Brakepads

[Meng]

Hi guys,

Am getting 159 ready for track, had a chat with Bruno from Maranello regarding a change of brakepads over from the stock ones that it comes fitted with.  Seeing as I also use my car for everyday driving (and some cold braking in the morning), would EBC red or yellow be a better choice?  Want to get a better idea of what is the better option from you guys before I ask for a changeover.

[Neil Choi]

Go Green for road, reds for light to medium track, yellow for full on race

Yellow on the road will kill you, you will end up in the back of a Toyota stopping short because there is a baby on board sign

Green or Red for your 159. 

I use green in my road car and had it on track for a couple of times, faded a bit after a longer session.  Reds in race car is good, a bit of fade after an even longer session but just take care of brakes.

[Meng]

Thanks Neil,

So you would recommend red for general road use and the periodic sprint?  Don't want to have to change brakes constantly or swap over for track days, so prefer a longer lasting pad if the green will be shread up in one day

[wankski]

You'll want the reds. Or federo2500s. Any kind of hard track driving is too much for greens. Red still good for road.

[Ray Pignataro]

frank musco only uses greens he seems to go ok

[Frank Musco]

frank musco only uses greens he seems to go ok

Yep, been using them for years. Have used many different brands when I began sprinting and always ended up back on the greens. Keep in mind my car only weighs 800kg, if it were heavier I'd probably be using the reds.

I also use the greens on my road car. They work very well, except the first stop, and when you haven't used the brake for a while like when getting off the freeway, but they still stop you easily.

[wankski]

yeah, the 2.2l jts 159 weighs around 1500kg... its not light... reds are still zero rated for road, so it's all good..

[Meng]

Thanks guys, looks like it will be a set of red.  Was just worried that hitting the brakes on the freeway would be like trying to slow down a freight train.

[Brad M]

You should have all been at club night last night, Les Smith from RDA-EBC was there and gave an enlightening talk on Brake Pads.

Without banging on about his products because he is a supporter of the club, he made a lot of sense.

A few things I took from it was;

• Different brakes suit different purposes (is it for the track? spirited driving? commuting?
• Different people drive differently, do you brake later/harder than you bloke/missus? If so they won't work the same
• Brake fluid is commonly overlooked, check the boiling point

I'd recommend actually checking out his website (http://www.rdabrakes.com.au/), or dropping them an enquiry (through their website).

[Meng]

Yep I was there last night.  I brake progressively and carry speed through the corners, so transition is probably fairly smooth so I don't murder the brakes.  On the road I'm usually pretty ginger on cold mornings with braking in any case.

[Sheldon McIntosh]

I don't murder the brakes. 

Say that after you've run at Sandown in a 1500kg car.....

[Meng]

Hoping that reds will be a little kinder

[wankski]

does that go for ferodo ds performance and 2500 too, or are we not allowed to talk about a non-EBC brand here now?


also, if we are to be drinking the EBC kool-aid from the sponsor, how come they say this about reds?

"Second they brake like an alligator right from cold (as good as Original pads or better) and just get better as they heat up....As EBC's flagship street brake pad material for prestige and faster cars above 200BHP the 09 version on EBC Redstuff sets new standards in brake performance..."

http://www.rdabrakes.com.au/index.php/pads.html#Rs

[wankski]

And regarding your clip of text there, do you believe everything you read? Why would a company promote their products downsides?

Duh....

not entirely smart ass.... that is what EBC calls suitable for reds.... not a downside, but suitability.... they don't say that for yellows and blue, which they clearly say are not streetable, and supply a graph to show what is zero rated and what is not (blue and yellow)...

meaning work on a cold disc, and what EBC manufacture as their premium street pad....

i've used greens, the 'next one down' & that is NOT a track pad.... they tend to have a bad habit of disintegrating a lil' bit when ragged.

[wankski]

what? i must have a reading comprehension problem.... the OP asked if he should go red or yellows....

i, and another poster, supplied a graph from EBC showing that if you want to use them on predominantly on the road w/ some track work, maybe go reds over yellows...

greens, a predominantly road pad from EBC, were mentioned for track...you mentioned red is not for road...

i supplied a blurb from the manufacturer that said otherwise... i also gave my opinion of greens on the track, which are the next one down from red for road use.... not to mention the site says "EBC GREEN STUFF for Road sport upgrade on road cars, or race use on lighter cars up to 750 kg" - as i mentioned before 159 is NOT a light car.... being double what EBC recommend for any race use...

how is that OT?

maybe let the OP decide...