EBC Red Stuff brake pads. Any hands on experience?

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Had them on two cars at the same time. Dusted like crazy, low lifespan. Was not impressed compared to stock Brembo pads.

On which cars? EBC is not an upgrade if you are trying to replace Brembo. I would never put EBC on my BMW simply because BMW has ridiculous brakes from get go. On VW is different issue, and there is space there to do upgrade.
I think this current Red Stuff version is good and will check all boxes for OP.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: dan_erickson
I am getting a lot of mixed reviews online about EBC Red Stuff pads. I am looking for a pad that has some better stopping power and mostly a better initial bite. When I apply the brakes I would like to feel some response. OEM pads for my Honda and aftermarket pads that I have tried have not satisfied me yet so again I am looking. Does any one have experience with EBC pads?


Just go with Akebono ProAct Ceramic. Basically the best you will find and OEM for many vehicles.

Best for what? Akebono are THE ONLY pads I ever had where I was actually scared to drive. I took them off my VW CC after 1500-2000 miles. It is biggest POS I have ever had on a car.
Yes, they are quiet, they do not dust, but if you expect ANY KIND of performance from brakes, Akebono is the worst option.

 

[440Magnum]

I'll throw in another thumbs-up for Hawk HPS. I have them on my SRT, and they are very comparable to the original Brembo pads, with a little better response to pedal modulation IMO. Not terribly dusty, maybe a tad more than the OEM Brembos.


On my vintage R/T, I'll be giving their Ultimax line a try.

 

[Gasbuggy]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Had them on two cars at the same time. Dusted like crazy, low lifespan. Was not impressed compared to stock Brembo pads.

On which cars? EBC is not an upgrade if you are trying to replace Brembo. I would never put EBC on my BMW simply because BMW has ridiculous brakes from get go. On VW is different issue, and there is space there to do upgrade.
I think this current Red Stuff version is good and will check all boxes for OP.


2003 Cobra and a Cavalier. Back in 2009.

 

[C1KLTX]

Personally haven't tried Red Stuff but I do have EBC Green Stuff Pads and the Premium rotors on the Trailblazer. It was definitely a nice improvement over OEM for me, then again it didn't have Brembo or any upgraded brake parts.

Wish they had less dust but they sure will stop you quick.

 

[dan_erickson]

I was looking at Hawk HPS and they do not have the correct listing for the front. The Accord has two brake pad options but Hawk list there pad as fitting all the Accords. I called Hawk and they are looking into this for me. Brembo does not show a listing for my car.

 

[meep]

for me it's pretty much akebono or hawk. Hawk LTS > Akebono on the truck. They are about equal on the volvo - akebono modulates better under light braking while the hawk HPS modulates more intuitively under hard braking... again, on the volvo. Akebono was "perfect" under all normal (non-track) conditions on our gen 1 MDX and I never used anything else in it. Both for me have been great pads (except on the truck, akebono was NOT a good choice in the tundra, at all), but if you're picky about brake feel and modulation, both vary /with each application/.

Suggest checking out tirerack reviews on both and compared to EBC for best feedback. EBC reads very well on TR - I chose hawk instead due to a few reviews mentioning short pad life with EBC (short pad life, but very good performance reviews).

-m

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: Gasbuggy
Had them on two cars at the same time. Dusted like crazy, low lifespan. Was not impressed compared to stock Brembo pads.

On which cars? EBC is not an upgrade if you are trying to replace Brembo. I would never put EBC on my BMW simply because BMW has ridiculous brakes from get go. On VW is different issue, and there is space there to do upgrade.
I think this current Red Stuff version is good and will check all boxes for OP.


2003 Cobra and a Cavalier. Back in 2009.

That is what I was saying before, compound on earlier Red Stuff was horrible. This new compound is really good.

 

[SteveSRT8]

No Reds here, dusted like crazy and squealed all the time until you stopped from 100mph. Not very good for me. Tore up rotors because it never got them hot in street driving.

We like Stoptech's proprietary formula. Great initial bite, never seems to squeal, and it's still happy before it gets heated...

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
No Reds here, dusted like crazy and squealed all the time until you stopped from 100mph. Not very good for me. Tore up rotors because it never got them hot in street driving.

We like Stoptech's proprietary formula. Great initial bite, never seems to squeal, and it's still happy before it gets heated...

Wait, which ones made noise? Yellow stuff make noise, but I had 4 sets of Red Stuff and now fifth one on Tiguan, and never made any noise.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

How many different pads have you tried on a 2yo car?

Does Akebono make their ASP pads for your car? That would probably give you the best results. The Axxis Ultimate is also a good choice, if you can get them.

EBC Redstuff might be a bit too aggressive for street use and might not work well enough when cold. You'd probably be better off with Greenstuff or even the Ultimax/Blackstuff. Even their cheapest pads are GG-rated.

Do you know who made the OE pads?

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
How many different pads have you tried on a 2yo car?

Does Akebono make their ASP pads for your car? That would probably give you the best results. The Axxis Ultimate is also a good choice, if you can get them.

EBC Redstuff might be a bit too aggressive for street use and might not work well enough when cold. You'd probably be better off with Greenstuff or even the Ultimax/Blackstuff. Even their cheapest pads are GG-rated.

Do you know who made the OE pads?

GG rated makes difference if you can bring pad to certain temperature. On BMW's all ads are FF, and work best. Akebono for BMW is GG and they are biggest POS.

 

[SteveSRT8]

This thread brings back memories.

Based on your application pads may behave extremely different on different platforms.

My sig car has factory 4 piston fixed caliper Brembos with large rotors all the way around. Excellent track setup but on the street they rarely get warm enough to use the more aggressive pads.

We have to find the compromise that works best...

 

[dan_erickson]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
How many different pads have you tried on a 2yo car?

Does Akebono make their ASP pads for your car? That would probably give you the best results. The Axxis Ultimate is also a good choice, if you can get them.

EBC Redstuff might be a bit too aggressive for street use and might not work well enough when cold. You'd probably be better off with Greenstuff or even the Ultimax/Blackstuff. Even their cheapest pads are GG-rated.

Do you know who made the OE pads?


I am not sure who makes the OEM brake pads for my car, but through a little reading I would like to say Akebono makes the pads. In my quest to find a pad that I like better then OEM I have tried PowerStop sport and immediately did not like the pad. The OEM pads worked better then the PowerStop pads. Now I have Raybestos EHT pads on the car. Those pads seem to be okay. Stopping power seems to be on par with OEM, no noise, low dust.

Akebono makes the ASP line only for the rear. The Accord has had the same rear brakes from 2008 across all sub-models

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
This thread brings back memories.

Based on your application pads may behave extremely different on different platforms.

My sig car has factory 4 piston fixed caliper Brembos with large rotors all the way around. Excellent track setup but on the street they rarely get warm enough to use the more aggressive pads.

We have to find the compromise that works best...

Yeah, those brakes are not best in normal driving. On X5 diesel they use single piston and 348x30mm rotor. However, pads are ridiculously aggressive and sometimes I have feeling if you look at brake pedal it will brake. That is perfect set up for this type of car.

 

[SHOZ]

I have the yellostuffs on my Brembos for the Gen Coupe. Great brakes. Still on the OE rotors at 80k miles and near 60k miles on the pads.I had the Hawk HPS and didn't have enough bite.

Hyundai for some reason cut down the front Brembo pads so only 2/3s of the surface was left.

 

[dan_erickson]

I have a little update for you all. I never did put the Red Stuff pads on my car but kept the Raybestos EHT pads on the car. Then, I flushed the old brake fluid out that was already turning brown and bled the brakes. That helped a lot with pedal feel and stopping power. Then, I bought stainless braided lines to replace the rubber lines and once again bled the lined out. Now, the car stops pretty darn good. Normal driving everything feels great and the one time I tested a panic stop from 40 mph I was about thrown into the windshield. The seatbelt locked and held me in the seat.

 

[meep]

I keep hearing good things about the EHT pads. Sounds like they are good stuff.

 

[MarcS]

My Experience with EBC Red was lots of noise and brake dust and they only lasted 11 months.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

I've had some great success with EBC redstuff pads on my 2010 Genesis Coupe Track Edition (with Brembos) grab well, last quite some time (who said they only got 11 months?) my rears are going on 4 1/2 years and about 80k miles. Fronts lasted something like 50k ish if I remember right. Didn't squeak. Dust isn't any more than OEM pads from what I remember.