Hawk HP Plus on Track: Which Cars It Works On, and When It Fades
HP Plus is the pad a lot of drivers buy for their first track day, and the one most often blamed when the pedal goes long in the third session. Both reputations are earned. Hawk built it for autocross, and on a light car driven with some restraint it will get through an HPDE weekend. On a heavy or powerful car it runs out of temperature range within a few laps. Its most useful track job today is a quieter one: the rear axle of a light car, behind a stronger front pad.
This article is part of our guide to Hawk pads for track cars. It covers Hawk's claims, owner reports car by car, and where HP Plus fades. The full HP Plus range is here.
What Hawk says
Hawk describes HP Plus as a low-to-mid temperature compound with fade resistance and smooth, predictable torque, and calls it "ideal for autocross". The product page does not pitch it as a track pad.
| Compound | Operating | Optimal | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| HPS (street) | 100–700°F | 100–500°F | Street pad, one step below |
| HP Plus | 100–800°F | 300–600°F | Autocross, first days in a light car, rear pad |
| DTC-30 | 100–1200°F | 100–800°F | Works cold, with far more heat headroom |
| HT-10 | 300–1300°F | 500–1100°F | The next step toward a race pad |
| DTC-60 | 400–1600°F | 700–1100°F | The default track pad |
The number that matters is 600°F. That is where HP Plus leaves its optimal range, still short of where DTC-60 starts working properly. One Grassroots Motorsports poster puts the HP Plus fall-off "around 800F", the top of Hawk's own operating range. A light car on street tires may not push its front rotors much past that in a short session. A heavy car on 200-treadwear tires can get there in a few laps, which is what heavy-car owners report below. Bedding follows Hawk's usual progressive-stop procedure, though Hawk notes HP Plus does not need to reach full track temperature to bed.
What owners actually use it for
Everything in this section is owner and forum report, not Hawk's position. Hawk does not publish any of the front/rear pairings below.
Autocross and first days in a light car
On North American Motoring, a MINI R56 regular summed it up: "For autoX, it's usually Hawk HP Plus or Porterfield R4-S. For track, either Hawk Blues/Blacks or Performance Friction." Another R56 owner found the HPS street pad "over heated by the second session" and said "HP+ are ok". A nearly stock NA Miata on HP Plus at VIR and Summit Point was fine, by its owner's account on Grassroots Motorsports, though "dusty as hell". A 350Z Brembo owner on my350z called them "fade-proof, even after 10-12 laps around two different tracks", and on the C5 Corvette HP Plus is the common affordable first-day pick.
The S2000 is where the verdict splits. On s2ki, owners said HP Plus "may be sufficient" for a first HPDE depending on the track and the weather, while others reported "rapid fade" and "a sudden loss of stopping power".
The rear axle
This is the use that has lasted. FR-S and BRZ owners on ft86club run DTC-60 front with HP Plus rear on street tires, and a second-generation GR86 owner on gr86.org ran the same split. A GT350 owner on mustang6g said DTC-60 front with HP Plus rear works "for my skill level". On the S197 Mustang, the older starter setup on s197forum was HT-10 front with HP Plus rear. The logic is the same each time: a light rear-drive car does not need much rear brake, and a full race pad at the back can push the bias too far rearward. HP Plus lets the rear share the work without overpowering the front.
Where it gives up
- BMW F8x M2 / M3 / M4. On f80.bimmerpost, HP Plus faded after "3-4 hard laps around a 2 mile track", and another owner pulled them after a high-speed vibration. A retailer posting there said they "aren't full track pads".
- Nissan 370Z, Sport brakes. A regular on the370z: "Hawk HP+, will last about 4 20 minute sessions on a brake intensive circuit", and "I successfully used the hp+ on the 350z and the C6, but the 370 brakes just get too hot for them." Another owner on HP Plus fronts wore "all the pads down to the backing plates in the first 20 minute session".
- Porsche 991 GT3. On Rennlist: HP Plus "has high initial bite, but also melts under real track use".
- Subaru WRX. On Grassroots Motorsports, one owner said HP Plus can "do double duty", but most called it an "undersized pad on a heavy car" that will "blow unless you have a really lightweight car".
- Power as well as weight. On miataturbo: "Hawk HP+ w/ 225 RS3s… on a ~200whp NA was NOT enough." On an E36 M3, one owner saw fade after about eight laps — though in the same thread a 3,600 lb all-wheel-drive car ran five days without fade.
Nobody publishes a weight cutoff. A light car, a modest pace and short sessions keep HP Plus inside its range; weight, power, sticky tires and a brake-heavy circuit each push it out.
Which cars run it
Community practice, with the HP Plus shapes we list for each car. Where owners say HP Plus is the wrong pad, the last column points to what they move to.
| Car | How it's run | Our pads |
|---|---|---|
| Miata NA / NB | Autocross and first days; later a rear pad behind DTC-60. Turbo cars: DTC-60 HB149G | Front HB149N (NA 1.6: HB148N) · Rear HB159N |
| FR-S / BRZ (2013–20) | DTC-60 front, HP Plus rear on street tires | Rear HB671N · DTC-60 front HB711G. Same shapes fit the GR86 and 2022+ BRZ |
| S2000 | Mixed for first HPDEs; fades as it wears | Owners move to DTC-60 front HB361G, HT-10 rear HB145S |
| MINI Cooper S R56 | Autocross staple; "ok" on track in older reports | Rear HB574N |
| Nissan 350Z (Brembo) | First days; one owner called it fade-proof | Front HB545N · Rear HB180N |
| Nissan 370Z (Sport brakes) | Too little: about four sessions | Owners move to DTC-60 front HB601G |
| Corvette C5 / C6 | Affordable first-day pad | Base/Z51: HB247N · HB248N Z06/GS: HB531N · HB532N |
| Mustang S197 GT | Rear pad behind an HT-10 front (older setup) | Rear HB485N |
| Mustang S550 | Rear pad behind DTC-60 for some; rotor-wear complaints | Non-PP rear HB773N |
| WRX / WRX STI | Mostly called undersized (little STI data) | STI: DTC-60 front HB453G. WRX TR / STI 2018–21: DTC-60 front HB616G |
| BMW F8x M2 / M3 / M4 | Fades after 3–4 hard laps — skip it | Owners move to DTC-60 — see our DTC-60 guide |
| Porsche 991 GT3 | "Melts" on track — skip it | Owners move to DTC-60 or DTC-70 |
Pairings
The rule from our hub applies here more than anywhere: never put the more aggressive pad at the back. HP Plus is a mild pad, so it belongs behind something stronger, or matched.
- DTC-60 front, HP Plus rear — the common split on light rear-drive cars on street tires. DTC-30 is the other usual rear choice.
- HT-10 front, HP Plus rear — the older S197 starter setup; our HT-10 article covers where that went.
- HP Plus both ends — fine for autocross and first days on a light car. An S2000 owner on s2ki running it front and rear said the car "always locked fronts first with no ABS", which is the safe way round.
- Never HP Plus front with a race pad at the rear. On Vorshlag's C5 Corvette, HP Plus fronts were "overpowered by the racier" Hawk DTC rears, and "not even the C5's ABS could keep up": rear lock-up and axle tramp. When an FR-S owner asked about HP Plus front with DTC-30 rear, ft86club said the same: stronger pad up front.
Some Miata autocrossers deliberately run HP Plus at the rear with a milder pad up front to help the car rotate. That is a parking-lot trick. On a road course, keep the stronger pad at the front.
Where it falls short
- It fades more as it wears. s2ki owners warned that HP Plus will "fade badly below about half" its thickness. Replace it earlier than a race pad, and carry a spare set.
- Noise and dust. An ft86club regular called it "loud, dusty and abrasive like a track pad without the real performance of a track pad". WRX owners found it "really loud on the street" with corrosive dust.
- Rotor wear. "HP+ pads chewed my rotors up faster than necessary" on an S550 PP1 (mustang6g). A 370Z owner running it all round said the pads would "tear up/warp the rotors pretty fast".
- Carbon-ceramic rotors. Hawk says none of its compounds, HP Plus included, are compatible with them.
HP Plus pads ready to ship
These were in stock when we wrote this and fit cars covered above.
 HP Plus Rear — Miata NA / NB (HB159N.492) $155.69 Shop on Enzuca → |
 HP Plus Front — Miata NA 1.6 (HB148N.560) $158.39 Shop on Enzuca → |
 HP Plus Front — Corvette C6 Z06 / GS (HB531N.570) $304.19 Shop on Enzuca → |
 HP Plus Rear — Corvette C6 Z06 / GS (HB532N.570) $215.09 Shop on Enzuca → |
The Bottom Line
HP Plus is an autocross pad that can do track days on a light car, and a good rear pad behind a DTC-60 front. It is not a front pad for a heavy or powerful car on track. On an F8x M car, a 370Z, a GT3 or a WRX, owners report fade within a session or two, so start on DTC-60 instead. Wherever you run it, watch the thickness: below about half, it gets worse quickly.
Not sure your car is light enough? Tell us the car, the tires and the track, and we will tell you honestly whether HP Plus will hold up. Or browse the HP Plus collection and the full Hawk range.