Hawk HP+ vs PowerStop Track Day Pads: Which Is Best for Track Days?

The search for the best brake pads for track day usually ends in a two-brand tie at shops like ours: Hawk HP+ on one shelf, PowerStop Track Day (and Track Day SPEC) on the other. Both are sold as street-to-track compounds. Both will out-brake a tired OE ceramic pad on a hot HPDE weekend. They are not the same friction material, and Hawk publishes temperature windows PowerStop does not.

This comparison uses Hawk's official compound pages for HP+, HPS, HPS 5.0 and DTC-60, and PowerStop's published descriptions of Track Day and Track Day SPEC pads. No invented friction coefficients, no fake temperature charts for PowerStop, and no shipping or stock claims—just enough to pick a box for your tires and run group.

What Street-Track Brake Pads Are For

A street-track pad has to do two jobs that fight each other. On Monday it needs to bite from low temperature on the drive to work without eating rotors alive. On Saturday it needs enough mid-temperature friction to survive repeated stops from highway speeds on a road course.

That is a different assignment from a full race compound such as Hawk DTC-60, which Hawk places in a much higher optimal window. It is also different from a pure street pad such as Hawk HPS, which is built for spirited road driving and rotor friendliness.

If you only autocross a few times a year and never do HPDE, a quality street pad may be enough. If you are boiling fluid or smelling OE pads by lap five, you are already in street-track territory—and you still need fluid that can take the heat. Pair any of these pads with a proper flush; start with our brake fluid for track days guide.

Hawk HP+: Ferro-Carbon with Published Temperature Windows

Hawk lists HP+ under its motorsports compounds and describes it as ideal for autocross. On the compound page Hawk publishes:

• Optimal temperature range: 300–600°F
• Operating temperatures: 100–800°F
• Fade resistant, smooth and predictable torque, low-to-mid temperature focus

Hawk's motorsports overview adds that HP+ uses a Ferro-Carbon friction material developed for sport driving, with lower wear rates and higher torque values than competitive materials in Hawk's framing. Hawk also states that all of its compounds are designed for iron/metal rotors and are not compatible with carbon-ceramic rotors.

That published window is why HP+ shows up in "hawk hp plus vs" searches next to HPS 5.0 and DTC-60. It is meant to wake up hotter than a street pad without jumping straight into a high-temp race compound.

PowerStop Track Day and Track Day SPEC

PowerStop splits its track pad story into two compounds:

• Track Day: carbon-fiber/metallic formulation. PowerStop recommends it for beginning track-day enthusiasts, HPDE and weekend track days. PowerStop highlights fade resistance, low thermal conductivity and consistent pedal feel, and notes it is the official brake supplier of Radford Racing School (formerly Bondurant).
• Track Day SPEC: aggressive metallic compound for advanced track-day drivers, Spec racing series and R-compound tire cars, with the same fade-resistance messaging.

PowerStop Track Day and Track Day SPEC kits pair those pads with Autospecialty OE-style blank rotors. PowerStop does not publish an operating temperature range in °F for either pad on the materials we cite—our Track Day vs SPEC post already calls that out. When you compare Hawk vs PowerStop on temperature, you are comparing a published Hawk chart to a use-case recommendation from PowerStop, not two identical data sheets.

Side-by-Side: Hawk HP+ vs PowerStop Track Day vs SPEC

Where HPS, HPS 5.0 and DTC-30/60 Sit Next to HP+

Autocomplete for "hawk hp plus vs" almost always includes HPS 5.0 and DTC-60. Here is how Hawk's own numbers stack:

• HPS: optimal 100–500°F, operating 100–700°F — spirited street, rotor-friendly.
• HPS 5.0: optimal 100–550°F, operating 100–750°F — more aggressive street torque and high deceleration rates per Hawk.
• HP+: optimal 300–600°F, operating 100–800°F — autocross / track-day oriented.
• DTC-30: optimal 100–800°F, operating 100–1200°F — medium torque race compound with good cold effectiveness per Hawk.
• DTC-60: optimal 700–1100°F, operating 400–1600°F — high torque race compound, less initial bite than DTC-70.

If your "hawk vs powerstop" question is really "am I still in street-track or already in race pads?", compare your tire and session length to those windows. A 200-treadwear time-trial car that cooks HP+ late in the day is telling you to look at Track Day SPEC or DTC-60—not another soft street pad.

For TRP shoppers, the practical stack looks like this. Hawk HPS or HPS 5.0 covers street cars that only see the occasional autocross. Hawk HP+ and PowerStop Track Day cover the bulk of HPDE grid sheets we see on street tires. PowerStop Track Day SPEC and Hawk DTC-30/DTC-60 cover the cars that already carry aero, sticky tires or a habit of cooking milder pads by lunch.

We stock vehicle-specific Hawk and PowerStop part numbers rather than a single universal SKU. Start from the brand pages, confirm the FMSI shape for your caliper, and match axle compounds deliberately—Hawk even notes DTC-60 as a common rear when DTC-70 is up front on high-deceleration cars. You do not have to copy a pro split on an HPDE Miata, but you should not mix a race front with a frozen-cold street rear without thinking through brake bias.

Matching Pads to Tires, Fluid and Rotors

Pads do not work alone.

1. Tires: stock all-seasons rarely need DTC-60. 200TW and R-compounds can overheat a mild street-track pad.
2. Fluid: step up in dry boiling point when you step up in pad. Motul RBF 600/660 territory is the usual HPDE answer—details in the brake fluid guide.
3. Rotors: Hawk requires iron/metal rotors. PowerStop Track Day kits specify blank Autospecialty rotors. For drilled vs slotted choices, see drilled vs slotted rotors for track days.
4. Tech: pad thickness still matters at HPDE inspection—see the HPDE tech checklist.

If you are coming from OE ceramics, expect more dust and odor from any of these track compounds on the drive home. That is normal for street-track friction, not a defect. What is not normal is a long pedal— that is fluid or a mechanical issue, not "pad character."

Which Pad to Buy for Your Run Group

Common Questions

Is Hawk HP+ good for track days?

Hawk positions HP+ for autocross and publishes a 300–600°F optimal window with 100–800°F operating temperatures— squarely in street-track / club track-day territory. Many HPDE drivers use HP+ successfully on street tires. If you are on sticky tires or long sessions, plan a step up before you learn the hard way mid-session.

Hawk HP+ vs PowerStop Track Day: which is better?

They answer slightly different briefings. Hawk gives you published temperature ranges and Ferro-Carbon marketing; PowerStop gives you an HPDE/weekend kit strategy with carbon-fiber/metallic Track Day pads and blank Autospecialty rotors. Pick HP+ if you want Hawk's chart and autocross-oriented compound. Pick Track Day if you want PowerStop's track-day kit ecosystem. Pedal feel is personal—fitment availability for your car matters as much as the brochure.

Do I need DTC-60 for HPDE?

Not for a first HPDE on street tires. Hawk's DTC-60 optimal window starts at 700°F—much hotter than HP+. Move to DTC-60 when a street-track pad is fading despite good fluid and ducts, or when your tire grip demands a race compound.

Can I street-drive Hawk HP+ every day?

Hawk's operating range starts at 100°F and the compound is sold into sport-driving / autocross use, so street use is common. Expect different noise and dust manners than a touring ceramic. If the car is a pure daily that almost never sees an open parking lot or track, HPS or HPS 5.0 may be the calmer Hawk street choice.

Hawk HP+ vs HPS 5.0: what's the difference?

HPS 5.0 is a street compound (optimal 100–550°F, operating 100–750°F) aimed at aggressive street deceleration. HP+ shifts the optimal window up to 300–600°F and sits in Hawk's motorsports compound list as an autocross-oriented pad. For track days, HP+ is the closer match; for street aggression without track ambitions, HPS 5.0 is the Hawk street step.

What brake fluid should I run with these pads?

Flush a high-temperature DOT 4 racing fluid before your first event on any of these pads. Motul RBF 600 is the usual HPDE starting point; step to RBF 660 if you boil 600. Details and boiling-point tables are in our brake fluid for track days post.