Brake Pads

At Powerbrake we stock over 20 different high-performance road and race pad compounds manufactured by five of the world’s leading brake pad manufacturers. This allows us to carefully tailor the friction material to best suite each one of the diverse range of Matched Brake Upgrade kits that we produce for street, off-road 4x4, track day and full-race applications.

As an independent manufacturer of discs (rotors) and calipers, we are not bound to a single pad manufacturer but rather have a company policy of testing as many friction materials as possible, in conjunction with our various disc designs and alloys. In fact the complex interaction between different schools of friction materials and the disc alloy / slot pattern has become a key area of specialization for Powerbrake.

Unlike many pad manufacturers that buy in a range of ‘performance discs’ resulting in an offering of a few pad compounds and a single disc design - we can select from a total range of over 40 different pad compounds from five different specialist pad manufacturers in the USA, Europe, Canada and Australia. This comprehensive range of Non Asbestos Organic, Semi-Metallic, Ceramic and Low-Met street pads as well as Ferro-Carbon, Ceramic and Dual-Carbon race pads allows us the freedom to fine-tune our trademark Matched Upgrade Kits to offer unbeatable performance and durability over a wide range of applications.

When we develop a Matched Upgrade Kit for a new vehicle platform, we factor in the performance and weight of the vehicle, typical intended use, characteristics of the OEM brake system components, feedback from vehicle owners and our own baseline testing of the OEM brakes on the vehicle. Next we select the appropriate Powerbrake disc design / alloy and narrow down the pad choice to a handful of pad compounds that we feel will be best suited to the target vehicle in question.

Finally we conduct on-car testing of the final disc / pad combinations using data-logging equipment that records braking distance, g-forces and brake torque curves (or brake characteristics) before settling on an optimum disc / pad combination for the kit. In cases where the vehicle may encounter both street and track day use by typical owners, we will often develop more than one Matched Upgrade Kit option for a single vehicle platform, hereby giving owners a choice of kits based on their intended use.

Rather than trying to select your own disc / pad combination, we highly recommend purchasing one of our Matched Upgrade Kits for proven performance and durability on your car, 4x4 or SUV. Having said that, we have provided brief descriptions (below) of some of the key pad compounds that we stock, for customers that are interested in reading about the particular characteristics of some of the different pad compounds that we stock.

Should you have a unique requirement, please feel free to contact us and we will quote you on a custom kit tailored to suite your individual needs. Examples of this would include:

- A customer who drives a custom car with expensive alloy wheels that would prefer a disc / pad combination that produces the absolute minimal amount of noise and dust as opposed to ultimate stopping performance and fade resistance.
- A 4x4 owner that is about to embark on a cross-continent off-road trip and needs a disc pad combination that will give the absolute highest mileage possible under harsh, muddy and sandy conditions in order to avoid having to carry heavy spare discs and pads.
- A company building armored cash-in-transit vehicles that require a disc / pad combination that will offer maximum stopping power and fade resistance at the high-temperatures associated with these heavy vehicles that do high mileage in heavy city traffic.

A one-off, tailored kit may not be available off the shelf for immediate delivery but we will be able to quote on cost and delivery lead time for custom kits at the time of each inquiry.

 

Brake Pad Selection Guide

 

The compound descriptions below are listed in alphabetic order.

 

To download any of the brochures mentioned below, please right-click its PDF link and select "save target as"

 

Bendix Heavy Duty – is a premium Semi-Metallic compound that is designed to offer strong performance, excellent durability and good fade resistance for hardworking vehicles that drive in heavy city traffic, carry heavy loads or tow regularly. This compound is ideal for any vehicle that experiences frequent braking under load. The pads feature an insulation layer between the friction material and the backing plate that reduces heat transfer to the caliper and brake fluid under heavy braking. Also featured is a unique titanium layer on the surface of the friction material that raises the friction level during the initial bed-in period for the first 50-100km’s (30-60 miles) after fitment and speeds up the bed-in process. Bendix Heavy Duty is a premium workhorse material that offers strong brake performance over a wide temperature range while often lasting up to twice as long as many original equipment or aftermarket pads.

Bendix Heavy Duty brochure... PDF»

 

 

 

 

Bendix Ultimate - is a high friction Low-Met pad compound that offers very strong brake performance over a wide temperature range, reduced stopping distances, excellent pedal feel and low noise levels for a fast-road pad. Ultimate has a very high friction co-efficient for a street pad and should be considered a true upgrade product. It is ideal for drivers of sports, performance and prestige vehicles as well as 4x4’s and SUV’s that are looking for maximum stopping power under spirited driving conditions. The pads are pre-conditioned during manufacture to ensure that minimal bedding-in is required. Ultimate has a strong initial bite and a slightly progressive torque curve. In other words, the brakes will bite fairly aggressively as you engage the brake pedal and then feel as if they are getting slightly stronger as you go deeper into a brake application. Ultimate is a superb fast-road compound and offers excellent value for money in terms of a brake upgrade. Pad life is good at disc temperatures of up to 550 deg C (1022 def F). Disc wear is moderate and a fair amount of brake dust will be experienced. Ultimate is designed for high-performance street use and while it can be used successfully for club-level events such as gymkhanas, skid pan sessions, auto-cross, time-trials and hill-climbs it is not recommended for closed circuit track-days. One of the best fast-road pad compounds on the market today.

Bendix Ultimate brochure... PDF»

 

 

Carbotech XP8 – is a Ceramic race compound produced by Carbotech Performance Brakes. Carbotech are a niche pad manufacturer that specializes in cutting-edge Ceramic fast-road and race pad compounds. There are two key characteristics that set Carbotech-Ceramic race pads aside from many other race materials on the market today. The first is that their Ceramic race compounds tend to offer class-leading modulation under extreme braking conditions. In other words, their pads offer a smooth engagement and are easier to modulate on the limit than many other race pad compounds, which can sometimes feel like an on/off switch in comparison. The second unique characteristic is that Carbotech race pads tend to be less abrasive to discs than many other race compounds. XP8 is Carbotech’s entry level race compound that has developed a strong, niche following around the world by drivers that drive hard on the road as well as taking part in club events and track days on the weekends. Carbotech XP8 is one of the few true race compounds on the world market that can be used on the road as well as at the track. This makes it rather unique offering. Used in this cross-over street / track day role, the pads will offer very strong braking from cold and will not be overly abrasive to brake discs at street operating temperatures (which is common with most race pads if used on the road). Users will experience a fair amount of brake squeal when using XP8 on the road. The level of squeal will differ from one brake system to another. The point is that Carbotech XP8 is a race compound that can also be used on the road and the squeal is a trade-off for this level of brake performance under road conditions. Optimum temperature range is 90 - 730 deg C (200 – 1350 deg F) and both pad and disc life is very good over a wide temperature range. XP8 is ideal for serious club-level enthusiasts that prioritize performance over quiet operation. XP8 is also a superb choice for light race cars and has been used very successfully in race applications such as: VW Challenge (B & C-Class) and Historics as well as open wheel formulas such as Formula Ford, Formula GTi and Lotus-7 style cars. Carbotech Ceramic race pads are expensive but many of our customers feel that their performance and other unique characteristics are well worth the money.

General Carbotech  brochure... PDF»

 

 

Carbotech XP10 – is the next step up from XP8 in Carbotech’s range of Ceramic race compounds. XP10 has a higher friction co-efficient than XP8 and a max operating temperature of almost 900 deg C (1650 deg F). The XP10 compound displays all of Carbotech’s trademark characteristics, namely: excellent on-the-limit modulation, low disc abrasion, non-corrosive brake dust and good pad life. Carbotech XP10 is an excellent pad choice for race cars weighing in the region of 900 – 1250 kg’s (1985 – 2755 lbs) and has been used very successfully in applications such as: VW Challenge (A & B-Class), Historics, Spec Miata (USA) etc. XP10 is also a good choice for advanced track day users. Although XP10 has been used in some extreme road car applications, it is not generally recommended for road use due to elevated noise levels.

General Carbotech  brochure... PDF»

 

 

Carbotech XP12 – is a top level Ceramic race pad compound with an optimum temperature range of 120 – 1000 deg C (250 – 1830 deg F). XP12 is recommended for use on race cars weighing in excess of 1100 kg’s (2425 lbs) or street cars weighing in excess of 1450 kg’s (3195 lbs) for advanced track day use only. The XP12 compound has a friction co-efficient that is considerably higher than Carbotech’s XP10 compound but exhibits the same flat, predictable torque curve and excellent modulation and release characteristics that all of the Carbotech XP-Series Ceramic race compounds are renowned for. Once again disc abrasion is low and pad life is very good under race conditions. XP12 has proven to be a very good choice for Production Car (Group N) style race applications. This compound is not recommended for road use at all.

General Carbotech  brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk HPS - is a Ferro-Carbon pad material that utilises ‘filming’ or material transfer technology. This process involves a layer of friction material being deposited on the disc surface by the pads. Brake characteristics are influenced by the continual transfer of material across the disc/pad interface. The result is a pad compound that is simply unmatched in terms of wear life while exhibiting very low disc wear and low levels of brake dust. During extensive testing under heavy duty conditions, we have seen Hawk HPS pads last more than three times longer than original equipment pads! HPS has smooth initial bite and a progressive friction characteristic. In other words, the brakes will feel as if they are getting stronger as you go deeper into a brake application. This progressive torque curve allows weight transfer to take place to the front wheels before the friction level builds to utilise the additional traction now available from the front tyres. The result is excellent modulation and reduced chance of premature wheel lockup under emergency braking. Hawk HPS has a medium friction co-efficient for a high-performance pad, meaning that fairly firm pedal pressures are required. HPS is the longest lasting high-performance street pad that Powerbrake has tested to date.

Hawk performance street brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk LTS - is a Ferro-Carbon pad material that uses similar technology to the HPS material described above. The LTS compound was developed specifically to meet the unique braking requirements of heavy 4x4’s, pick-ups and SUV’s. A very similar material to HPS, the LTS compound has slightly more initial bite and a medium friction co-efficient. Once again this material offers incredible pad life, while being very kind to discs and producing low levels of brake dust. Powerbrake has extensively tested this material in both wet and dry conditions both on and off-road including the hot, sandy desert conditions experienced in many parts of Southern Africa (i.e. Namibia, Botswana, Angola). The Hawk LTS compound requires a fairly firm pedal pressure but offers strong, extremely consistent friction levels over a wide heat range. LTS offers unmatched pad and disc life on heavy 4x4's and SUV's.

Hawk LTS brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk HP Plus – is a Ferro-Carbon compound that was developed by renowned race pad manufacturer, Hawk Performance, especially for Autocross / Solo II competition, which favors a pad compound that offers strong performance at low to medium temperatures, without the need for any warm-up. Autocross events are driving skill contests that test driver ability and the car's handling characteristics around a tight course that is designated by traffic cones in a safe location, such as a parking lot or skid pan. While speeds seldom exceed those normally encountered in legal highway driving, the combination of rapid acceleration, braking and tight cornering can test car and driver to the limit. In the USA Autocross / Solo II is a nationally sanctioned competition series featuring over 1200 events and over 10 000 drivers annually. With that background, Hawk HP Plus has a very high friction co-efficient from cold to disc temps of around 550 deg C (1022 deg F), after which the friction level falls off quite rapidly and fade will be experienced. This excellent responsiveness and very high friction level at low to medium temps have made HP Plus popular for other club-level events such as hill-climbs and entry-level track days as well. It should be noted that while HP Plus may work well for entry-level track day use on standard road cars, running street tyres, we do not recommend HP Plus for advanced track day enthusiasts, in highly-modified cars, running semi-slick tyres. Advanced track day use can easily produce disc (rotor) temperatures in excess of 550 deg C (1022 deg F) at which the HP Plus pads will fade substantially. Many enthusiasts around the world also use HP Plus for fast-road use on powerful or highly-modified cars. It should however be noted that some brake squeal will be experienced under road conditions with HP Plus pads, particularly under very light braking. Dust levels will also be high. HP Plus pads will last well if kept within their intended temperature range. This is one of the strongest pad compounds that can be used for road use, before moving into full-race compounds that are not suitable for street use at all.

Hawk performance street brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk Blue 9012 – is a club / regional level race pad that is ideal for light to medium weight cars. Initial bite is fairly strong and brake torque (stopping power) is medium-high. The material has an optimum temperature range of 120 - 550 deg C (250 – 1022 deg F) although brakes will remain fairly consistent to higher temperatures. An excellent multi-purpose race and rally compound, Hawk Blue has been around for some time now and has always been popular with grass-roots racers in the USA where it is the number one selling pad material for SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) racing. Regional or privateer teams that are racing on fast-road pad materials will experience substantial performance gains by switching to Hawk Blue 9012 race pads. This compound offers good value for money in a mid-level race compound. Hawk Blue pads last very well in medium temperature race applications but are quite abrasive to discs (rotors). For example: On a B-Class, VW Challenge car, a set of Hawk Blue pads will last almost a season at which point both the discs (rotors) and pads will need to be replaced due to disc wear. Used extensively in VW Challenge (B & C-Class), Historics, SilverCup and SuperHatch. Not for road use.

Hawk race brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk HT10 - is a Ferro-Carbon race compound with a higher friction co-efficient and maximum operating temperature than Hawk Blue 9012. Hawk HT10 has a particularly flat torque curve, meaning that the brake torque does not increase or decrease much during a brake application. This characteristic has earned the material a loyal following for front use on light to medium weight race cars as well as making it particularly suitable for rear use on heavier, more powerful race cars. Optimum temperature range is 150 - 870 deg C (300 – 1600 deg F). Hawk HT10 has been used very successfully in front applications on A-Class VW Challenge cars and in rear applications on A-Class Production Cars and touring cars. HT10 is less abrasive to discs (rotors) than Hawk Blue 9012 under race conditions. Not for road use.

Hawk race brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk DTC30 – is a member of Hawk’s new line of Dynamic Torque Control race compounds. Originally designed for use in circle track racing, DTC30’s unique blend of characteristics make it a very versatile material for a wide variety of enthusiast and light race applications. This compound has an optimal temperature range of 40 – 650 deg C (100 – 1200 deg F) and a fairly flat torque curve. It is also very kind to discs (rotors) if kept within its optimum temp range. The fact that this compound starts working at fairly low temperatures for a race pad makes it ideally suited to club-level enthusiasts who take part in gymkhanas, hill-climbs, auto-cross events and track days. Powerbrake is conducting extensive testing of this new material in our own big brake kits in applications ranging from extreme street use on very powerful cars through to closed circuit track day use. We are also testing this compound for use on light race cars such as VW Challenge cars, where we feel that DTC30 may offer an ideal blend of performance, temperature range and value, combined with low disc wear. Keep and eye on this versatile material in future as we feel it may find its way into numerous niche applications. While DTC30 is currently available in a limited range of pad profiles, we are working closely with Hawk to investigate this compound’s potential in a wide variety of applications.

Hawk race brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk DTC60 – A step up from DTC30 in Hawk’s Dynamic Torque Control line, DTC60 is a top-level race compound with a temperature range of 200 – 870 deg C (395 – 1600 deg F). Pad life is excellent with the DTC60 compound and the material has a very flat torque curve. DTC60 can be used successfully in both front and rear applications and Powerbrake has had good very results from this material being run both front and rear on Ferrari 360 Challenge race cars. Although this compound has a lower average friction co-efficient than Hawk’s DTC70 compound, we found that the initial ‘bite’ felt more aggressive with DTC60 when compared to DTC70. We do not recommend the use of DTC60 pads at temperatures below 200 deg C (395 deg F) due to increased disc (rotor) wear at these low temperatures. Rotor wear is low if the pads are kept within their optimum temperature range. Not for road use.

Hawk race brochure... PDF»

 

 

Hawk DTC70 – is currently Hawk’s flagship race compound with an average friction co-efficient among the highest currently available and an optimum temperature range of 200 - 870 deg C (395 – 1600 deg F). The compound has smooth initial bite and a progressive torque curve, meaning that the friction level rises gently as you go deeper into a single brake application. Powerbrake is of the opinion that these characteristics are ideal for front use in road racing applications. The smooth initial bite allows the driver to leave braking late before coming onto the brakes aggressively, with reduced risk of premature wheel lockup. Once weight transfer has taken place to the front wheels in the first moments of the brake event (resulting in increased traction from the front tyres) the friction level builds gradually to make optimal use of the increased grip available. One of our race customers described the characteristics of the DTC70 compound well by saying “These pads simply bleed off speed at an astonishing rate, with no dramatics, wheel lock-ups or tyre-smoke”. For front-engine road race applications such as Production Car racing - we recommend the use of DTC70 up front combined with a rear pad compound that has a slightly lower friction co-efficient and a flat torque curve. For mid-engine road race applications such as a Ferrari 360 Challenge car – DTC70 can be used successfully both front and rear. The smooth initial bite and progressive nature of these pads make them a sensible choice for off-road racing as well, where the smooth bite limits premature wheel lockup on slippery or loose gravel surfaces hereby providing the driver with increased control. The DTC70 material is very kind to discs (rotors) when kept within its recommended temperature range and the pads last very well under race conditions. Not for road use.

Hawk race brochure... PDF»

 

 

Mintex Red – is in fact not a single friction compound but rather a range of four different premium street compounds. Mintex decide on a part number by part number basis which of the four compounds in the Mintex Red range best suites the target vehicle(s) and then spec that material for the part number in question. Powerbrake has extensively tested all of the compounds that make up the Mintex Red range and can describe the Mintex Red range as offering a 15% upgrade over most original equipment pads on average. In most cases the Mintex Red pads will also produce less brake dust than standard pads. Mintex Red pads conform to European ECE Reg 90 quality standards. Mintex Red is an excellent choice for vehicle owners looking for a premium quality replacement road pad that will offer a meaningful upgrade at a competitive price.

Mintex Red brochure... PDF»

TMD Group (Mintex’s parent company) super-car  brochure... PDF»

 

 

Satisfied Motorsports GranSport GS6 – is a Carbon-Ceramic high-performance road pad compound manufactured by the motorsport division of Satisfied Brakes, Canada. Satisfied produce a range of premium pad compounds for street and race use that set benchmarks in terms of product features, finish, quality and packaging. What sets GS6 aside from many other fast-road pads is that Satisfied has invested considerably in noise reduction features such as dual-layer stainless steel squeal damping shims, edge-chamfers and friction material slots, which are not commonly found on all performance pads. All of these noise suppressing features combined with their Ceramic based friction materials result in a pad compound that tends to run smoother, quieter and cleaner than many rival fast-road pads, while also exhibiting relatively low disc wear. GS6 has a medium friction level for a fast-road pad and a flat, predictable torque curve. Satisfied GS6 pads all feature NRS RaceGrid technology, which in layman’s terms is a backing plate that has hundreds of small metal hooks or claws that mechanically lock the friction material to the backing plate. The result is substantially improved shear strength and increased resistance to friction material de-lamination (friction material becoming separated from the backing plate) under heavy braking conditions. GS6 is premium quality offering and a good choice for customers looking for an upgrade street pad that will run clean, quiet and be kind to discs (rotors).

 

 

Satisfied Motorsports GranSport GS5 – is the top performer in Satisfied Motorsport’s Carbon-Ceramic, high-performance street line. GS5 is a step up from the GS6 compound described above in terms of performance and heat range. GS5 is a true fast-road pad compound in the league of Bendix Ultimate but with a slightly different characteristic. GS5 exhibits an almost perfectly flat torque curve, meaning that the compound remains extremely predictable over a wide range of ‘street-level’ brake temperatures, making for excellent modulation. By contrast, Bendix Ultimate has a slightly progressive torque curve and will feel as if it is getting a stronger throughout a single high-speed brake application. GS5 is comparatively kind to discs when compared to many high-performance street pads on the market today. This compound also produces less dust and noise than many competitive products. As is the case with Satisfied’s GS6 pads, their GS5 pads also feature numerous noise reduction features such as dual-layer stainless steel squeal damping shims, edge-chamfers and friction material slots as well as NRS RaceGrid technology (described above).