Hawk Performance Brakes for the Dodge Viper: Which Parts Fit

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

Hawk Performance makes two HPS 5.0 street pad sets that cover most Dodge Vipers: HB194B.665 for the front of 1992-2002 cars, and HB193B.670, which Hawk lists for both axles on 2003-2010 SRT-10s and 2015-2017 Vipers. The one hard exception is any Viper running factory carbon-ceramic rotors. Hawk says none of its compounds are compatible with carbon ceramic, so those cars need iron rotors before a Hawk pad goes on.

Which Hawk Pad Fits Which Viper

The Viper went through several brake packages over its run, and pad shapes changed with them. Here is what Hawk's own catalog lists for the two HPS 5.0 sets we carry:

For the first- and second-generation cars, the Hawk HPS 5.0 front pad set HB194B.665 for 1992-2002 Vipers is the direct fit. Hawk notes it ships with OE-style clips and pins.

For the SRT-10 era, the Hawk HPS 5.0 pad set HB193B.670 for the Viper SRT-10 shares its shape between the front and rear calipers on the cars Hawk lists. So a full brake job on those cars takes two boxes, one per axle. Before you order, check the year and trim against the table. Hawk's listing skips some model years, and you should not assume a pad fits a year the catalog leaves out.

What HPS 5.0 Actually Is

HPS 5.0 is Hawk's Ferro-Carbon high-performance street compound. Hawk describes it as delivering aggressive torque and high deceleration rates while keeping brake release smooth and predictable. Hawk rates it for 100-750 F, with an optimal window of 100-550 F.

That places it one step above Hawk's original HPS compound, which Hawk rates for 100-700 F with a 100-500 F optimal range. For a car with the Viper's weight up front and its speed potential, the extra heat headroom matters. A hard run down a canyon road or a long highway stop from speed puts real heat into the pads, and a compound that stays in its window there gives a firmer, more consistent pedal.

What HPS 5.0 is not: a race pad. It is built for the street. If your Viper spends whole weekends on a road course, plan on a dedicated track compound, then swap back to a street pad for daily driving. Race compounds are loud, dusty and poor when cold, and they are not a good fit for a car that also sees commute miles.

The Carbon-Ceramic Warning for ACR Owners

This is the biggest fitment trap in the Viper lineup. Later ACR cars were available with factory carbon-ceramic matrix (CCM) rotors. Hawk states plainly that its compounds are not compatible with carbon-ceramic rotors and are designed for iron rotors only. Putting an iron-rotor pad against a CCM disc can damage a very expensive rotor.

Many CCM-equipped owners switch to iron rotors instead, especially for track use, where CCM replacement costs add up fast. GiroDisc makes a two-piece iron conversion for exactly this car. The GiroDisc A1-165 slotted front rotors for the Gen 5 Viper ACR with carbon-ceramic brakes pair a 6061-T6 aluminum hat with a cast iron friction ring on 12 drive pins, and they bolt to the factory calipers. There is a catch: GiroDisc says the conversion uses a smaller swept area than the factory CCM disc, so it needs a different pad with the FMSI 1405 shape. The factory CCM pads do not carry over. Confirm the pad shape before you order pads for a converted car.

Rotors to Run With Hawk Pads

Hawk says its pads work with stock, slotted and cross-drilled iron rotors. If your rotors are near minimum thickness, grooved, or give a pulsing pedal, replace them with the pads. New pads on a worn rotor bed in unevenly and never reach full bite.

For 1992-2000 cars, we carry EBC GD Sport slotted front rotors for the 1992-2000 Viper and matching EBC GD Sport slotted rear rotors. For a 2003 car, the GiroDisc A1-006 slotted front rotors are a two-piece option. Owners of 1992-2002 cars who want a bigger rear setup can look at the Brembo GT rear big brake kit with 345mm two-piece rotors and hand brake, which keeps a working parking brake. You can browse every option in our brake rotor collection.

Hawk HPS 5.0 vs. Other Street Pads We Carry

For 1992-2000 cars, EBC is the other common choice. EBC calls Yellowstuff an aramid-fibre fast-street compound and gives it a green fade threshold of 400 C (750 F). EBC also says a 2021 reformulation made Yellowstuff last longer but take longer to bed in, and it now points track drivers to Bluestuff instead. It warns that track use can push brake temperatures above 500-600 C.

• Hawk HPS 5.0: the street pad for owners who want more bite than stock and a clean, predictable release. It covers the widest range of Viper years in our lineup.
• EBC Yellowstuff (1992-2000 front): a fast-street pad with a long street bed-in. See the EBC Yellowstuff front pads for the 1992-2000 Viper.
• EBC Bluestuff NDX (1992-2000 front): EBC's track-leaning pick for owners doing regular lapping days. See the EBC Bluestuff NDX front pads.

Whatever you choose, run the same compound family on both axles unless a brake shop tells you otherwise. Mixing very different friction levels front to rear can upset brake balance. You can compare more compounds in our brake pad collection.

How Hard Is a Viper Pad Job?

On most Vipers, a pad swap is a straightforward driveway job for someone who has done brakes before. On fixed multi-piston calipers, the pads usually come out after you remove the retaining pins and clips, without unbolting the caliper. Take these steps seriously:

1. Lift the car at the proper jacking points and support it on stands. Low sports cars often need a low-profile jack.
2. Push the pistons back evenly and watch the master cylinder reservoir so it does not overflow.
3. Clean the pad abutments, and replace worn clips, pins or shims. HB194B.665 includes OE-style clips and pins.
4. Torque the wheels, and any caliper hardware you disturbed, to the values in the factory service manual.
5. Bed in the new pads using Hawk's procedure before any hard driving.

If the fluid is dark or has not been changed in a couple of years, flush it during the pad job. Use the fluid type your owner's manual specifies. Old fluid absorbs moisture and lowers its boiling point, which you feel as a soft pedal after repeated hard stops. A brake hardware kit is cheap insurance while the wheels are off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Hawk HPS 5.0 pads work on a Viper ACR with carbon-ceramic rotors?

No. Hawk states that none of its compounds are compatible with carbon-ceramic rotors. Convert to iron rotors first, and then use a pad in the shape the conversion calls for.

Is HB193B.670 a front or rear pad?

Both. Hawk lists HB193B.670 for the front and rear positions on 2003-2010 SRT-10 Vipers and 2015-2017 Vipers, so a full brake job on those cars takes two sets.

Can I track my Viper on HPS 5.0?

HPS 5.0 is a street compound rated to 750 F, with an optimal range up to 550 F. It handles spirited street driving well. Sustained road-course sessions call for a dedicated race pad.

Do I need new rotors with new Hawk pads?

Replace the rotors if they are below minimum thickness, deeply grooved or warped. Otherwise, quality iron rotors in good condition can be reused. Hawk pads work with stock, slotted and drilled iron rotors.

Are Hawk HPS 5.0 pads dusty?

They run cleaner than many factory pads. Hawk says they make more dust than its HPS and Ceramic compounds, which is the trade-off for the higher friction and heat range.

Sources

1. Hawk Performance - HB193B.670 - thickness, front and rear Viper fitment by year
2. Hawk Performance - HB194B.665 - 1992-2002 front fitment, thickness, included clips and pins
3. Hawk Performance - HPS 5.0 compound - Ferro-Carbon compound, 100-750 F range, not compatible with carbon ceramic
4. Hawk Performance - HPS compound - 100-700 F range for comparison
5. GiroDisc - Viper ACR front iron rotor conversion - construction, FMSI 1405 pad requirement
6. EBC Brakes - Yellowstuff - 400 C fade threshold, 2021 reformulation, track guidance