EBC Brakes! What's going on?

[seat sean]

To cut a long story short, I have a Leon FR, which i fitted EBC Redstuff pads. They were ok on the road but i screwed them on a 20min track session a few months back. To say i was unimpressed is an understatement. Spoke to EBC who to be fair said they were not meant for any track use, even though i was sold them as fast road/track pads by a popular VW/AUDI supplier(no names!), and they offered to upgrade me to their "Yellowstuff" pads front and rear at a discounted price for my troubles, being assurred that these were more than capable of handling any abuse i could throw at them including trackdays etc.. So after duly receiving and fitting said new pads along with new standard discs front and rear and new flexi hoses, i was pleased to say they were a big improvement over the Redstuff pads. Initial bite and feel was good even from cold, which i liked. Fast forward a few months and i was upgrading to 18" alloys and Pirelli P Zero Rosso tyres( part worn with 4 - 5mm of tread). While i had the car on the ramp with the wheels off i decided to clean the calipers, which were painted a couple of years previous and looking a bit grubby with all the brakedust which is such a pain to get at when wheels are in place! I used a "Wonderwheels" type cleaner along with the garages own "Brake cleaner". Ever since this, my brakes have been crap! No bite to them at all and not giving me any confidence at all when they had been so sharp before!
Any ideas? Could the brake cleaner really have killed the pads? I have emailed EBC who say no! No grease or oil have been anywhere near them, so it isn't that.
This is doing my head in!!! Anyone have any theories on this, i would be pleased to know!

 

[Pyro]

Try bleeding them and check the brake lines

Did you take the caliper off to clean it?

 

[andycupra]

if you had spent more time on SCN and read a few posts about brakes you would never buy green or red stuff pads.
whats it like with the old wheels back on?

 

[UncleFester]

EBC red pads? They EAT discs, glaze over and are abysmal from cold.

Bin them and fit Ferodo DS2500

 

[seat sean]

I know Redstuff are pants and that many poeple slate all EBC pads, but these Yellowstuff were ok until i cleaned the calipers. I kept the calipers and discs in place while cleaning them, which shouldn't make a difference! Perhaps i will get them bled again, it's worth a try i suppose! I thought about putting the old 17" original wheels which had Vredestien Ultrac directional tyres fitted and see if it makes a difference, i suppose it could be the Pirelli tyres? Wouldn't have thought it would make that much difference to stopping power though?

 

[UncleFester]

Pad contamination is possible .... have you taken them out for a good bit of abuse?

Progressively harder braking from NSL+ a bit a few tmes?

 

[t32er]

i cant stand Pirelli, i would blame them my self, i had them on the front of the LCR only to find 1 was as round as a 20p...
did you get any fluids on the pads that may not have been good for pads...

 

[seat sean]

The guy from EBC said to try giving them some hard braking, as the like abuse apparently, so i will give it ago. If not maybe it is pad contamination! I've not had the Pirellis on long enough to cast judgement as yet but i know a lot of folk on here slate them, i only had them cos a mate donated them to me! I preferred the Vredesteins, they were awesome in my opinion!

 

[MOROalTT]

You guys do not like ebc pads and if they do that i agree.......

But i have always used redstuff but with either slotted or slotted & holes

and i have run the road courses hard and nothing wrong this set has 50k

miles on them and at least half left... Maybe the rotors?????

 

[UncleFester]

You guys do not like ebc pads and if they do that i agree.......

But i have always used redstuff but with either slotted or slotted & holes

and i have run the road courses hard and nothing wrong this set has 50k

miles on them and at least half left... Maybe the rotors?????

Used them and the pads ate through 3 sets of discs. I found they faded badly after 3 hard stops. DS2500 by comparison are fade free and didn't warp the discs, pedal feel and initial bite was far better.

 

[seat sean]

How much are DS2500 a set then?

 

[UncleFester]

Probably around 100 pounds give or take a bit .... unless you're into big brake kits or fancy two piece discs, DS2500 are a good alternative with either OEM discs or EBC slotted - do not bother with drilled discs, they will only crack.

Also consider new brake fluid

 

[seat sean]

I take it you only have them fitted to the front then? EBC told me to buy front and rear when i got the yellows!

 

[CJRamze]

I had a very good friend buy a set of Yellowstuff.
They disintegrated and took the discs with them.

I have another very good friend who bought redstuff.
After following me on this run
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR5iaNb12zA&feature=player_profilepage#t=268s

His redstuffs were smoking and had glazed the discs, We thought there was going to be a fire.
Bearing in mind I was using Standard Discs/Pads so nothing special.

 

[UncleFester]

I had them fitted front and rear eventually - wasn't expecting the rears to make as much difference as they did, more so when the rears got upgraded to 256mm from the tiny solid discs they were originally.

Have just upgraded the S2000 to DS200 front and rear too - same improvement, increae in pedal feel and much better bite from cold.

 

[ADAM_84]

Is it possible that the extra weight of the 18" rims is making it feel like there not working as good? If there is any extra weight that is. And a quick question above it's mentioned not to use drilled discs as they crack but how come most car manufactures use them on there higher performance models?

 

[ibizacupra]

reds I dont like at all... wooden feel
yellows on my road car currently, not abused and they're working better, better bite etc etc for their price they're "ok"
(my road car being a heavy Audi S6 4.2 V8)


Ferodo DS2500's however are a superb pad, and well worth considering.

If its just surface contamination, then try removing the pads and abrade them on a flat surface with some 40 or 80 grit to bring up a fresh material to the surface

 

[seat sean]

Trouble is i don't like throwing good money after bad! Yellows were good up til i changed to the 18"s and P Zero's, could it be the tyres, they grip ok, but maybe they don't have the same braking adhesion as the Ultracs? I did think about taking them out and roughing the pads up but didn't think you were spose to do that, plus EBC have this braking in stuff on the pads for the first rew hundred miles apparently, perhaps now thats worn away they are not as good?

 

[MOROalTT]

Used them and the pads ate through 3 sets of discs. I found they faded badly after 3 hard stops. DS2500 by comparison are fade free and didn't warp the discs, pedal feel and initial bite was far better.

I agree with you on that if their doing that I would never buy them again I thought the RED would be to much for the rotors but no lines no eating into rotor I usually buy PowerSlot rotors.... might be the difference?

 

[UncleFester]

Tried the DS2500 with EBC slotted and also OEM smooth - didn't notice a massive amount of braking difference so have stuck to OEM discs and DS2500 pads.