Akibono Ceramic brake pads. Anyone used them, or other ceramic pads?

Ceramic pads - there was some discussion of this not long ago, was it Nom got a set on the Ti?

I think someone mentioned putting Ceramic Redstuffs on an SUV or 4x4? Steve firth Maybe?

Standard ST185 brakes are known to be crap for the weight of car, while slapping on a set of Tarox 6 pots, or Hi-Spec Monster 4's on sorts it, it needs bigger wheels, but a better choice of pad, decent hoses, and fresh Dot 5.1 is known to improve the feel effectiveness, and response of the car.

So that is what I'm looking at.

Me.

I had EBC Redstuff Ceramic on the TI, and they were great ! Fishman will testify - they don't fade *at all* and they work great from cold. I'll prolly slap some in the 406's Brembos when it's pads die (which prolly won't be all that long - ginormous Brembos + 210bhp + 1400Kg mean you can do some UbER pad-busting stops :)

They do make plenty of dust though. It comes off with literally *zero* effort with some proper wheel-cleaner (Wonder Wheels is the stuff I had - slap some on, and the dust runs off) but if you try and shift it with a brush and some shampoo, you can't even make a mark in it. Go figure.

bloke supplied me a set of Redstuff Ceramic, and a pair of EBC's Turbogroove discs, for £150.Give him a call - the discs alone are that price from everywhere else, and the pads are another £70 ontop...

No no, he'd bought some EBC Greenstuff that weren't green ! But then we established it was cos he'd got some special SUV-version Greeenstuff, which are infact black. My Redstuff Ceramics cropped up in the discussion somewhere...

You sir, need some stupid Brembos that are so massive, you can't actually get any alloys to fit over them :)

"Nom" wrote

Enter Fishman stage left...

They are really very good, and although they do provide good service from cold, once you get some heat into them they get *even* better :D

Ah right, that was were I saw them mentioned. I had a lok at the EBC website, and they only list Greenstuff for the GT4 ST185, but other for the GT4 ST205. Several club members have tried Red/Red Ceramic/Green stuff pads. Reds, OK, wear easy, no feel. Red Ceramic, good, wear better, no feel. Greens, don't bother, worn out before the wheel even refitted, no brakes :)

One GT4 owner complained that Greenstuffs faded, overheated, and wore out in a rediculous ammount of time. The response he got from EBC themselves was "on a car as heavy as a GT4, they aren't meant to be an effective brake pad, they are purely for show".

Doesn't inspire confidence.

That is exactley what I'm trying to avoid, as it happens ;)

I think I might be ordering those Akebonos then. US review sites and owner reviews rate them as at least as good as standard, and better than most standard, and don't take much to bed in.

And I've just about confirmed that US cars us UK spec, rather than early jap spec brakes.

Nah, I asked about the new Greenstuff 4x4 specials. I got them, working very well. Unlike the Ford originals these grip hard enough to activate the ABS if I bury the pedal to the carpet.

Thats what I'm hoping I can get to happen with these Akebonos.

I can brake real hard but no kick in from the ABS (it does past the startup test), but after 3 to 4 stand on the brakes tests, or 6 normal but heavy brakings, they start to really fade, until just to feel like you are going to stop at all, you need to really need to stand on them, and it doesn't kick in, in the slightest.

[snip]

FWIW, I changed the pads and the rotors. The rotors are now Powerslot rather than Ford. These are grooved rotors. I decided I had to change them after having an "interesting" experience of brake fade in the Alps. The time you don't want the brakes to fade is when descending a 10,000ft mountain in a vehicle weight nearly three tonnes carrying a payload of

750Kg.

I've had a look at the rotors. So far, they still have plenty of meat on them (within tolerances) even though the paperwork with it doesn't mention them being changed in 15 years.

I know these Ceramic pads will either warp the discs, or eat them pretty quickly because of the hardness and the ability of the pad to work harder when hot, so I'm prepared to change them within the next 6 months to a year. I'm probably looking at 3g vented grooved, DBA Roo Paws, or maybe Rotors brand (although I reckon they are justa cool looking gimmic, if the prie is right I'll try them).

Er, Greenstuff are for slow and light cars. Only a mentallist would put them on a 2.0 Turbo :) EBC will tell you this themselves if you ask them.

Of course they did. They're for XR2s and the like, not big heavy performance cars !

Spot on. Whoever sold him Greenstuff for a GT4, was being a bit silly :)

In what ? Greenstuff pads ? It doesn't matter one jot, cos they aren't on the table. Redstuff Ceramic are their basic performance pad, for anything with a bit of go.

That is all EBC sell for the ST185.

Stupid buying them I know, but he needed pads, went to local parts shop, asked what they had or could get same day, they said EBC pads was all they stocked, and EBC only listed greenstuffs (I checked the EBC website and it's true). Not even the standard blackstuffs are listed.

Bit stupid of a company listing e-marked pads for a car, that are only "For Show".

They list a standard pad (I found them OK)

Must have added them since I looked. Definatley weren't there in August/Sept when I first go the car, and was looking to see what replacment options and costs there were, from different makers.

Then they're a bit silly :)