Hawk hps5.0 pads for the non-pp mk7 gti

So, as it seems everyone wants do update the non-pp brakes (lots of threads on the topic), I was in the same boat. I don't track, I just wanted a bit more initial bite and temp resistance for the windy and hilly roads. To be perfectly honest, I picked up an Atlas in June and the brakes have noticeably better initial bite than my gti. My wife actually drove my car and asked me if there was something wrong, because the pedal travel before the car slows is a good deal more. I replaced the fluid with super blue (I had some left) and it was the same. On to pads...

Picked these bad boys up from ecs this week. Fitted today. Non-pp gti and golf are the same p/n. Just the rotors are bigger on the gti, I guess. Pads are apparently the same.

ECS has always treated me well. Here's the link: https://www.ecstuning.com/b-hawk-parts/hps-50-front-brake-pad-set/hb788b.745~hk/

Initial impressions are good pedal feel. Slightly more grabby initial bite. I only had time to take it around the block a few times with some 40-50 to 0 runs to bed them. Once I bed them completely, i'll add more notes on feel. Fitment was perfect. Pads are the same size as stock, but add the center groove, as you can see in the pics.

Brake pads shown have about 12k on them. They are the stockers I got with the car, new.

I reused the rotors, they had meat on them, but a little rust in the vanes. No noticeable ruts or abnormal wear. The car is garage kept 100% of the time.

Didn't need the wear sensor canceller. No sensors on the stock pads.

thanks for the review. These pads had good reviews on the BMW forum and BMW stock pads are awesome though a little dusty.

Since you reused your rotors, did you sand them or prep in any way? Any noise with the new pads?

no prep, so far. no sanding as they were pretty smooth.

Only a few miles, but no noise yet. We'll see after the weekend.

I picked these because the reviews have been stellar on other platforms. I ran regular hps on my mk5 and was really happy with them.

2 day edit... Did the hawk recommended break in. Some stops from 40ish and some from 50ish. Lots of cooling inbetween.

Brakes are a little bit more touchy, initially. Not overwhelmingly so. A little more, that's it. Don't get your hopes too high for night and day,. The feeling is there, but you have to be sensitive to it.

Threshold for abs... So this was a bit of a surprise. Driving down a backroad, with nobody around, I was able to get a bit of a chirp on braking I never had before, with a bit less pressure. It does bring you a little closer to the edge of lockup. Rarely got there before in those conditions (non-emergency braking).

Now, my tires are stock Hankook Ventus s1 Noble 2, but regardless, I did not have this behavior (about to lock up) before, under moderate braking. Not even panic braking, just a firm press at 50-60mph. I could feel the breaking point pretty clearly, and was able to predict it. This was not the case with stock pads. I never got to that point. It took a good deal more effort to get them to lock up enough for a chirp.

Overall, I am super happy with the outcome. I'd do it again for the price.

It doesn't have the initial bite of a bigger brake, with the surprise, but it is fully manageable and much better than the stock pad setup.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a bit more feel. Don't expect it to scare you with tremendous initial bite, but get used to it and you'll be a better driver for it. It is much easier to modulate and control. This is really the result we want.

thumbs up from me.

Nice! Thanks for writing a review I'm one of those looking for a slight upgrade

A few more days, but not a ton of miles. Still seem to be missing a good deal of the contact area, yet they still do feel better than stock. A little.

There is pad above the rotor area that rusted, it just seems to not be making contact, yet.

I'd guess i'm missing contact on roughly 20-25% of the rotor.

If it gets 20-25% more grabby, as they bed completely, i'll be more pleased. At the moment, it's a bit better, but not all that much better feel than stock.



I'll be driving normally until we get full contact, then i'll report back on feel.

Haven't looked on the inner side, but all 4 pads are identical, so I predict the same wear.

What did you do with the rear brakes?

Hope the updated 5.0 pads are better than the old HPS. Those things used to eat through rotors like a madman.

pokeyjoe said:

What did you do with the rear brakes?

Click to expand...

Rears are still stock, just wanted a little bit more grabbiness.

No real reason to change out the rears, and I wasn't able to find upgrade pads anyway.

CDM MK7 said:

Hope the updated 5.0 pads are better than the old HPS. Those things used to eat through rotors like a madman.

Click to expand...

Mine weren't bad at all on my mk5. I replaced with Zimmerman rotors at the same time though, so that might have impacted it. I put 50k or so on them with no issues. Rotors looked decent when I traded it in.

Got a few more days on them. Assignment, this week, had me driving 20 or so miles each way to work.

The rusty area has decreased by about half, but is still there a bit, towards the hub (pics later on). Bite has increased a good deal more and the pedal now feels more responsive.

I'm really glad they are falling into the category I expected.

At this point, I can highly recommend them.

I'm getting zero squeal or noise at all. Dusting is yet to be determined, but I could care less. My atlas dusts when I look at it. It's a byproduct of good responsiveness.

I predict, as the last little circle of rust disappears, these brakes will become what I wanted. A touchier, more easy to modulate system. For the street, not the track. I might get a little more fade resistance at high speeds on the highway, but overall, just more quick responsiveness and controllability.

So far so good

9 month update (July 2018):

I am now starting to get some brake squeal on hard braking at speed. Sometimes coming to a stop after getting off the highway. Nothing when the car is cold, which is nice, but these pads seem to squeal a bit after they are heated up some. I'm moving to performance pack brakes now as these pads just didn't do enough for me.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43683