Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

Hey,

I mounted EBC discs and Green stuff pads last june. By now, my brakes are squeeling at a certain point on the pedal but if I depress quite a lot they stop squeeling and have a fine bite.

There is also another kind of whining sound when I break, sounds like a muted flute so I imagine some air escaping. But is ther any air involved in breaking? :)

I've got quite a stop and go driving style and a lot of bends and hills so of course this takes it's toll on the pads but isn't 20.000 km a bit early to wear out?

Local Parts & Pieces sell Remsa pads at near EBC prices and ATE pads at twice the cost. Have you ever heard of these manufacturers?

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

i would avoid EBC brakes.

i had Redstuff on my LGT (despite reading warnings about them on the LegacyGT forums) - stupid me.

they were not "quiet and low dust" - they squealed and dusted like crazy.
the best part was, they scored the living hell out of my rotors to the point that i needed to replace them. i threw the pads in the garbage before they barely had any wear on them. :mad:

my next set were Hawk performance ceramic, and they were great and exactly what i was looking for. if you can find them in an SVX fitment, i'd highly recommend those.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

+1 to the above...

I also moved from Hawk pads to StopTech and I enjoy then much more. The initial bite improved but so did the amount of dust.

Its hard to get high performance without dust

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

My front brakes have a tendency to "warp" which is to say that the pads deposit a small amount of crud on the rotor during hard stops. The pads are not worn yet but I did some research ahead of time to determine what I will buy when the time comes. For once, I agree with Alan. Hawk HPS may be the best bet for this car. It is a metallo-carbon composite. I believe Centric may have a version of this now too and they make good stuff as well. That will remove heat from the friction surface the quickest and avoid the deposition that causes "warping". If I change my rotors, they will be to R1 Concepts px.47014 as they are cross drilled and cryo-treated. Again, that is the best combination to avoid "warping". From what I can tell, R1 Concepts starts with rotors from Centric, a good choice, and modifies them. For brake fluid, I have started switching my cars over to Motul RBF600. It is ester based which is good for heat removal. It is all about heat removal for me.....

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

I used Hawk HP-Plus pads on my RX8 for awhile, and right now I use EBC yellows. I've been very happy with them. Like the Hawks I was using, I don't think they're necessarily appropriate for the street, but I'm still very happy.

The Hawks were very bitey when they warmed up. Too much initial torque, so I could overwhelm the tires too easily. The EBCs have proven to be much more consistent over their temperature range.

Both the Hawks and the EBCs make a ton of dust, but the EBCs have been quieter on the street.

I've never used EBC Green pads, and I never had anything but nice street pads on my SVX. Still, I have been very happy with EBC, so I thought I'd present a dissenting opinion.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

To answer your question about air and braking, no there is no air involved on hydraulic brake systems. If there is any air in the brakes you will notice a soft brake pedal and poor braking.
From my experience the SVX is prone to front brake noise. If the pads are poor or the rotors rusty or the slightest bit warped, they will squeal and/or grind.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

Thanks guys.

Ceramic pads, are they for street use primarily? And I assume by "street" they mean "road" as opposed to "track"? I have a lot of bends and bumps.

As for warped discs.. there is no wobble upon breaking, I assume they are not warped. Correctly so?

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

You are correct. Your rotor choice and/or rotor age and/or pads have allowed you to avoid "warping". What are you using for rotors and how old are they?

On the R1 Concepts rotors, I checked them out yesterday and it looks like they may not be making the premium rotors for the SVX anymore. That px.47014 part number may no longer be available and the remaining model seems inferior. Centric appears to be selling a similar version through their Stoptech line. The part numbers are 128.47014R and 128.47014L. They are cross-drilled versions of their high quality split cast rotors. And, if you can find them, you can also get the DBA 652X rotors...for twice the price. Not sure if those are worth the price or are needed. Centric also sells cryo-treated slotted rotors under their Powerslot line under the part numbers 126.47014CSL and 126.47014CSR.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

Centric also makes Power Slots, which have been running pretty great on my car since I installed them. Shouldn't be too expensive either; I got a front set for $150.
Part numbers are 126.47014SL and 126.47014SR for left and right, respectively.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

They are standard EBC ventilated (front and rear), correct size and bolt pattern. They were mounted last june. I've done maybe 20k km since then.

All these american manufacturers, do they sell ventilated rear rotors? Since US cars have solid discs, I mean.

There is an opinon that "warping" is uneven pad material deposits that develop during rapid temperature changes. I assume a fairly solid manufacturer like EBC have thought about this when they chose materials.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

Don't assume.

I assumed EBC was capable of making street pads that didn't destroy relatively new stock Subaru rotors, and were relatively "quiet" and "low dust", but I was wrong.

I had cryo rotors on my SVX, and they looked like new after a few years, but I forget the brand.

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

Only the rear rotors are different. The front rotors are the same, which is what does 70% of the braking. :)

Re: Brake pads - Green Stuff disappoints. Remsa or ATE better?
 

So get US cryos for the front and standard EBC euro ones for the rear? :)