Wilwood Billet Dynalite Caliper Brake Pad Review

INFORMATION Product Reviews
1

I picked up a couple of sets of brake pads to try out. Wilwood Polymatrix T Compound and HAWK Black Compound pads. In the past I used Wilwood Polymatrix D. I also picked up a new set of rotors.

The Wilwood T pads are quieter than the D pads, but they still make a high pitch squeel/groan at low speed engagement. The initial bite is not as good as the D, but with some more pedal effort, it stops the car fine. It dusts less than the D and much more so than the HAWK, but I’ll get to those later. These pads remided me of what driving my X’s Accord was like. Rating: 3/5

Wilwood D pads were what came with the kit. I like the pads and don’t really care about the noise or dust. Initial bite was good on the first set of D pads that I had, but with the second set, I was not as good though better than the T pads. I think Wilwood changed the material composition. I was not happy with the second set at all. 3.5/5

HAWK’s Black compound is the best pad I’ve used so far. Initial bite below 30MPH is poor to say the least, but above that speed, very little pedal input is required to get the car to STOP! they are quieter than the D and make a metalic grinding noise rather than a squeel like the T and D. I absolutly love these pads and regret having to take them out for daily driving. 4/5

The next pad I want to try is the Ferrodo for track and HAWK HP+ for daily driving.

2

Good info! :up:

I’ll have to check out those Hawks next. BTW, where do you get those long ass cotter pins? I’m sure you’ve been through a few of them.

3

Part # 180-0056 From your local wilwood dealer. Or you can upgrade to a long bolt
Schu

4

I managed to break both of mine so I need to get some new ones pronto.

5

Lets go bolt shopping later… Gimme a call duyouyou

6

Wilco, I’m just aboot to leave. When are you done?

7

you can stop by here, I’ll wait for ya. Theres an osh around the corner,if not we can go to my house and pick up my old wilwoods and take them to osh, ace or home depot
Peace
out bro

8

We just need some long 1/8" bolts.

9

Originally posted by JDMDA9
I’ll have to check out those Hawks next.

OK Dudes, UPDATE time.

My HAWK Black compound race pads chewed through my brand new rotors in two weeks of normal driving. No kidding, I had to ordered a set of replacement rotors after just 1200 miles. The pads themselves are worn to about 25% remaining.

Also, my driveway is covered in orange dust that is most likely the rusting remains of my rotors and pads. My black wheels are now orange, even after simple green and lots of scrubbing. My paint has a rough oxidized layer on it that didn’t come off with waxing.

Bottom line: Race pads are for race cars.

10

what are the prices on these again?

how much track time/days do you think that would mean?

what do stock pads rate on your scale? how about aem or ultimates?

what kind of rotors? i wonder if at this level just getting cheap consumable autozones would be worthwhile…

11

Originally posted by SE-37K
[B]OK Dudes, UPDATE time.

My HAWK Black compound race pads chewed through my brand new rotors in two weeks of normal driving. No kidding, I had to ordered a set of replacement rotors after just 1200 miles. The pads themselves are worn to about 25% remaining.

Also, my driveway is covered in orange dust that is most likely the rusting remains of my rotors and pads. My black wheels are now orange, even after simple green and lots of scrubbing. My paint has a rough oxidized layer on it that didn’t come off with waxing.

Bottom line: Race pads are for race cars. [/B]

Now I know which Hawks not to use! I sure hope you’re able to save your paint and Volks after that fiasco. I can’t even imagine a pad with such damaging side effects. Did they stop good? What kind of rotor are you going to use next? Solid, perhaps…

I’m still very satisfied with my T’s. They don’t seem to be wearing as fast as the D’s either, considering the abuse they went through at Willow and in the mountains of AZ.

XDEep: I know the Hawk HP Street Pads are less than $40. Most Wilwood Pads are $45-55. I’m sure the bastard Hawks weren’t that cheap.

The less aggressive pads (T’s, HP’s) will probably handle anything you throw at them. However, they probably aren’t as effective in a race situation as the bastard Hawks or Wilwood C’s/B’s/A’s. I didn’t have a problem with my T’s or D’s on the track or at an autocross. Both were very easy to live with on the street, just a bit noisy and dusty.

Trying to compare any stock pad to the Wilwoods is almost impossible. The Wilwoods are a whole new level of braking. The pads are much higher quality than stock, too, as is the entire brake kit.

For my driving style, which is mostly street driving with occasional beatings at a track or in the mountains, this is how I’d rate my brake set ups.

Wilwood T’s: 8/10
Wilwood D’s: 6/10
Stock brakes w/ AEM pads: 3/10
Stock brakes w/Autozone $11 pads: -5/10

12

JDMDA9,

I installed a new set of #WIL160-0277 solid rotors when I installed the HAWK Black race pads. I ordered another set of the same. They are solid faced with straight vanes.

XDEep,

There is no way to really compare the Wilwood caliper/rotor setup against the OEM stuff. It’s an entire shift in braking performance.

13

This orange rust spot is from the Hawk Black compound race pads. When I washed my car, some of the brake dust collected in the asphalt and then oxidized. There’s no getting this shit out.

I should take a picture of my two front wheels and front suspension. It’s about as orange as this stain.

This picture was taken about three weeks after I removed the pads. We’ve had wind, rain, washed our cars, and scrubbed.

14

Update

The T compound pads are still on the car and they still suck. Maybe not as bad as I first wrote, but then again, its been a long time since I drove on a good compound.

Next pad change, I’ll be getting the E compound.

Oh, and that stain is still on the driveway.

15

I am again running the original Ds after my caliper rebuild. I agree, they are much better than the Ts in terms of stopping power, but they are horribly loud and dust like no other.

I’m thinking of trying the Hawk HP+ pads next if you say the new Ds aren’t up to par. There are also some Hawk Blue Racing pads, but I don’t know where they stand in terms of performace. I’ve also considered getting some Cs for track days, but that might be overkill and I have no idea about what their dusting or rotor friendly characteristics are…

16

Rember what happened to my wheels when I used the HAWK Black compound? Blues are even more agressive.

From what I heard, the D compound has been discontinued and they are just selling the remaining old stock. Thats why I picked up the E pads.

17

Damn, I thought the blues were a step down from the blacks. Fuck that, then! I don’t want my Volks to meet the same demise as yours!

I also have come to hate the Ts. I reinstalled the Ds after my caliper rebuild and it’s a world of difference. The initial bite, power and fade resistance is drastically better than the Ts. They are just so much better that I’ll learn to deal with the squeel.

Let me know how the Es are working for you. I might get a set of those or Hawk HPs next, since my Ds are less than 3/8" material remaining…

I’m also running Wilwood C-clips in place of the shit ass cotter pins. They are much easier to remove than a bolt, and they are reusable for a very long time. Part number is WIL180-3862, and they come in a 4 pack.

18

OK, for all 4 people that care, I’ve gotten some new pads to review here.

Cobalt Friction GT Sports- First of all, I must say these pads use the most retarded backing plate ever. I seriously wonder if they even tried to ever fit this thing into a Dynalite caliper when they were designing it. It took my buddy, a metal chop saw and lots of grinding to a) remove enough material so the top of the backing plate wouldn’t hit the insides of my wheels (they’re that fucking big) and b) grind 1/32" off the bottom so the damn thing would sit properly so I could clip them through the top.

Aside from the install bullshit, they are real nice pads. Initial bite is better than the D’s ever were, and pedal modulation is very easy to control. You really get a good, direct feel with these pads, which is quite refreshing when compared to the T’s. Fade is like that of all the pads I’ve used; nearly non-existant, but I’ll be testing that on Saturday at the Firebird Int’l HPDE. I have high expecations of these and the Axxis Ultimates (also outstading pads) in the rear.

They squeal badly, and dust is pretty hardcore, but the performance is worth the lack of livability. The customer service from Cobalt is also top notch and the prices were reasonable. Honda Tech discount, too…

Cobalt GT Sports- 7/10 install, 9/10 performance

19

What did Cobalt’s customer service do about your fitment issues?

EDIT TO ADD: I find the fitment problem quite odd since the Dynalite has been around forever. This makes me wonder if they sent you the right pads.

20

Nothing. I modified the pads slightly in a vain attempt to get them to fit at first. I figured I was fucked because I ground them down and I assumed they wouldn’t provide a refund or anything.

They fit great now, and my thinking is they just use a poor quality backing plate (not designed for tight clearences, thats’s for sure) to attach they’re pad material to. It is indeed a DL pad; it said so on the sealed box and the part # was stamped on the backing plate…

However, the guy at Cobalt was really knowledgable and actually took time to help choose a pad for my application. Spent close to 45 min. on the phone with him. Also, as amazing as it sounds, he actually called me back a short time after I called and gave him my number, as he was helping another customer with the same thing. Great place to do business, but they need to work out the bugs on the Wilwood pads…