Rep Power: 0

I went ahead and installed my hawk hps front pads today.
I followed the beading procedure outline here:
http://www.hawkperformance.com/motorsports/faqs.php#Q5

The first time I pulled over to check the brakes they were smoking. The second time I pulled over to check on the brakes there were on fire!

Is that bad?

 
Rep Power: 388

Oh no ****? A little smoking isnt abnormal. But fire... man, thats not good.

 
Rep Power: 336

damn yo! be easy on your brakes! i find that on my car after alot of hard braking they are hot i think it may just be the system on our cars

 
Rep Power: 305

composite pads shouldnt flame....
1st of all u shouldnt have pulled over to check them, like the procedures say dont stop.. but if they were smoking i'd stop too....

you are supposed to follow this procedure..
HAWK

After installing new pads make 6 to 10 stops from approximately 35 mph with moderate pressure. Make an additional two to three hard stops from approximately 40 to 45 mph. Do not allow the vehicle to come to a complete stop.When completed with this process, park the vehicle and allow the brakes to cool completely before driving on them again. Do not engage the parking brake until after this cooling process is compete.

also, what rotors do u have? and are u talking about your front or rear pads... u have a rear disk conversion right?

 
Rep Power: 0

Yea i only installed on the fronts. I'm using the oem rotors.

After the car started flaming, in about 30 seconds after getting out and trying to blow them out, I jumped back in and started driving. We fired if enough air got to them it would keep the flames out. I got home 1/2 a mile after, brakes no longer on fire and parked the car for 30 mins and let the brakes cool. Drove on them after seemed fine, no leaks nothing.

But is that ok for the pads?

 
Rep Power: 0

fire from the brakes sound really scary. you might wanna check to make sure that the fire didnt burn up anything

 
Rep Power: 812

ya how are your rims and surrounding areas. maybe something wasnt installed properly?

 
Rep Power: 302

if they where installed properly and that happened i would call the company

 
Rep Power: 0

That sounds scary ..
I didn't use the break in procedure for the pads cause i never knew about it before .. but mine's are fine .. just squeeky sometimes.

 
Rep Power: 305

yea i used the procedure, with no squeaks... but hey if they cooled, and u havent had n e probs since then... then alls well that ends well. imo

 
Rep Power: 0

I've had these for about a year now and the only thing I noticed was that they bite hard, have good pedal feel and start to squeek like a cop car when they get nice and warm.

 
Rep Power: 265

did you apply anti-squeak grease to the back of the pads ?

 
Rep Power: 262

sounds like you didn't break them in properly... i have the same pads and no problems whatsoever.

 
Rep Power: 260

did you leave any grease on the face/side of the pad?

There has to be something that caught on fire that isnt the brake pad, its just unusual

 
Rep Power: 0

No the brake pads caught fire. Talked to hawk today, and they say its probably the greases and oils used in the manufacturing processing. The pads themselves can handle the heat.

I've been driving the car for almost 2 weeks now and everything is fine. The only possibility is that I glazed the pads, but that can be fixed by just lightly sanding them.

 
Rep Power: 0

If you installed new rotors at the same time, pad bedding should be done after rotor seasoning. Rotor seasoning should be done with normal driving... Easy braking and slow cool down. The relieves stresses in the metal. Pad bedding can be done at any time. In fact, a really aggressive pad gets re-bedded everytime they get hot as VERY aggressive pads wipe off the old bedded material on the rotor when they get cold. Many will keep track pads on for the drive home after an event so that the pad material is wiped off of the rotor. This makes it easier to rebed the lower temp pads.


As far as pad bedding goes, you WILL get smoke and you WILL get fade. However, when you start getting smoke and fade, you should continue on a cool down before you finish the bedding process. Stopping will allow the brakes to continue cooking, especially between the pad and the rotor.

 
Rep Power: 255

My Hawks Stop on a dime. I followed the break in process.

 
Rep Power: 0

I've had my Hawk HPS' for about 3 months. I followed the break-in procedure and mine work fine. I have never had any problems with them and I love them.

 
Rep Power: 288

Ha ha ha, they caught on fire? That's crazy. That made me laugh, not like because it sucked, but because I just imagined you trying to blow them out and whatnot. crazy stuff. We've all heard of flaming exhaust tips, how bout flaming brake pads!

I want hawks.

 
Rep Power: 0

How's this for a brake fire?... This is one of my buddies at a SHO convention.

 
Rep Power: 0

Ok, I just Installed my Hawk HPS pads on my Brembo Cross drilled rotors. I got the rear shoes replaced too and the brake fluid flushed and refilled. Theres a definite change which no one can avoid feeling. But over all Im not impressed by the Brembo Cross Drilled rotrs. Like how people claim that there car stops on a dime and blah blah blah ?My car has good brakes now but there not as powerfull as a new stock car :-S I dont see anything else wrong with the brake issue other than those rotors.

 
Rep Power: 0

Ive used the hawk/slotted rotors on 2 vehicles. My truck and the civic, thats the only set up i will use. Once you get them bedded in and everything working well and set up properly, and something gets in your way, you will not look back. Theres nothing like a good brake set up, I love hawks. I will use this set up on my 04 accord coupe as well.

 
Rep Power: 0

That's because cross drilled rotors are for looks. Surface area has been taken away. If you look at any type of professional race car, you'll find blank rotors or slotted both of which would be 2-piece rotors.

A quality blank with a good pad will do wonders.