Akebono ProACT vs EBC Ultimax "Blackstuff" pads

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
15,986
Location
USA
1996 I30/Maxima

The ACT's are US-made and FF

The EBC's are UK-made and GG

Price difference is negligible between the two
 
GG is a friction rating, the first letter is for cold friction and the second letter is for hot friction. I think the ratings start at E and go up to H.
 
GG is the friction coefficient rating of a given brake pad. All pads sold in the US should be tested and marked with this two letter code. The first digit is the low temperature rating, second being high temperature rating.

On new pads you'll see the two letter code printed on either the back of the pad or top/bottom of the friction material. I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) it runs E through H, H being the highest.

From my own observations, low quality pads (the $15 ones you buy at Autozone) will usually be an "EE" or "FE". When the low temperature rating is higher than the high temp rating, it implies that the brake pad will fade at higher temps. It's better to see an EF than an FE, in my opinion, as you will likely get better performance as the pad heats up, instead of the opposite.

I've seen that ceramics in the $30-$50+ range usually carry a FG or GG rating, which I consider good. Semi-metallics / organics I've seen all over the board-- EE, FE, EF, GF, etc, but I've never seen them GG. I think it largely depends on who made the pad, for what application. You can always ask the clerk at your local autoparts store to see the rating before you buy. If there's no marking, don't buy it! I don't think the code tells the whole story, but you can certainly use it as a guide to see if the pads you're looking at (especially budget ones) are worth buying-- I would be wary of EE, but I've seen pads with great reviews that had an FF.

FWIW, you probably won't see an H rating except on motorcycle pads. I've never seen one in the wild on a pad intended for passenger vehicles.
 
Try the EBC's. I have tried FF from Akebono and Bosch and braking seemed.. ugh.. weak-ish. Would be curious to hear your thoughts.. I would consider buying new pads rated GG if I knew they would be more responsive.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Try the EBC's.
I did try the Ultimax, they're garbage. They leave a black film all over the rims and all up the side and back of the car. And their performance leaves a lot to be desired.
 
Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Try the EBC's. I have tried FF from Akebono and Bosch and braking seemed.. ugh.. weak-ish. Would be curious to hear your thoughts.. I would consider buying new pads rated GG if I knew they would be more responsive.


I'm curious if you have found a better pad than Akebono. I use them and they seem fine but I haven't compared them to anything else.
 
Monroe Total Solutions (part numbers starting with CX) also seems to be GG in my size, and they cost even less than the other two options. Made in Canada. Any experience with Monroe's brakes? They're more known for their shocks, so you don't hear too much about their brakes.
 
I just got a front brake pad change with Akebono ProACTs. I'm not considering buying them again. For their purpose they might be good pads (low noise low dust) but I don't want pads that have FF rating while my OEM pads have FG rating. Braking feels slightly smoother while I was looking for harder bite but eventually they engage ABS in an emergency situation and as far as I understand after ABS is engaged your braking distance is not determined by your braking pads.
 
Last edited:
On the maxima, I might be inclined to stick with OE, unless you are looking for some specific change. I've heard good things about the Akebono pads. I've also heard good things about the EBC pads, depending on what you are looking for.
 
UPDATE

I ended up getting the EBC pads, and they are awesome. They come with a special coating to help bed them in, and no bedding procedure was needed. No noise, either. Highly recommended by me so far
thumbsup2.gif


New rotors were installed at the same time. Wagner E-coated rotors, which did not need to be cleaned off before installation
smile.gif
 
I swear by EBC Greenstuff pads-- They've made an improvement is stopping power in all applications I've used them on. The caveat being that they do leave a lot of black brake dust, that in my opinion is semi-corrosive -- it will pit the wheels if not cleaned regularly.
 
Unless you're looking for a brake pad for higher street performance, I'd stay with FF pads.

For my daily drivers, I prefer FF coefficient of friction(CoF). And I do like Akebono ProACT very much.

All of the GG CoF brakes that I have used, didn't seem to have the initial bite as the FF under normalness of everyday type braking(city/hiwy or even mountainous driving in the winter in NY & summer in Phoenix).

Maybe GG have better )))HOT((( braking such hard street but, for the everydayness, I'm not crazy about GG CoF Pads...

Just my opinion!
 
I'd like to add/explain better what I mean by brake bite. I prefer brake pads that have a little more bite at the top of the pedal than when pushing down on the pedal and finally getting some bite.

Then, what I have noticed with GG CoF pad is they they don't(in my experience) hold the car at a stop when when holding the brakes fully on(brake stand) and giving the engine some gas. NO, I DON'T DO BRAKE STANDS! I only use it as a test for my initial brake bite. And FF CoF brakes is more to my preference...like OE!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top