Hey everyone,

I was planning on replacing my brake pads & rotors.. but I need a little help, which do you guys know has the best stopping power & ultra quiet? I seen brake motive brakes had great reviews & deal for ceramic pads and drilled/slotted rotors for $150.

I've heard of 'yellow stuff,green stuff,red stuff' pads any input on those? thanks guys your a big help

 

stopping power is related to traction, which comes from your tires!!! and not brakes!

ALL drilled rotors are prone to crack, since you're drilling holes in close proximity to each other.

also, if you're not planning to track the car, there isnt a need to step up to the EBC (colored) pads...


for my front rotors, I used powerslot slotted rotors with a ceramic pad

for the rears, i used stoptech blank rotors with a stoptech pad.
I changed the rear pads last week, because they were done and went to a HAWK ceramic pad.

for daily driving, there is no possible way to tell the performance benefits of a grabbier pad.

the car stops the same with the stoptech pads vs the hawk pads, because its dependent on TRACTION!

I have wide sticky summer tires on my car!

 

in conclusion, go with something that you can afford, but definitely dont cheap out with some cheap ebay rotors(that might or might not crack)

its basically preference...because I cant tell the difference between my HAWK pads and the STOPTECH pads....cept one has CONSIDERABLY less dust because the Hawks are ceramic.

 

Oem are ceramic if I remember correctly. Ceramic are not the best for stopping but produce little to no noise along with less dust. Ceramic pads are also harder and eat up rotors faster.

Since the first time I've changed my pads I went with a set of semi metallic. Never had an issue. I had to change my oem rotors a few years ago because they were warped.

 

i have the full brakemotive front/rear drilled/slotted and love them. no issues and had them well over a year. only thing is i have semi metallic pads and the drill/slot combination shave off dust like crazy. i have to wipe off my wheels every other day or they'll be black

 

USE THE KEVLAR MAGIC FROM EBC BRAKES!

Nah but seriously = EBC "FTSP" (For the stopping power)!
REDs for Daily Driving
YELLOWS if you want to break your neck at 1/3 brake pedal.

 

^would love to try!!

(see the word try, OP? means that its an ever going experiment with mods)
try this try that.

I opted for the ceramic pads because I hate the dust!!!!

but wouldnt mind trying the EBC pads for a little track session!

 

Brake Facts:
Plain Rotors > Drilled/Slotted Rotors
Asbestos Pads = Danger
Ceramic Pads < Ceramic/Kevlar Pads
Semi-metallic > Ceramic Pads
Semi-metallic < Ceramic/Kevlar Pads
OEM 1 Pot Caliper = 2 Pot Legend
BBK 4 Pot > 2 Pot Legend
Smaller Rotor < Bigger Rotor
Stopping Power = Tire Traction

Hope that helps

 

Skirmich you forgot about organic pads in your break down

 

You are right... I believe those are the "Hipster pads"
But since I haven't used them I dunno where they stand in? Organics are like the EBC Green Pads?

 

If you are looking for a high quality rotor for a good price go to NAPA you can get Brembo blank rotors. You don't have to worry about quality or substandard heat treat. I'm running the stop tech pads now and they make dust sitting still but do stop well!

 

you dont like brake dust? wash and wax- 3 coats with synthetic car wax- both sides of rims

want to stop??,,its not just tire traction--its actually brake friction
or more correctly- the ability to turn friction into heat and disperse it..ie rotors
as well as suspensions abilty to offset weight transfer and the tires actual abilty to grip- which doesnt show until operated in full wet conditions

as an old guy, racer, mechanic = my fav brakes- racingbrake.com 1 piece slotted rotor with ET500 pads or ET300 if wife drives it a lot
my TL can brake super late, stops with progressive feel = need more slowing- push pedal harder

Fresh brake fluid and SS brake lines complete the package

see our sponsor mrheeltoe for rb parts deals

 

thats front rotors,,for rears I run basic blanks and et300 or hawk hps
70% of the TL braking is done in front, so spend the money there

also cant go wrong with the legend 2 pot caliper swap

 

^glad you're still here and tickin'!!

 

I actually used a set once on the rear brakes only. They wear like $20 at the time. They did wear out faster than semi metallic. As for fade and stopping I didn't see a difference, then again they were on the rear and rears make very little difference

 

I have major OCD when it comes to continuity so hope you don't mind i cleaned this post up to make it more aesthetically pleasing


Brake Facts:

Stopping Power = Tire Traction/Brake Friction

Drill/Slot Rotors < Blank Rotors
Small Rotors < Big Rotors

Asbestos Pads < Ceramic Pads < Semi-Metallic < Ceramic/Kevlar

OEM 1 Pot/Legend 2 Pot Caliper < BBK 4 Pot

i don't know about the truth of the facts, i'm just making them look nice

 

^^ hahahahaha and still it lacks the Organic Brakes
But cool!

 

Our Acurazine XLR8 STOPTECH Brake Package is an awesome setup. We have a kit including premium STOPTECH blank rotors with STOPTECH Performance pads, which will get you all the stopping with a reasonable price tag.

http://hoa.excelerateperformance.com...i-1805429.aspx



These Acurazine brake packages are designed to improve braking performance and durability at a reasonable price. The packages include Powerslot/STOPTECH performance rotors and STOPTECH Performance pads. All of the rotors have a black e-coating on the hubs and vanes and an advanced alloy composition. The Powerslot slotted rotors for the front of most Acuras also have a Power Alloy composition and a curved vane construction, which helps reduce heat in the brake system. The STOPTECH Performance pads are a para-aramid compound, which has great initial bite and long-term performance and lower dust and noise than most aftermarket brake pads.

 

^^ For that price I would rather get this: http://hoa.excelerateperformance.com...i-1822140.aspx

 

You posted that in another thread I was looking at way back when deciding on which brakes to get. So I decided to try it. Ever since then, little to no brake dust

If your budget allows, i suggest you go with the EBC rotors and pads, their stopping power is amazing. I went with their dimpled and slotted rotors and yellow pads. Admittedly, that set-up might be over kill for daily use but I street race ocasionally with my buddies, so its more of a piece of mind thing. Plus the rotors look really really good behind the rims.

 

ugh i'm rocking LM style wheels and cleaning them in itself is a pain in the ass i can't imagine waxing with 3 coats lol

 

How often were you waxing the wheels? And what kind of wax? Because wax breaks down in high temperatures, so seeing as the wheels get nice and hot under normal use they would have to be waxed more often than the car itself

 

I have RJ legends so I feel your pain. Though it may take a bit of time, its definitley worth it. I used to get so frustrated with cleaning the rims because of the caked up brake dust just after a week of washing. I had to get in there with a damn tooth brush to get in between the spokes, very annoying to say the least. Now I can just spray the wheel with some water and BAM, clean rims. It now takes me like literally 5 mins to clean all 4 wheels.

I wash my car religiously once a week and I wax every two weeks. The weeks that I wax is when I wax the wheels and the weeks that I don't wax, I use a spray wax on the whole car, wheels included. Either way I guess I wax every week
The spray wax takes about 10 minutes for all 4 wheels, just spray and wipe. The liquid wax takes about 1/2 hour for all 4 wheels. Its well worth the time for me because the brake dust never sticks to the wheel and if there is any, you can simply brush it off.

 

Waving the Heeltoe/Racingbrake banner after all these years How are you, Tom?

Tell us how many miles you have on your Racingbrake rotors by now.

 

I've got some questions for discussion!! For reference-I'm running up front-StopTech Cryo treated slotted rotors, StopTech pads, and did the Legend 2 piston caliper swap.

If the OEM single piston caliper = Legend 2 piston caliper, why do we all do it???
Why is it recommend by so many?? ( I can't tell it makes for any better stopping, but I put on new & different pads at same time-so kind of hard to tell)

I've never known ceramic brake pads of any type to stop as well as semi-metallic based pads...but... I was unaware that Ceramic/Kevlar was > Semi metallic in stopping power. Is this accepted & documented as fact?? Where? by who? (not arguing, just want to know)

The black finish on the StopTech slotted rotor hats and edges looks just like any rotor after a few months, especially the edges.

The StopTech 309 pads do indeed seem to make brake dust while the car is parked-absolutely the worse dusting pads I've had (but there very many I haven't tried)
Not as well known of pad-but in my experience, Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads seem to be every bit as good as the StopTech and don't dust quite as badly, and are cheaper.

I'm kind of thinking like the other poster-the slotted rotors just seem like they make more brake dust-is that really so?

I waxed my wheels with Duragloss 105 synthetic polish. It was a pain in the ass with my wheels, took awhile, didn't seem to last very long, and while it did make the dust come off easier, the wheels still required cleaning to get it totally off. In terms of time spent, it seems to me to be about equal to no waxing & just cleaning the wheels more often-again-just my perception.

 

cars are engineered on every aspects. braking is a big aspect!
the engineers made the brakes for that specific car.
What happens when you upset brake bias by adding a different set of calipers to a different car?
sometimes, you get longer braking distances with firmer brake pedal feel.

you can use a little math to figure out the area of the 2 pistons versus 1, to figure out if you have upset brake bias.

 

More pistons basically provide more surface area to more evenly press on the pad and to better dissipate heat over a greater distance (head transfer from the pad to the piston to the fluid). It is really to get a more normal clamping force.

I agree. This comment had me scratching my head as well. In my experience kevlar is like glorified cardboard in friction applications. Good for long life, but that is about it. A good semi-met pad is really what you want.

Yeah nothing is invincible. If you see someone with rotors more than 6 months old and the black is still black, they are not driving their car very hard and you should probably ignore any comments about improved performance they might have. Heat breaks down these finishes on ALL rotors.

I don't have direct experience with the Stoptech street performance pads yet so I have a hard time confirming or denying this one. I can tell you the slots have little impact on the increased dust or wear concern some people have. The hardness of the pad and the hardness of the rotor are big factors. This is why Racingbrake rotors don't dust a lot...they are quite hard (although you have cryo rotors, which should be hard as well...maybe it is the pads getting worn by the harder rotors in this case?)

How crazy anal is someone going to get? Waxing the wheels probably makes them look great! But one good drive and a lot of it has probably worn off from heat, and the dust still sticks. Meh. C'est la vie!


These are all great questions. People need to ask more stuff like this.

 

Great answers, MrHeeltoe-Thanks!! I'm a lot better at questions than answers!
I knew the more pistons, the greater the contact area & the more even the pressure was, but never thought about the heat transfer part.

And crazy anal people?? on this website?? surely not!! Maybe Tom just has easy wheels to wax. Seriously though, he gives great answers & advise, is very knowledgeable, and has helped me numerous times, He is one of people on here I always listen to

 

So its time for new pads so I figured I'd replace the rotors to. Any suggestions on either these STOPTECH pads and rotors or EBC rotors with red stuff/yellow stuff.

 

^it depends on your goals.
as you know the EBC red and the yellow stuff are intended for 2 DIFFERENT applications.
so, read the description on the yellow and red stuff to figure out if that specific pad is for you.

as far as the stoptech brake package, its a basic package that will stop your car. and there are two pads, a street pad and a ceramic pad just like the EBC red and yellow.

c'mon, this is all stuff that YOU personally can do.
you dont need some one holding your hand....
you will also need to figure out your budget when considering brakes.

and no one can help you but yourself. so read the descriptions and choose.

 

i feel that most of you over think things.

read the description of the product and choose one based off of your goals and budget.

 

^I'm well aware of the differences between the EBC pads, I was just looking for some input based on personal experiences. However you are correct, it is something that I and most can probably experiment with ourselves.

 

unless the product is DOA or an installation error, ANY rotor+pad combo will stop the car.
you're looking for initial bite, dust, how long they last, etc.
which for the most part, can be found in the description of the product.

I have been having great luck with autozones Duralast Cmax Gold ceramic pads.
low to minimal dust, great bite, and it decently last a while.

 

Thanks for the input and quick response. I might just go with those...not bad on price

 

Used both here is my input:


RED Stuff.. EBC RED Stuffs aren't like your ordinary Autozone pad as they still made from a Kevlar/Ceramic compound as the big brother Yellow Stuff, They will stop faster than a cheap pad and will resist fade shit tons better than ANY cheap pad.. The bite is somewhat there but it feels like a cheap pad, Once they start to get hot the bite is gone but at least they hold their braking performance even when Ultra Hot. REDs also like to last longer like a cheapo Ceramic pad but REDs do have the braking potential..
The only real CON is the price but that's what you get for good pads.


Yellow Stuff.. Oh boy where to begin? These are the "Wannabe" Racing pads from EBC, basically they will resist FADE so much you will not see fade ever using it on the traffic on a 120°F day all day, The initial bite once they are hot is tremendous so exaggerated you will feel them just pressing 1-5% of the brake pedal and that bite is present anywhere trough out the temperature range. As I mentioned before they resist fade like a champ! if you like to go spirited driving in the mountains for example? They will be your best pad ever..
The CONs?:
1.- SHIT TONS of Dust (Imagine cleaning the wheels every day all year)
2.- Horrible Cold Performance (When you start the car in the morning? Be prepared because they will feel like the rotor is wet for the first miles < very scary)
3.- Expensive (They are worth it if you drive spirited often)
4.- They don't last (For the price point? You will get 3-6months at most out of them)..

 

^thanks for the detail and pros and cons. Did you have these pads on stock rotors or the corresponding EBC rotors?

 

I was using the Yellows with the 3GD Rotor (The Gold Rotor) from EBC.. Then Switched to the DBA 4000XS Rotors for the RED Stuffs..


Great thing about the DBAs is they are cheaper than the EBCs and build quality its top notch: http://experformance.net/i-1734411.aspx

 

Also EBC Redstuff pads work fantastic in the rain, and generate very little dust. I'm running them on the EBC slotted/dimpled rotors with SS brake lines.

 

i bet none of you would know you were running the autozone pads.



unless you track your car

 

I bet YOU would not know that if you did what I did on my Yellow Stuffs your Autozone pad would end up in smoke.... Even the Red Stuffs dont compare to the POS Raybestos build as Duralast pads for Autozone..