Raybestos Element 3

mclasser

mclasser

Joined
Apr 13, 2013
Messages
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My 2013 Pilot is due for a front brake job. I'm usually an Akebono pads & Centric prem. rotors guy but the Raybestos E3 complete kit looks tempting.

Pad-wise, the car calls for ceramic. The Raybestos pads are hybrid. What can be expected by changing materials? Better cold bite but increased rotor wear and noise/dust?

Rotor-wise, I live in the salt belt and the Centric coated rotors hold up well. How is the Raybestos corrosion coating?

The Pilot's heavy and is known for pedal pulsation from beating on the rotors. The Centric rotors have like 55k miles and have just now developed a slight pulsation. The junk OE rotors pulsated at only 15k. Do the Raybestos rotors tend to hold up on heavy vehicles?
 
mclasser said:
My 2013 Pilot is due for a front brake job. I'm usually an Akebono pads & Centric prem. rotors guy but the Raybestos E3 complete kit looks tempting.

Pad-wise, the car calls for ceramic. The Raybestos pads are hybrid. What can be expected by changing materials? Better cold bite but increased rotor wear and noise/dust?

Rotor-wise, I live in the salt belt and the Centric coated rotors hold up well. How is the Raybestos corrosion coating?

The Pilot's heavy and is known for pedal pulsation from beating on the rotors. The Centric rotors have like 55k and have just now developed a slight pulsation. The junk OE rotors pulsated at only 15k. Do the Raybestos rotors tend to hold up on heavy vehicles?
Click to expand...
Not a fan of the E3s, tried them multiple times ended up changing them early, their coated rotors don't seem to hold up to elements as well. I personally like the the power stop GEOMET rotors and powerstop brakes.
 
I have been satisfied with the brake feel and condition of the E3's on the elantra and 2013 outback (when we had it)
All vehicles are different but I tried powerstop multiple times and they were the worst I've used. Someone else probably says that about Raybestos ;)
 
Over the past few years I've done a few brake jobs for myself, family, and friends using them with very good results. They seem to be holding up just fine here on Long Island.
 
Powerstop Geomet coated rotors are awesome :)

Pair them with EBC Ultimax2/Blackstuff pads (not available from Rock Auto, sadly)

If you still prefer pads from Rock Auto, Akebono or Advics
 
I used E3 pads with PowerStop coated rotors front and rear on my Accord this past spring. I broke them in properly but it took a good 5k miles or so for them to actually feel 'right' since there was apparently a lot of initial pad transfer. They are more or less fine now but I may go back to the Centric Premiums I used last time the next time.
 
I had very good luck with Callahan drilled and slotted rotors and Akebono ACT Pro pads on a number of vehicles. If you're wondering what Callahan rotors are, they are PowerStop overstock.
 
mclasser said:
My 2013 Pilot is due for a front brake job. I'm usually an Akebono pads & Centric prem. rotors guy but the Raybestos E3 complete kit looks tempting.

Pad-wise, the car calls for ceramic. The Raybestos pads are hybrid. What can be expected by changing materials? Better cold bite but increased rotor wear and noise/dust?

Rotor-wise, I live in the salt belt and the Centric coated rotors hold up well. How is the Raybestos corrosion coating?

The Pilot's heavy and is known for pedal pulsation from beating on the rotors. The Centric rotors have like 55k miles and have just now developed a slight pulsation. The junk OE rotors pulsated at only 15k. Do the Raybestos rotors tend to hold up on heavy vehicles?
Click to expand...
Im starting to reasses my love affair with online parts, so ill throw in the premium line from your local auto parts store. Get some coupon codes to decrease cost,
 
I started using E3 brake components almost exclusively due to price and expected quality. A year ago I put a set on my niece's '15 Odyssey. They developed a horrible shudder at moderate freeway speeds after a few months. A shop resurfaced the rotors; that wa a waste of $$.
I think they are OK for lighter vehicles, but not for heavier ones but I won't buy them again.
Just my experience.
 
JeffKeryk said:
I started using E3 brake components almost exclusively due to price and expected quality. A year ago I put a set on my niece's '15 Odyssey. They developed a horrible shudder at moderate freeway speeds after a few months. A shop resurfaced the rotors; that wa a waste of $$.
I think they are OK for lighter vehicles, but not for heavier ones but I won't buy them again.
Just my experience.
Click to expand...

Did you also install new rotors…. or just new pads ?
 
I’ve got E3 pads and Raybestos R300 S groove rotors on the front in the Odyssey. Made a night/day difference over the OE pads/rotors.
 
I used to LOVE Raybestos rotors and Element 3 pads. Probably installed 30-40 sets - then last year starting seeing some quality issues such as p[oor fitment and actual pad delamination so I stopped installing them. To be honest, the last year we have been using the Duralast Golds and have been very happy and customers are happy. The pads are rebadged Bosch I am told by my AZ commercial rep. The top level rotors are very nice and the black coating is nice looking as well.
 
Dave Hess said:
Did you also install new rotors…. or just new pads ?
Click to expand...
Rotors and pads. Let's just say I was very disappointed. The job was basically done 3 times:
  1. Me installing the E3 components
  2. Local shop truing rotors, etc and reinstalling (niece needed Oddy for kids school, etc)
  3. Me installing Dynamic Friction Geospec rotors and Honda pads per @The Critic recommendation
 
I used to be a diehard raybestos rotors guy but not any more. they have become hit and miss for me and I’ve had better luck with centric, Bosch and brembo. If the rotors I want don’t come with painted hats, I’ll DIY them. Centric still seems to have a proclivity to rust up more than the others, but in one of my vehicles they were the only non-oem version.

E3 pads are great if the vehicle is under-braked. They have good feel, minimal dusting and well above average bite, hot and cold. I think I’ve installed 5-6 sets now. The dust is under average but more than akebonos, but is grey and not red in color, so it hides well.

the latest 2 sets have been noisier than the others. One was school bus loud and I had to rough up the rotor (brand new) to hush it. The other has a slight squeal at *each* initial brake contact. Usually with E3s I might get a peep at the first stop of the day, but these have been a bit more talkative. The school bus is now silent, and I re-bed the other car this weekend - will see if they quiet down.

all this to say, these seem to work best in a heavy vehicle where you need to use the brakes. Light feathering is where they are noisy. They are overkill on our well-braked CRV. They are wonderful in the f150, and seem just right for the 4Runner I put them on recently.
 
I would pass on Raybestos period, my experience with them is warpage within 5k miles on the wife's Element. I use Wagner, Bosch, Pagid and Napa Severe duty on everything now and not an issue with any of them. I am not a fan of ceramic and run semi-metallic on everything. If you really want Raybestos buy the Centric's as if I remember correctly they are owned by the same company.
 
I installed raybestos E3s all the way around on several of my vehicles over the past 3yrs or so. Performance is excellent and I haven't had a single one of these rotors "warp" on me (yet). The coating slows down corrosion some, but one rust belt winter is all it takes for the hats to have some rust on them. Using them in an application where the vehicle wears pads/rotors fast, like my 2019 Pathfinder, my experiences is they wear as quickly as budget brake parts do. My Pathfinder is due for brakes again..
 
JeffKeryk said:
I started using E3 brake components almost exclusively due to price and expected quality. A year ago I put a set on my niece's '15 Odyssey. They developed a horrible shudder at moderate freeway speeds after a few months. A shop resurfaced the rotors; that wa a waste of $$.
I think they are OK for lighter vehicles, but not for heavier ones but I won't buy them again.
Just my experience.
Click to expand...

I had a similar experience on a large car. When I took the Raybestos E3 pads off to inspect them, while they still had a lot of pad material left, they had a lot of cracking. So I replaced them with a different brand.

It was annoying to have to change the pads early.
 
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