Which Brake Pads?

mike65

I'm getting new disks so new pads are required too, any suggestions for good value stoppers which DONT cover the wheels in dust?

Mike.

ds20prefecture

Not to hijack your thread, but also recommendations for ones that don't squeal like a stuck pig when cold/damp. Both the DS and the Octavia had their pads/shoes replaced recently and both squeal terribly.

greglo23

hard pads that do'nt create much dust can be very noisy. it's a few years since i got some but Versachem have a brakepad treatment that quietens most noisy brakes. it looks like liquid plastic which you spread on the back of the pad like butter !!. when it sets it stops the pads from moving around which is what causes the squealing. sometimes the anti-rattle springs or their equivalent become soft or get chucked away with the old pads and this causes major noise. German made pads ( Ate or Bendix) tend to come with a fitting kit. they are slightly softer so may be more dusty but they are normally quieter and they do'nt wear the discs as much as the harder ( Apec ) pads.

5500

What cars it for?Id reccomend a set of EBC greenstuff pads if available for you car

mike65

Its a Merc 190e and EBC do them.

Mike.

ds20prefecture

greglo23 wrote:

hard pads that do'nt create much dust can be very noisy. it's a few years since i got some but Versachem have a brakepad treatment that quietens most noisy brakes. it looks like liquid plastic which you spread on the back of the pad like butter !!. when it sets it stops the pads from moving around which is what causes the squealing. sometimes the anti-rattle springs or their equivalent become soft or get chucked away with the old pads and this causes major noise. German made pads ( Ate or Bendix) tend to come with a fitting kit. they are slightly softer so may be more dusty but they are normally quieter and they do'nt wear the discs as much as the harder ( Apec ) pads.

Thanks Greglo - great post, very informative.

Interceptor

You don't need EBC green stuff unless you plan drifting your KrautKruiser Mike - any pad you buy from a reputable auto actors will be fine, you won't see any major difference. I'd recommend Red Dot pads and discs to anyone planning fast road work but they aren't as easily had as EBC, though they are cheaper and better in my opinion.

A light smear of copper paste on the back of the pads, making sure the correct anti-rattle shims are fitted should be more than enough to stop squealing. Usually spurious pads don't come with replacement shims and they get lost over the life of the car, resulting in noisy brakes. Same as Greglo said really.

'c

alanlouthzzr

EBC Greenstuff or Redstuff are the only pad on the market which won't make your rims go black. It's the carbon in the pads which blacken the rims. As the pads wear, the carbon particles become positively charged and stick to your rims. The German manufacturers add more carbon to the pads to increase pad life. EBC have replaced the carbon with copper and brass, neither of which will wear your discs any faster than normal. The uprated EBC pads give great 'bite' and are more resistant to fade. They leave a light grey deposit on the rims.
I've just changed my EBC Greenstuff for EBC Redstuff which have an increased resistance to wear. My old pads were only 1/2 worn after 35000 miles and 11 months. Why did I replace them? Wanted to see how the Redstuff compare before I change the car in February.
EBC are available through most motorfactors but some of the Green/Redstuff may be special order and will take a week to deliver.
EBC also do at least 2 different grades which are for race use only.
For German cars, EBC chamfer and shim their pads to combat squeal. The German ATE braking systems are very prone to squeal because of the pad/caliper design. If you look at an ATE system pad, you will see that the pad is held in place by the 2 'ears' on the top of the pad. The piston acts on the lower/centre area of the pad. At low speeds or when feather braking, the pad isn't making firm contact with the disc and the small 'fluttering' causes the squeal.
Sorry for the long reply!!!!!!
Alan.

SouperComputer

any reccomendations where to buy pads at a good price?

murphaph

I've always been happy with Pagid pads. They're OE on lots of german cars and don't squeal IME.

lomb

as stated ebc greenstuff if u have the bread, or otherwise a standard oem pagid from that german car spares outlet in parkwest clondalkin, cant remember the name...

SouperComputer

as stated ebc greenstuff if u have the bread, or otherwise a standard oem pagid from that german car spares outlet in parkwest clondalkin, cant remember the name...

www.gsfcarparts.com?

Seth Brundle

Mike, seemingly this stuff is great at keeping dust 'loose' on the wheels making it easier to clean.

Jip

ds20prefecture wrote:

.... and the Octavia had their pads/shoes replaced recently and both squeal terribly.

Hi DS, your Ocativa sounds as bad as mine. Mine can be so bad at times I'd nearly run pedestrians over rather than have them hear the squeeling ! Apparently this is a 'feature' of Octavias.

Big Nelly

Jip wrote:

Apparently this is a 'feature' of Octavias.

Do you have to pay extra or does this come on the basic model?

Jip

Nah, it's a standard feature.

lomb

SouperComputer wrote:

www.gsfcarparts.com?

yep, thanks:)

alanlouthzzr

kbannon wrote:

Mike, seemingly this stuff is great at keeping dust 'loose' on the wheels making it easier to clean.

Try Meguiars Hot Rims for cleaning your alloys.

I've tried most of the cleaners out there and I find it the best!

Alan

mike65

As a matter of interest does anyone have a price for EBC GreenStuff pads?

Mike.

theShire

As far as I remember, the EBC GreenStuff pads(front) for my astra were about 40euro about 3 years ago- most decent motor factors should be able to order you a set!

alanlouthzzr

EBC Sport & Race Brakes

Sport & Premium Street Brakes


Fast/Heavy Street Use
Brake well from cold
Effective to above 650°C
Lower dust formula* (read below)



Designed for premium street driving offering better brake effect at loads and speed. EBC Greenstuff has a high initial brake effect and gives drivers confidence from first application of the brake pedal. There is no such thing as a NO DUST pad. The very nature of how a brake works requires that some dust be generated to avoid rotor vibration (shimmying). The EBC pad creates less dust and dust is more easily washed off than most. All pads create more dust as they are bedding in especially if rotors are worn. Average friction coefficient 0.55

alanlouthzzr

Here's pictures of Greenstuff and Redstuff pads.

I've also included one of my old pads to show what they look like after 35000 hard miles. The pads were still only 1/2 worn.

Cucullan

So which is actually better Redstuff or Greenstuff or is it down to how much one wants to spend with Redstuff been slightly better?

5500

It depends really on your driving style,Red are more suited to faster road/track use.Ive only ever used green and found them excellent

alanlouthzzr

Greenstuff or Redstuff?

Greenstuff if ideal for most cars on the road. If you are driving an Impreza or something similar which has been chipped or which was very powerful as standard, use the Redstuff.

Both operate as well as your O.E. pads at regular speeds and temps. but have a better initial 'bite'. As the pads get hotter, both will resist fade much better than O.E. or ordinary replacement pads.

Greenstuff and Redstuff are both dearer than ordinary pads, but there isn't very much difference, pricewise, between the two grades of pad once you reach that level.

mike65

Just to update you, I mentioned pads on a Merc message board and a fellow poster had a spare set of GreenStuff going begging so I bought them.

Mike.

5500

Goodstuff,let us know how you find them or if you notice any difference in comparision to your old pads