Akebono Euro Ceramics

Akebono Euro Ceramic Pads

Overview

The Akebono Euro Ceramics are an OEM type replacement ceramic pad.  They promise less dusting and no noise when compared with regular replacement pads.

Driving Impressions

The Euro Ceramics are very progressive feeling brake pads.  Pedal pressure translates well into brake force.  In other words, I know how much pressure to apply and how much braking I’ll be getting in return.  The Hawk HPS pads I had before were annoying in this aspect.  They were not linear, grabbing slowly at first and then all of a sudden too much.  The Euro Ceramics on the other hand are pretty progressive and have better cold bite than the HPS pads.  Stopping power is good, just  a tad less than the HPS.  If the HPS pads were a 10, the Euro Ceramics are an 8.  Still great but the HPS pads haul you down impressively.  Still good for a briskly driven daily driver.  The brake pedal feels better, slightly firmer than the HPS pads.

Noise is nonexistent.  I have yet to hear these pads squeal or make any noise.  Noise was the main reason I got rid of the HPS pads.  One of the sets developed a squeal that refused to go away.  Anti squeal goops, greases, or adhesives all failed.  I tried reseating them, regreasing the pins, sanding down a new surface; nothing worked.  The Akebono pads have turned out great in this department.  The Akebono pads also have much less noticeable dust.  They still release dust, but it is a much lighter color, practically invisible from a distance.  Up close, it is a light almost yellowish dust, hard to see on silver wheels but maybe a problem on darker colors.

Overall

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Akebono Euro Ceramic pads as an alternative to the OEM pads.  They have good, if not great stopping power, are rather clean dusting and have little to no noise.  While they don’t have the pure stopping force of the HPS pads, I like the pedal feel much better.  The Akebono’s are much more progressive and provide an even keel response from a cold stop to warm up.  This gives me much more confidence while braking as compared with the slightly better friction properties of the HPS pads.  I purchased these pads from Amazon.com, part number EUR1107 for the front, and EUR1348 for the rears.  It’ll cost you about 120-130 dollars for the set.

Hawk HPS Brake Pads – Review

Overview

Hawk HPS pads are commonly recommended as a decent OEM + upgrade to the stock pads.  They offer more stopping power with less dust than the original pads.  I have just finished a run of about 2 years on my set.  I don’t track my car or do any motorsports.  All my driving is on the streets and occasional runs through the canyons.  All I need from a pad is smooth, consistent performance that can stand up to an above average day once in awhile.

Performance

HPS pads fit the bill quite well.  Stopping power is excellent and they perform well in panic stops. I never noticed any fade during the time that I spent with these pads.  A little heat actually improves the stopping power.  Cold stopping power is a little less than stock but increases after the first stop.  The dust buildup is a little less than stock and easily removable with hand washing.  Pedal feel is a little better than stock, not a major difference but enough to notice.

A few complaints

I initially loved these pads.  Excellent stopping ability.  Then you start to notice that these pads lack a lot of the initial bite of the OEM pads.  They don’t really grab for the first bit of travel in the pedal and then they start to bite.  It makes the pedal feel very non-linear and made me uncomfortable in stop and go traffic.  You constantly have to modulate the brake pedal.  Once the pads are warmed a little, the pedal feel becomes more consistent but still not as good as stock. You end up over-braking because of the lack of bite and then backing off as the brakes start grabbing.  Just a little annoying in stop and go traffic.

One of the sets also developed a squeal about halfway into its life.  The squeal only occurred if the brakes were cold.  A few stops would make the noise disappear but a few minutes of cooling set them off again.  I tried re-seating them, applying anti-squeal, changing rotors and re-lubricating the caliper points but nothing worked.  It may have just been this set, I don’t know.  It finally drove me mad so I bought a different set of pads.

Overall

The HPS pads are actually really nice pads for a performance street driving application.  They will take some abuse and play nice with your rotors.  As I’ve mentioned a few times, stopping ability is really excellent.  The lack of initial bite though, is noticeable.  I wouldn’t ditch them just based on that reason, just know the difference in the HPS formulation’s feel.  If you can deal with the modulation/initial bite issue, these are great pads.  If not, then you should look elsewhere.  What ultimately made me change them out was the noise I experienced.  Pad on rotor noise is fine but squealing is unacceptable for a street pad.  I’m currently testing out a set of Akebono Euro Ceramics. Brake power is a lot more progressive and is so far noiseless.  They are not fully broken in yet so I cannot comment about the power difference but the HPS pads seem to be slightly better in that department.

Overall, the HPS is a good pad.  It has great stopping ability but poor initial bite.  The noise may or may not have been a fluke.

Brake Check

Since I’m on a maintenance streak, I might as well write about the brakes as well.  Undoubtedly you’ve wondered about what type of awesome brake pads you should get once yours wear down.  If you haven’t well, you should.  Upgraded car parts are too awesome to ignore.

The stock GTI pads have decent stopping and low dust.  They do the job well enough.  But the response they give you is pretty vague.  Enter my recommendation.  If you’re looking for a mild upgrade from the stock pads, give the Hawk HPS pads a try.  Prices are not too bad for a set of front and rear brakes.  They are quiet and have decent dusting.  They add a little linearity to the braking process as well.  The stock pads are rather vague when it comes to communicating how much braking you’re actually doing.

If you don’t mind a little noise and occasional squealing, the Hawk HP+ pads are supposed to offer vastly superior braking performance, but with the aforementioned drawbacks.  I haven’t personally tried them, this is from the vast knowledge base of the interwebs.

A side note about the rear brakes.  The MKV has either a stronger rear brake bias, or the rear oem pads just plain wear out faster.  They wear at twice the rate of the fronts.  Unfortunately the rear pads don’t have any sensor warnings (unlike the fronts) so you’ll have to pull them to check whether they are worn down.  They usually squeal when they’re worn but sometimes the damage to the rotor is already done.