Hi all,
Its my turn for problems i think!...
I've just purchased a full set of yellowstuff pads. I bedded them in with several heat cycles, did 1 track day and the edges are crumbling away!
EBC technical say this is perfectly normal as they are an organic aramid composite and it wouldn't be unlikely for them to crumble some more!!
I previously had a set of Mintex 1144's, without a single problem over 6 track days.
Apparently lots of MR2 owners race with them, does anyone have any similar experience?
Thanks
Chown wrote:EBC technical say this is perfectly normal as they are an organic aramid composite and it wouldn't be unlikely for them to crumble some more!!
Sounds great, where can I buy some?
Biscuits are an organic composite as well - I'm thinking of fitting Bourbons on the front and the racing Garibaldi on the back (the currants give the extra-bite )
Ive had a set of rear yellow stuff on mine for the last 2 years - they work fine, not had any issues... but they are the rears of course. They still look like they've got plenty of meat on them
Chown wrote:EBC technical say this is perfectly normal as they are an organic aramid composite and it wouldn't be unlikely for them to crumble some more!!
Sounds great, where can I buy some?
Biscuits are an organic composite as well - I'm thinking of fitting Bourbons on the front and the racing Garibaldi on the back (the currants give the extra-bite )
Its all about hob-nobs on the front and rich tea's on the rear!
on a super serious not ive been looking at yellows front and reds rear.
Alex
Chown wrote:My rears seem ok too. The fronts are wrecked in my opinion. What do you run on the front?
Some high performance Mintex pads cant remember their name but they were £73 - that not great really.
Changing to GT4 twin pots very soon with modified scoobie red stuff pads
If your pads crumbled, I would guess that you didn't bed them in properly.
I had this happen with some Mintex 1155s. Stuck them on, drove from Nottingham to Brands Hatch, did a trackday, they fell apart.
I must admit to being a little lost with bedding in brakes. The manufacturers seem to suggest gentle applications for the first couple of hundred miles then online the talk is of putting heavy heat cycles through them.
I decided to do both, gentle for first applications and then heat cycles, each from 60/70mph down to about 20mph. Then the track day which obviously is very heavy use
Chown wrote:I must admit to being a little lost with bedding in brakes. The manufacturers seem to suggest gentle applications for the first couple of hundred miles then online the talk is of putting heavy heat cycles through them.
I actually listened in on Alain Prost describing how he bedded-in his brakes with the then-new carbon discs in the Brands Hatch pitlane in 1986. Unfortunately, I can't accurately remember what he was saying as I was mesmerised by the fantastic crookedness of his nose.
I think it was more leaning towards heavy heat cycles asap rather than modest initial application - it's the one that avoids glazing you require.........you can obviate all this by fitting biscuits however, we all know that only cakes and brake-pads can get glazed.
If they needed fairly gentle bedding in, I would say you didn't get enough in before stamping on them on when on track. Ideally it makes sense (if you can) to fit the brakes at least a week or so before you need them, then you can drive around a bit.
I recently put pads on my car which had a very definite bedding in procedure of moderate braking from 120-80Km/h. Then repeated with much harder stops between the same speed range.
I had no probs at all, but I was also driving the car around for a few weeks before I did a trackday and I'm very easy on brakes on trackdays as a rule.
We used EBC yellow all round with our track car and they were great. however i think with std discs you may experience some 'glazing' of the pad. we used grooved. Also this depends on how strict you were on track with your cool-down laps etc. also i wonder if you 'cooked' them by a sticky caliper or left your handbrake on etc which would definately cook the pad material causing the crumbling?
Here is the bedding in procedure from EBC: (note that there are slightly different procedures for road versus track use) 9. Bedding in EBC pads
In Street use situations
Bedding in when the red EBC surface coating (marked on the pads as Brake In) is applied.
Best procedure is to drive gently avoiding harsh braking unless in an emergency for first 100 miles. In the second 100 miles (up to 200) you can use gently increasing brake pressures when using the brakes.
Only after 200 miles urban driving (not 200 miles on a freeway where brakes are almost unused) should you attempt to apply heavy load and heat to the brakes. To do this final bedding on a QUIET ROAD in safe traffic apply the brakes and slow from 60 to 10 MPH five times in a row. Then drive slowly for a few minutes if safe to do so to allow the brakes to cool. Try to avoid coming to a rest whilst the brakes are heated.
A smell may be noticed from the warm brakes, this is normal. Repeat this procedure a second time after the brakes have TOTALLY cooled down. EBC pads get better with miles. Even after this bed in procedure it can take up to 1500 miles before the pads are at their best. In the meantime the pads will be good and safe but true potential not realised. EBC makes performance pads that last, they do not bed in within 5 minutes driving. Noises will be more likely during the first 1000-1500 miles use whilst this chemical bedding takes place.
NEVER attempt to sand or scotchbrite brake pads to assist it bedding in or noise reduction,this will only make things worse by taking the pads "Off-Flat" and require hundreds of miles driving to seat them again during which time the brakes will feel very dull. The only way to seat pads is against the rotor they will be used on and by following our bedding recommendation.
Bedding in for trackday or race use
We remind you there is NO WARRANTY on any EBC product for race use due to the very varying conditions that can be seen. However, care bedding pads in and monitoring wear will get the best from our products.
Most EBC pads including Yellow range pads now have the brake in coating. If possible and using a street based car, fit the pads before the race use and bed in as above for street use. Try to get 200-300 miles urban driving on the pads before racing them. If this is NOT possible and you fit at the track bed like this.
Drive two laps steadily applying the brakes every few seconds and then coast for a full lap without any unnecessary braking to allow pads and rotors to cool down. Drive a third lap applying the brakes slightly harder each time and again drive a cooldown lap. Do NOT pull up and park the car with the brakes red hot, try to let them cool as much as possible before coming to a rest. It is also important to understand that the pads must be geometrically matched to the rotor (flat and parallel) before they will bed in chemically. If you do the above bed in and get violent fade first use you MUST repeat the bedding procedure. We get lots of new customers calling in saying my brakes have faded and when they send a digital the pad is only touching on 70-80% of its surface area. Fade early in a pads life is almost a good thing. It is called GREEN fade and will disappear so if you suffer Green fade (you will notice this by smell), you are on the right path and this is not a negative. If you are getting fade after 20 laps and the pads are part worn, then something else needs looking into such as material choice, bleeding of the system, driving style etc
1500 miles to bed them in properly for road-use?
Up to 300 urban miles followed by a series of disciplined laps to prepare them for track use?
Not exactly plug 'n play are they?
