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Finally! [brake pad choice]

2K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  stipud 
#1 ·
So the AP Racing brake set on the car will get new pads, I have never really been pleased with the Mintex C-Tec pads, they were awful on the 900 and when I switched the brakes to the 9-5 they were quickly overloaded.

MY instinct is to go for Ferodo pads, but at nearly £100 a set for the DS2500 I cast a wider net.

I have been pleased with EBC Redstuff recently on two separate cars and wth that knowledge I went for Yellowstuff. :eek: Barely ECE 90 approved on most cars but hey.

I like the way EBC say they are not low dust pads, I can be confident they really will work well :lol: .

Hopefully install this weekend and feedback will be a few hundred miles in; note the illustrious company I have brake pad commonality with...

 
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#3 ·
i want an aero said:
Barely ECE 90 approved on most cars but hey.

;oops: what does that mean, hope they were cheap:cheesy:
Just over 50 quid an axle set. I'm up for giving them a try for that.

ECE 90 is a requirement for brake pads since late 1999. Aftermarket stuff must be as good or better than OEM, to simplify. The yellows are circuit pads that just good enough from cold to achieve approval in some applications.
 
#4 ·
Firstly a big up thank you to Matthew to pointing these yellow stuff pads out to me and the fact that are largely road legal in Europe [old school yellows weren't] so what's my post run in verdict?

These pads are as dusty as Ferodo DS2500 and just as good when it comes to stop.
They are dusty, they have no relation to EBC's Green or Red stuff, and they really do pull up the waggon. Feel is confident and predictable on the pedal and what you do with the brake pedal is what happens to the car, they have cold bite. Get them hot and they work better, get them hotter and they work even better and there's no grab - consistency is the word.

Also the finish on the rotors, these pads are polishing the surface, not scoring.

I am game to try out EBC yellowstuff on one or two other of my cars, I am really that pleased.
 
#6 ·
What do you think of EBC Green Stuff on 9-5?

I have them installed now but havent been able to test them properly yet... I wasnt sure whether to get Green/Red ones, I've read some mixed opinions of them. I take my car to track a few times a year but usually drive only a couple of laps at a time, then let it cool down.. do you think Green Stuff will be enough for this kind of driving?
 
#7 ·
From what I have read the 9-5 is a very heavy car for the green stuff compound - but I have no experience - certainly the Reds (and yellows) work well ;)
 
#8 ·
Chris 9-5 said:
From what I have read the 9-5 is a very heavy car for the green stuff compound
The blurb from EBC more or less echos this...

EBC said:
For heavier faster cars and vehicles above 200bhp we strongly recommend Redstuff which DOES offer much less dust.
I would consider greenstuff on the rear axle of the 9-5 but not the front.

I am in the market for rear pads on the 9000 and I suspect they will be greenstuff and they'll partner nice with the redstuff on the front.

One of the most striking things about EBC is that as a manufacturer they do not rest on their laurels, continuous improvement is very much one of there strong points.
 
#9 ·
Chris 9-5 said:
From what I have read the 9-5 is a very heavy car for the green stuff compound - but I have no experience - certainly the Reds (and yellows) work well ;)
I've found the reds to be disappointing. They dont dust as much, they pull up ok but they are noisy, especially when cold and that annoys me more than anything else. They are also ruining my Saab spec rotors quicker than any other pad ive ever seen...
 
#10 ·
AdrianB said:
I've found the reds to be disappointing. They dont dust as much, they pull up ok but they are noisy, especially when cold and that annoys me more than anything else. They are also ruining my Saab spec rotors quicker than any other pad ive ever seen...
I couldnt be more happy with my redstuffs. I knew they had a tendency to be noisy, so I put brake grease on the back of the pads during installation and not a single squeel so far. :confused: Also running slotted and dimpled EBC rotors..... not sure if that makes a difference in the noise level either.
 
#12 ·
A few hundred miles in and in particular some runs under load towing 1460kgs of portable bar incorporating somewhere to sleep.

These pads have enhanced the finish on the rotor, it is difficult to articulate just how smooth and polished the rotors look.

Braking is quiet and consistent, cold pads work well and even driving in a manner that is inadvisable [descents with the heavy trailer controlled by the brakes instead of a low gear] they just got on with the job, no noise, no smells and no patchy deposits to cause wobbles later [we rarely warp discs, it is usually uneven deposits of pad burned into the disc that causes brake disc 'warping'].

Now the instructions of the Yellowstuff product clearly stated they were not a low dust product - they were not kidding, filthy wheels in a week. They are rather like Ferodo DS3000 in performance [this is no light praise] and i have very confidence in them to work well without stuffing the rotors prematurely.
 
#17 ·
Kermit said:
I thought the Reds worked very well, but i'll agree with you on the wear, they butchered my Brembo discs in double quick time! :(
Same thing with my PBR/Axxis Ultimate Ceramics. The rotors are all squealy and gouged at less than 50% pad wear.

I'll be installing Akebonos and stock rears when I do my 300mm upgrade in a few weeks. I'm hoping the extra rotor diameter, coupled with braided lines and DOT5.1 will make up for the loss of bite, while giving me a much less harsh compound. Definitely looking forward to no dust!
 
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