Hawk Performance Brakes for the Porsche Cayenne: Which Parts Fit

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The Hawk Performance pad we carry for the Porsche Cayenne is the HPS 5.0 front set, part number HB819B.614, and Hawk lists it for 2011-2013 Cayenne models with conventional iron rotors. It does not fit Cayennes with ceramic composite brakes, and no Hawk compound is meant for carbon ceramic rotors. For other years and for the rear axle, the right answer depends on which brake package your Cayenne left the factory with, so check that first.

Step One: Identify Which Brakes Your Cayenne Has

Porsche has fitted the Cayenne with more than one brake system, and a pad that suits one should not go on another. Before you shop, look through the wheel spokes at the calipers and rotors, or check the original equipment list for the car.

• Conventional iron rotors: the standard setup on most Cayennes. Hawk street pads are designed for iron and steel rotors, so this is the only system where a Hawk pad belongs.
• Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB): carbon ceramic rotors. Hawk states that none of its compounds are compatible with carbon ceramic rotors, and Hawk's HB819B.614 listing specifically excludes models with ceramic composite brakes. Stay with the factory-specified pad on these cars.
• Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB): introduced as standard equipment on the third-generation Cayenne Turbo and offered as an option on other versions. Porsche describes an iron rotor with a tungsten carbide layer around one hundred micrometers thick, applied by high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying, clamped by white ten-piston front and four-piston rear fixed calipers. Porsche says the pads for this system took at least as much development effort as the rotor itself, because the pad material has to work with that hard coating. Treat PSCB cars as a factory-pad system too.

If your Cayenne has standard calipers and plain cast iron rotors, you are in aftermarket pad territory, and the rest of this guide applies.

The Hawk Part That Fits: HPS 5.0 Front Pads, HB819B.614

Here is what Hawk publishes for this pad, and what it means on the car.

The part number itself tells you something. Hawk codes each compound with a letter, and the "B" in HB819B is the HPS 5.0 code. The number after the dot is the pad thickness in inches. That is why the same backing-plate shape can appear under different letters: same fit, different friction material.

You can find this set on our store as the Hawk HPS 5.0 front brake pads for the 2011-2013 Cayenne. Confirm your model year and brake package against the listing before you order.

How HPS 5.0 Compares to Hawk's Other Street Compounds

Hawk sells several street compounds, and knowing where HPS 5.0 sits helps you decide whether it suits a heavy SUV that sees daily driving, towing, or the occasional hard mountain run. These ranges come from Hawk's own compound chart.

HPS 5.0 is Hawk's more aggressive street pad: more bite than the original HPS and a slightly higher temperature ceiling. For a Cayenne driven hard on back roads, that extra torque is the reason to choose it. For an owner whose main complaint is dusty wheels, a ceramic compound is the better match. In our catalog the Hawk option for this Cayenne is the HPS 5.0 set, so if you want a different Hawk compound, check Hawk's fitment for that exact part number first.

Other Cayenne Years: What We Carry That Fits

If your Cayenne falls outside 2011-2013, or you need rear pads or rotors, Hawk is not the only route. These are parts in our catalog with Cayenne fitment:

• 2011-2018 front, pads and rotors together: the Brembo OE front brake kit with low-metallic pads and UV-coated rotors. This is the pick when your front rotors are worn to minimum thickness or show a lip, grooves or pulsation, since new pads on worn rotors bed in poorly.
• 2003-2007 Cayenne 4.5 with 350mm front rotors: EBC Redstuff ceramic front pads, a lower-dust street ceramic. Measure your rotor diameter before ordering, since this pad is listed for the 350mm rotor version.
• 2005-2007 Cayenne 4.5 rear: EBC GD slotted rear rotor set.
• 2018 and newer, 3.0L turbo: EBC offers several compounds front and rear, including Yellowstuff front pads for fast street driving and Bluestuff NDX front pads, a high-friction pad aimed at track days. These apply to iron-rotor cars only, not PSCB or PCCB cars.
• 2018 and newer 4.0L twin turbo rear: EBC Extra Duty rear pads.

For everything else, browse our brake pads and brake rotors collections and match your exact model year and engine.

Symptoms That Say It Is Time, and What to Replace With the Pads

Cayennes are heavy, and they work their brakes hard. Common signs you are due:

• Brake pad wear warning on the dash. The Cayenne uses electronic pad wear sensors. Once a sensor triggers the warning it is worn through, so replace it with the pads.
• Pulsation in the pedal or steering wheel under braking, usually uneven rotor thickness or pad deposits. Replace the rotors rather than putting new pads on them.
• Grinding or a metallic scrape, which can mean the friction material is gone. Inspect the rotors; they are usually damaged by that point.
• Longer stopping distances or a soft pedal, which can be pads, but can also be old brake fluid or a hydraulic problem. New pads will not cure a soft pedal.

When you replace pads, fit new wear sensors, clean and lubricate the caliper pad contact points, and measure the rotors against the minimum thickness stamped on the rotor. If they are near the limit, replace pads and rotors as a set.

How Hard Is the Job

A pad change on an iron-rotor Cayenne is a reasonable driveway job for someone who has done brakes before, though the parts are large and the wheels are heavy. Work one axle at a time, support the vehicle on stands, and follow the factory service manual for the pad retaining hardware and caliper procedure on your model year. Torque the caliper bolts and wheel bolts to the values in the factory service manual, never by feel. Then bed in the new pads with a series of moderate stops from speed, letting the brakes cool between runs, before any hard driving. If your Cayenne has ceramic or surface coated brakes, leave the job to a Porsche specialist with the correct pads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Hawk brake pads fit a Cayenne with ceramic brakes?

No. Hawk states its compounds are not compatible with carbon ceramic rotors, and the HB819B.614 listing excludes Cayennes with ceramic composite brakes. Use the factory-specified pad on PCCB cars.

Which years does the Hawk HPS 5.0 HB819B.614 fit?

Hawk lists it for the front axle of 2011-2013 Porsche Cayenne models with iron rotors, including base, S and Turbo trims.

Can I use aftermarket pads on the white-caliper surface coated brakes?

Porsche developed dedicated pads for the tungsten carbide coated rotors on its Surface Coated Brake system. We recommend staying with the factory pad on those cars rather than a general performance compound.

Is HPS 5.0 good for daily driving?

It is a street compound, and Hawk rates it from 100 F upward, so it works from cold. It is more aggressive than the original HPS; if low dust and quiet operation matter most to you, a ceramic compound is the better fit.

Should I replace rotors with the pads?

If the rotors are at or near minimum thickness, grooved, or cause pulsation, yes. A matched pad and rotor kit such as the Brembo OE front kit for 2011-2018 Cayennes saves a second teardown.

What does the letter in a Hawk part number mean?

It is the compound code. On HB819B.614, "B" is HPS 5.0 and .614 is the pad thickness in inches.

Sources

1. Hawk Performance - HB819B.614 - fitment, front axle, 0.614 in thickness, ceramic composite exclusion, iron-rotor-only note
2. Hawk Performance - HPS 5.0 - ferro-carbon compound, 100-550 F optimal and 100-750 F operating range
3. Hawk Performance - Street compounds - compound codes and temperature ranges for HPS, HPS 5.0, LTS, Performance Ceramic and Super Duty
4. Porsche Newsroom - Porsche Surface Coated Brake - tungsten carbide coating, white 10-piston/4-piston calipers, dedicated pads, standard on Cayenne Turbo