Can anyone provide any comparisons?

Hawk is one company that makes brakes for our cars. In my experience on a Z3, the Hawk HPS pads had less initial bite than OEM pads, but were about the same once warmed up. The dust was reduced, but still present. I never had trouble overheating either pad.

I had Porterfield R4S pads on a Supra. I had routine problems overheating the OEM pads. The Porterfields cured this, and had better friction when warm. The cold-weather friction was non-existent. The first stop on a winter day was actually difficult.