality
We liked the way this pad is integrally molded and has premium shims, slots, and chambers that diminish noise, vibration, and braking harshness. We also liked the stamped backing plate that offers reduced noise and brake pulsation.
Warranty
AC Delco also stands behind their brake pads with a limited lifetime warranty that covers their materials and workmanship.
Pros
- AC Delco Quality
- Ceramic
- Less dust output
- Vibration reduction
- Affordable
- Integrally molded design
Cons
- Mixed reviews about squeaks
Bosch BC905 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Rear Disc Brake Pad
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The Bosch BC905 features an advanced aerospace alloy used in patented copper free ceramic. It has Bosch’s best OE-style rubber core multilayer that ensures quiet operation. QuietCast comes with the hardware and lubricant to do a complete job every time. It has a protective transfer layer that extends pad and rotor life.
Ease of Use
These brake pads deliver once installed, and we found many reviews that agreed that it was an upgrade from factory brake pads.
Assembly Time
These brake pads come with the hardware needed to install them as well as a tube of lubricant. However, we found that only one pad has the wear indicator tab so you have to be careful which pad goes on the backside of the rotor.
Design Quality
With Bosch’s dedicated engineering to platform specific premium materials and many reviews that agreed that this pad performs and is quiet.
Warranty
The warranty information for Bosch brake pads is dependent upon individual cases and a customer service number is given on the website to discuss your particular case. We were disappointed that they did not at least cover their materials and craftsmanship with a limited warranty. We felt they should at least do that much, no matter the situation.
Pros
- Compliant with copper-free legislation
- Good reviews on quiet performance
- Includes hardware and lubricant
- OE style rubber core
Cons
- Only one pad comes with wear indicator
- Warranty information uncertain
- One indicator tab instead of two
Wagner ThermoQuiet QC1304 Ceramic Disc Pad
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The Wagner ThermoQuiet features Wagner OE21 low copper technology which offers less noise and better performance. They boast 35% less noise and 15% better performance than stock brake pads.
Ease of Use
We could find very few complaints for these pads, most users seem to agree that they deliver good stopping power and noise reduction but they took about a week to break in and stop squeaking.
Assembly Time
These Wagner pads have all the hardware needed to install but you must purchase the needed lubricant separately. There is no instruction manual, so care will need to be taken when installing and you have to make sure your rear calipers are removed. Also, make sure the pads are installed correctly as it can cause the guides to bend and rub the rotors if not careful.
Design Quality
While the low copper technology sets benchmarks for Wagner, we were less than impressed with the advancements in the technology compared to other brands. These brake pads are good quality and they are a step-up from the stock brake pads, but fell somewhat short in their design quality.
Warranty
Wagner stands by their product with a limited lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Less brake dust production
- Noise reduction
- Easy install if experienced
- Good quality
- Better than stock
Cons
- No instruction manual
- Takes a week to break in
Conclusion
Hawk is a name that is well-known for performance, durability, and reliability on and off the racetrack. Hawk brake pads are no exception. Hawk Performance, the producers of Hawk brake pads, have an extensive R&D Department that uses aerospace and military technology to create their products. They also draw heavily upon their experience on the racetrack to bring brake pads that give better stopping power, cleaner and quieter performance, and durability.
It was this combination of technology and experience that drew us in and made us take a closer look at the Hawk brake pads and to feature them in our product review. Overall, these brake pads are nicer than other brake pads we reviewed and we like the combination of increased stopping power without the added heat to the rotors thanks to their advanced heat dissipation.
Squeak or no squeak? There seemed to be as many people claiming the brakes squeak as there were claiming they don’t squeak. While some of these mixed reviews may be due to different experience levels of the installers.
So, for our final verdict: Hawk brake pads are the pads we prefer. Even the higher price was justifiable when we considered the assurance and confidence you receive along with the purchase of the pads. It is said that “you get what you pay for” and we believe this applies to these brake pads.
