Brand New EBC Bluestuff NDX Review

[jtaylor]

Break in: Break in took a long time, as the pad material is obviously harder than the yellowstuff or my previous stoptech street performance pads. I received the pads about 2 months ago, and I put them on almost immediately. I have just finally broken them in. Keep in mind, I've broken them in with just gentle driving over the last few hundred miles. I havnt driven aggressively because of rather serious brake kidder through the steering wheel. This judder is just starting to go away and I'm starting to get a little more liberal with the pedal.

Friction: The frictional qualities are ridiculous. From cold the pad bites like OEM. But it just gets better from there. There seems to be no end to the grip from these pads.

Modulation: The pads are rock hard, and when the brakes are bled properly, the pedal is crazy hard. The brake force is strong but easy to modulate, as long as you plan on the brake force building up quickly.

Streetability: A couple minor squeals, but no big deal. You can't hear it unless the window is down. As I said cold bite is fine except for the coldest nights (40F). It only takes 1 stop to get the pedal back though.

Trackability: No time to make a canyon run yet, but I'm sure they'll take it just fine.

 

[dparm]

Get on a real racetrack and report back. That's the true test for "performance" brakes.

I often laugh when people rave about their "high-performance" Hawk HPS pads. Those same people do a track day and come back later to say how the pads were pretty much worthless by the second lap.


But to get back to your post, if the pads bite well when cold, that's a winner for a DD in my book.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Get on a real racetrack and report back. That's the true test for "performance" brakes.

I often laugh when people rave about their "high-performance" Hawk HPS pads. Those same people do a track day and come back later to say how the pads were pretty much worthless by the second lap.


But to get back to your post, if the pads bite well when cold, that's a winner for a DD in my book.


+1

 

[jtaylor]

I'll take em to the hills this weekend. Closest thing to a track I got, but I can still hit 100 and slow to 20 for the turn. And gorgeous...not that I'm looking out the window of course.

That brake judder is relatively normal for race pads though?

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Get on a real racetrack and report back. That's the true test for "performance" brakes.

I often laugh when people rave about their "high-performance" Hawk HPS pads. Those same people do a track day and come back later to say how the pads were pretty much worthless by the second lap.



Even their HP+es are nowhere near a true open track/HPDE/lapping day pad!!

 

[jtaylor]

Pads still holding up solid even after repeated 80-5 stops and a 100-20 stop. But there's still some pretty serious judder through the steering wheel. Why?

 

[JasonC]

Did you turn the rotors before hand?

 

[mechtech2]

Real racing is differnt than normal or even vigorous stret driving.
Pad material should be different.
And when really using your brakes, a different type of pad deposistion on the rotor takes place. That material deposition is non existent or spotty in normal street driving.

 

[jtaylor]

I'm using brand new rotors....so you're saying that the rotors will judder a little under normal circumstances. They will work best though, on the track?

 

[mechtech2]

Huh? How did you get that?

 

[The Critic]

Perhaps if you mellowed down your driving a bit, that would solve most of your problems.

 

[CBR.worm]

I know this is an old thread, I was wondering if you were still running these pads, and which rotors?

Did your 'judder' ever go away?

I am debating putting a second set of the BlueStuffs on my car and am always looking for feedback.

So far on this car I have used OEM pads a few times, Project mu B-force, StopTech street performance (I think that's what they were called), Endless Vito Nuova(sp?), and currently the new Bluestuff NDX's. I think the bluestuffs are my favorite so far, although they fade quicker than my Project Mu's did - they also work better cold.

I have used multiple sets of OE rotors, DBA 4000, EBC USR, Performance Brake and Centric so far on this car and think I will probably stick with the EBC USR again.

Always looking for feedback

 

[jtaylor]

The shudder still hasn't gone away. Especially under hard driving. And they still havnt bed in fully (5000mi +\-), often leaving a tiny line of brake material on the rotor instead of a full sweep. But I think it's the cheap cquence slotted rotors. The pads seem to work best for aggressive street driving. They do seem to level off in how much stopping force they give despite pressing harder.

 

[CBR.worm]

looking for input again. I think I will go back to the DBA 4000 rotors and an torn between another set of BlueStuffs or Project MU B force.

I don't remember what I didn't like about the B-force - high initial pedal force maybe?

No real complaints about the bluestuffs other than when they fade, they fade fast.

Both sets of pads well outlasted the rotors.

I wish I could mimick the brakes on my wifes BMW,