I have recently purchased a set of cross/slotted rotors and am looking to replace the brake pads and lines at the same time. I have read many of the forums and decided to try th EBC Green V4 pads, as they seem to be a good replacement for street use. Also, the thought of less brake dust would be nice. Where is the best place to order these and metal braided brake lines from. Do any of our sponsors carry this stuff? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

REVS9K

 

I found the EBC's a pretty undesirable pad. They scored the rotors more than others, and had a marginal friction level.. IMO a high price to pay to have less dust. I disliked them so much I pitched them rather than burden another owner with the problem.

 

Cdelena,

Thanks for the response. Anything you would recommend? What do you know about Carbotech?

Thanks

 

The stock pads are pretty good for the street but just lack the higher friction level that is nice to have sometimes.

I usually use the Porterfield R4S on the street but they are slightly dirty. Have also used Brakeman #3's on the street with moderate dusting but better friction hot than cold.

Although some people use Carbotech P or P+ pads on the street I find they are too dirty and noisy for street use.

There are pads by others (Cobalt, Hawk, etc.) than I have not tried but just keep in mind that compound fomulation is a compromise.. good cold performance sacrifices hot performance.. long wear and low dust often sacrifices friction and sometimes rotor wear.

I think the stock pads and the R4S pads are the most widely used for the street, with the Hawk, Pagid, and Carbotech popular track pads.

 

Thanks for the input

 

Any info on ceramicool. They seem reasonable in price.

 

You may think about Akebono for pads. They are an OEM for many companies and are the replacement pad for some of the foreign makes as well in the US. Rather then ship replacement pads over, they supply them to the local country. They are also one of the leaders in braking technology and look to make pads as quiet and low dust as possible. Their pad material is ceramic based.

What pad you need to use depends on the application. Some pads are great for the track, but are just not that great for public road use. Some pads also fade quite fast in stop and go traffic, but the first use when cold is great. For public road use, you would want a consistent pad; one with low dust, noise and harshness is also a big plus.

 

I agree. I am looking for something for street use. OEM pads are very inexpensive through H and A accessories. I just want to make sure all of my options are covered. I don't mind spending a few more dollars forbetter product.

 

I don't know who makes the OEM pads that came on the car or the replacement pads sold in the US. They could be two different companies.

Some companies actually test their products rather then making one that fits the caliper. I know someone that works for a company that is the OEM to many makes, one of which is Honda. She immediately knew that our cars used ceramic pads due to the low amount of brake dust on my rims, and well, my car was dirty at the time. She didn't know who makes the pads though. Some of the technology that some of the top brake companies use to develop braking systems and pads for the manufacturers are mind boggling, almost CIA like. Some of the aftermarket companies just cannot afford this equipment and can really only make a pad that fits the caliper. If their pad material was so great, some of the OEM's would be using it. So that means the company cannot either provide sufficient quantity and quality, or the manufacturer has decided that the material just is not better then what they have now.

The carbon-metallic pads just don't seem to be that great IMO. They were better then what GM used at the time, but that isn't saying much. In the 80's and 90's the skimped on the brakes and I mean skimped on them. Any pad was better then what they used and the entire brake system was underrated to the vehicle as well. It was a place fort hem to save money. I believe the carbon-metallic pads helped because the brake system got too hot after a few stops and could not dissipate the heat. Rotor and pad life was terrible though, OEM and carbon-metallic. Comparing the pad material that GM used and what Honda is using is night and day. It far surpasses the carbon-metallic, ceramic handles the heat better and the entire brake system dissipates the heat better.

I haven't tried different pads on the S but have on others vehicles I have owned. On the other vehicles you either got a lot of noise, dust and harshness but good braking results, or it was quiet, low dust and harshness and adequate braking results. On the S, it's quiet, low dust and harshness and excellent braking results. Even on the Honda bikes, the pads are great from the factory. Their HRC division has some race pads for some of the bikes and they provide a little more grip and less pad life. Some of their racers even use the stock pads. I truly believe that Honda seriously puts braking at the top of the list in terms of safety and their suppliers do as well. The overall best pad is probably the OEM.

As you have noted, the OEM pads are affordably priced. They give excellent results as well. Honda and their supplier did their homework.

 

I have always loved the braking capabilities on my 1998 Honda Superhawk VTR 1000. I am sure by just adding the cross/slotted rotors the cooling will help the performance of the stock pads. Thanks again for the input. Anyone have advice on changing the brake lines to metal braided vs. stock?