The best Hawk brake pads in this collection for most street-driven cars are the HPS and Performance Ceramic compounds, while drivers who use their car harder should look at HP Plus and the Blue 9012 listing. Start with position and fitment: listings here cover front and rear pads for the WRX, WRX STI, BRZ, and other Subaru models, plus pads for Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi Evo, 350Z, and G35 applications with OEM Brembo brakes.
Brake pads are the friction material your calipers clamp against the rotor, and compound choice is the whole decision: a street compound behaves very differently from an aggressive pad built for repeated hard stops. Match the compound to how the car is used, confirm front versus rear, and check your year and model, especially where a listing is written around OEM Brembo calipers. Browse the wider brakes and brake pads ranges to compare.
About the brands
Hawk Brakes is the brand throughout this collection, led by published listings such as the Performance Ceramic rear pads for 2008 and newer WRX and 2013 and newer BRZ and the HP Plus front pads for 2011-2014 WRX and 2013-2022 BRZ. Around those sit HPS front and rear pads for WRX STI, Evo, and OEM Brembo applications, an HP Plus rear listing, and a Blue 9012 front listing, so compound and position are the two filters to work through first.
EBC Brakes is the most common cross-shop for performance pads, with its own compound families for street and faster road use. Comparing EBC with Hawk helps if you are weighing dust, noise, and bite between two established pad ranges.
StopTech is known for brake systems as well as pads, including big brake kits for owners planning a larger upgrade. Shoppers who find a pad swap is not enough often look at StopTech for the next step.
Brembo is the name behind the OEM Brembo calipers several Hawk listings here are written for, and its own range covers calipers, rotors, and complete systems. If your WRX STI or Evo runs those calipers, confirm that first. For more background, read do I really need upgraded brake pads?
Frequently asked questions
Which Hawk compound suits a daily driver?
The HPS and Performance Ceramic listings are the street-oriented options in this collection. HP Plus and Blue 9012 are more aggressive compounds, so read the listing carefully and match the pad to your actual driving rather than choosing the most aggressive option by default.
Are front and rear pads interchangeable?
No. Listings here are position-specific — front and rear pads are different parts — and several split further by model and year. Confirm position, model, and year before ordering, and check your year and model if a listing covers a wide range.
My car has OEM Brembo brakes. Does that change anything?
Yes. Several HPS and Blue 9012 listings are written specifically for Subaru WRX STI, Mitsubishi Evo, 350Z, and G35 applications with OEM Brembo brakes. If your car does not have those calipers, use the listings written for your model instead.
Do I need new rotors with new pads?
Not automatically, but pads should be fitted to rotors within spec and not badly scored. Inspect the rotors when the pads come out, and bed the new pads in as directed.
