Hawk DTC-60 and FCP Euro Warranty

[mindspin311]

Seems a lot of us are currently discovering that FCP Euro will warranty replace a set of used pads. Specifically, they carry Hawk DTC-60 pads in E36M3 fitment.

Currently, I am a PFC08 user, but am curious about DTC-60s. What can the users of DTC-60s tell us PFC users about how the pads perform?

I have 3 days coming up at Road Atlanta over Labor Day weekend and need a fresh set of pads, so this is a perfect opportunity to try them out.



Curious about the return cost on the brakes. Not going to be cheap. So what's the break even point vs. buying cheap blanks from Rock Auto like I do now?

• Rock Auto - $103 shipped for cheap Centric blanks
• FCP - $200 shipped for Zimmerman (their cheapest offering) blanks

But, now consider what will it cost to ship the old rotors back for replacement. Call it $50 maybe? So I break even after the 3rd set, which for me is 3 years as I'm only doing 5-6 weekends per year.

[JBasham]

I liked the DTC-60s in my stock-brake 325i E36 just fine. But they wear out FAST. I got something like 30 HPDE sessions (25 minutes) out of the fronts. I'm back to PFC-08s now.

[mindspin311]

I liked the DTC-60s in my stock-brake 325i E36 just fine. But they wear out FAST. I got something like 30 HPDE sessions (25 minutes) out of the fronts. I'm back to PFC-08s now.

Wow, so like 3 weekends assuming 5 sessions each day? Crazy. So you've driven both, how do they compare?

[Crustashio]

Hawks don't last like PFCs, but they also don't cost as much either. I ran them on my E36 M3 for a few years and they are great pads. Good bite, get into the friction range quickly (usually 4-5 turns in) and tolerate a lot of heat. Still run them on a honda racecar but that car is 1000# lighter than my e36 is.

[cohny]

I have them, bought them from FCP actually, and they perform great. My E36 is essentially unmodified and with a full interior, myself, and an instructor in the car there is virtually no fade. Even at tracks like Watkins Glen I've had no issues at all.

That being said, I HATE THEM. I'm not sure if dust issues are a priority for you, but in all of my research I somehow managed to miss the fact that the dust these pads make is corrosive. The dust turns into some kind of concrete like substance that embeds itself into clear coats and does not come off. I have now completely ruined a square set of perfectly good DSIIs, and the dust makes it all the way down the side of the car and literally rusts on the paint. My alpine white car looked orange when I got caught in the rain at the track and I had to clay the car multiple times the day after. The effect this had on the condition of the paint is noticeable. I really value having a clean car, and these pads really f&%#ed me.

If you have a race car and you don't care about the condition of any of the finishes then don't sweat it, they are a great pad and they have excellent bite and fade resistance. For me though, as temping as it is to just get free pads forever, I will never ever buy them again.

[mindspin311]

I have them, bought them from FCP actually, and they perform great. My E36 is essentially unmodified and with a full interior, myself, and an instructor in the car there is virtually no fade. Even at tracks like Watkins Glen I've had no issues at all.

That being said, I HATE THEM. I'm not sure if dust issues are a priority for you, but in all of my research I somehow managed to miss the fact that the dust these pads make is corrosive. The dust turns into some kind of concrete like substance that embeds itself into clear coats and does not come off. I have now completely ruined a square set of perfectly good DSIIs, and the dust makes it all the way down the side of the car and literally rusts on the paint. My alpine white car looked orange when I got caught in the rain at the track and I had to clay the car multiple times the day after. The effect this had on the condition of the paint is noticeable. I really value having a clean car, and these pads really f&%#ed me.

If you have a race car and you don't care about the condition of any of the finishes then don't sweat it, they are a great pad and they have excellent bite and fade resistance. For me though, as temping as it is to just get free pads forever, I will never ever buy them again.

My car is definitely not a looker (peeling clear coat, etc.), but I do have a brand new set of Apex wheels that I would like to keep in good condition.

Is this a situation where washing after the event will take care of things. Or is it too late even then?

[cohny]

My car is definitely not a looker (peeling clear coat, etc.), but I do have a brand new set of Apex wheels that I would like to keep in good condition.

Is this a situation where washing after the event will take care of things. Or is it too late even then?

I looked into it a lot after the first day out and by then it was too late. Some say if you wax the paint/wheels heavily beforehand and clean everything off immediately after each run you'll be ok.

The real problem comes from water. If you wind up at the track and it's raining, there's nothing you can do. This is what happened to me. The Hawk DTC pads are ferro-carbon pads. The iron particles coming off the pads are white hot and water causes them to oxidize to the surface of whatever they come in contact with almost immediately. They can be clayed off the side of the car, but the wheels are so coated in the dust that it's beyond what the clay is capable of.

[mindspin311]

Wow....

[ScotcH]

We've tried the DTC-70 .... they were a good performing pad, but about 1/2 the life of PFC. Not worth it at all. Went back to PFC, and never looked back.

[Dubbedown]

I looked into it a lot after the first day out and by then it was too late. Some say if you wax the paint/wheels heavily beforehand and clean everything off immediately after each run you'll be ok.

The real problem comes from water. If you wind up at the track and it's raining, there's nothing you can do. This is what happened to me. The Hawk DTC pads are ferro-carbon pads. The iron particles coming off the pads are white hot and water causes them to oxidize to the surface of whatever they come in contact with almost immediately. They can be clayed off the side of the car, but the wheels are so coated in the dust that it's beyond what the clay is capable of.

Same exact thing happened to me with hawk pads at Watkins on a rainy October weekend. Finish on my oe wheels were basically ruined. Even with favorable contingencies I don't bother running them.

[19Spec3]

I was hoping FCP might carry the DTC-60's for non-M 325's as those are the spec pads for NASA Spec3 -- no such luck:



Good afternoon Sean,


Thank you for contacting FCP Euro.


Unfortunately we do not plan on expanding our offering of DTC-60 pads at this time, sorry to disappoint there. Our current focus is mainly on street-driven vehicles and their OE-spec replacement parts, though we do foray into performance parts here and there.


Please feel free to reach out to me should you have any further questions, I'm always happy to help. We look forward in doing business with you.


Best regards,
Bob

[mindspin311]

The toxic dust thing is really turning me off. Might be sticking with 08s. Unfortunate..

[MemphisRob]

The toxic dust thing is really turning me off. Might be sticking with 08s. Unfortunate..

I use the Hawk HP Plus and have a set of DS1's that need to get sandblasted due to the same corrosive nature of the brake dust. I have plastidipped my current wheels so I won't need to worry about it. My car is a total beater so not a big deal... but if I had some nice wheels I would definitely be inclined to find a less caustic compound.

[TXBDan]

I like the modulation and the wear of the PFC08s i'm currently running, but i keep overheating them. It seems to be a fairly unique situation though as its not commonly reported. I'm not running any ducting and running a 3340lb total weight, though. I'm switching back to DTC-60s as I never had any issues with them except wear. If FCPEuro wants to keep giving me new pads, then perfect.

I've never noticed any issues with dust. I do clay bar the car once a year to get the little rusty flakes out, but it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. My wheels are fine and clean up well. Most are 5 years old doing nothing but track days.

[Dubbedown]

I like the modulation and the wear of the PFC08s i'm currently running, but i keep overheating them. It seems to be a fairly unique situation though as its not commonly reported. I'm not running any ducting and running a 3340lb total weight, though. I'm switching back to DTC-60s as I never had any issues with them except wear. If FCPEuro wants to keep giving me new pads, then perfect.

I've never noticed any issues with dust. I do clay bar the car once a year to get the little rusty flakes out, but it doesn't seem like a big deal to me. My wheels are fine and clean up well. Most are 5 years old doing nothing but track days.

If you don't daily the car maybe take the backing plates off. Every little bit helps though I think you should consider ducting at some point.

[DocWyte]

Maybe I'm dense, but why would FCP warranty a set of pads and rotors for wear?

[jayjaya29]

Maybe I'm dense, but why would FCP warranty a set of pads and rotors for wear?

They have a lifetime warranty on everything they sell, including wear items. Even oil and oil filters.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/page/lifetime-guarantee

[DocWyte]

That's insane. So how do you package up your worn out oil to send it back for a warranty replacement? LOL!

[mindspin311]

That's insane. So how do you package up your worn out oil to send it back for a warranty replacement? LOL!

They have instructions somewhere on their website.

[jayjaya29]

You put the used oil in the bottles you received the new oil in. Put the filter in a plastic zip loc bag. Box it up and send it back.

[Def]

FWIW, I haven't found that the pad dust on the DTC-60s are all that corrosive, it's actually the iron coming off your rotors mostly. They're pretty rotor abrasive when cold and below their temp range, so on a wet track it's easy for them to drop out of range and you're just chewing your rotors up and putting all that fine iron dust on your wheels and car.

When they're in the temp range, they are much less rotor abrasive, and the dust doesn't seem very bad. I've gone through probably 15 sets of DTC-60s that are much thicker than OEM pads, and this has been consistent.

[mindspin311]

Placed my order. Here goes nothing..

[mindspin311]

Did 3 days at Road Atlanta last weekend, about 2hrs of track time each day. Needless to say, these pads wear out REAL fast. Maybe I got a subpar set? Maybe I am going faster than I think? Maybe I'm doing it wrong?


Was able to pull the pads off and measure the thickness this evening.

Fronts - 13.7mm pad thickness new, 6.1mm current thickness, 45% pad material remaining

Rears - 10.6mm pad thickness new, 6.8mm current thickness, 65% pad material remaining


I was at Road Atlanta for 3 days, did on average about 2hrs of track time each day. I am set for another 2 days at VIR at the end of the month. No way Im trusting them to last that long. So I will figure out the replacement procedure this week.

[ScotcH]

Did 3 days at Road Atlanta last weekend, about 2hrs of track time each day. Needless to say, these pads wear out REAL fast. Maybe I got a subpar set? Maybe I am going faster than I think? Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Read what I posted earlier ... Hawk pads life sucks. Period. Get PFC08 and don't look back.

[Inflame]

I've had DTC-70's for ~3 years now, same pads. 2700# 375whp E36 w/ 911 calipers, r-comps... Compete in time attack and I do lapping days quite often. I'll be running the DTC-70's for the life of my car. I probably have over 100 20min sessions on these.