Alright so I am asking you guys for some help. I need new brake pads for the Vantage and I was just wondering if you guys had any input in what to get. I preferably want something carbon ceramic like I had on the M5 where I won't have to worry about brake dust or squeaking.

I was thinking EBC Redstuff Ceramic pads. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

I have heard lots of controversial things about EBC Red pads. I am currently testing the Carbotech pads but its still too early to tell. So far they are very quiet but I have yet to wash both wheels and truly compare stock dusting vs. the carbotechs.

Pagid & brembo are always a good choice but noise & dust seem to be an issue. I personally have had hawk HPS pads, they dusted very little but my GOD they squealed ... never buying a set every again. Axxis ultimates were quieter but they dusted even worse than stock. Its so hard to find a truly great pad. The only pad I ever truly fell in love with was the Performance Friction carbon metallic pads (once hot). Problem is when cold they didn't have the same initial bite as stock.

With pads there are no silver bullet, they all have compromises
________
VAPORIZER WIKI

 

I had EBC red installed last friday. I plan on taken them off tomorrow. Ha!

Why? Too much brake squeal. There likely great for the track but the noise is unbearable for public roads. I tried heating them up by doing some 140-30 emergency stops but they still screeched at low speeds. Perhaps other members have had better luck, but for me, EBC fails.

 

How do you like the Carbotech's so far??
I want pads that's don't squeak (currently my OEM's don't make a sound - but not much left of them) I don't mind the dust & usually do 6 to 8 track days a year (also not keen on changing between pads at the track) looking for one set of pads to meet all my needs. Reading through all the threads, I more confused that ever what to go with.

Failing that - Is there a good place to buy the OEM pads at a reasonable price?

Thanks





Which ones did you ended up going with after the removed the EBC reds??

 

The first mod I have done to my car is replace the pads with something less dusty. I helped a company called Porterfield Brakes develop the application for the Lotus Esprit. I was really pleased with how little dust their pads generated, so I decided to give them a try for the Vantage as well.

The pads I used are the R4-S which is their "street" compound. I would not recommend the R4 (race compound) pad unless you plan on tracking the car.

The front pads were number AP1165-R4S and the rears AP1166-R4S.

Here's a few notes on my install:

• Both sets have the cutouts for wear sensors, but they are not located in exactly the same location as the stock Brembo pads. This was not a big deal as the sensor wire is long enough to reach the different sensor location.
  
• AM recommends that you replace the sensors when you go to new pads. I'm guessing this is important if your sensors have already been scraped by making contact with the rotor. In my case the stock pads were still mostly new, so I reused the sensors with no ill effects.
  
• The rear stock inboard pads are "handed" i.e. there is a left and right hand set. The difference is the location of the cutout for the wear sensor. In both cases, the cutout is designed so that the sensor is closer to the bottom edge of the pad, so the inboard pads are actually mirror images of each other.
  
• The rear Porterfield pads were not mirror images, so on one side the wear sensor was closer to the top and on the opposite wheel, it was closer to the bottom. Again, not a big deal as the wire is long enough to reach either way.
  
• The rear Porterfield pads came with an anti-squeal shim, the fronts did not. I reused the stock shims on the front and put the new shims with the rears.
  
• I coated the shims and back of the pads with some Permatex anti-squeal compound. However, after driving the car, I had a terrible squeal from the rear pads (the ones that came with their own shims). I took the pads back off and replaced the shims with the old ones that were on the stock Brembo pads and the squeal went away.
  
• The amount of brake dust on my wheels is now dramatically less than it was with the Brembo pads. This is exactly what I observed when I did the same replacement on my Esprit.
  
• The pads cost about $150-160 per axle online. I did the labor myself, so there was no other expense.
  
• I took a few pictures of the installation that I could post later if anyone is interested.

I hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the info. Pics would be great.

 

Literally not a single squeek or squeal from the main pads .... and I have pushed the car very hard. I do still get an intermittent squeek from the ebrake pads. I am sending off a stock set of brembo ebrake pads to carbotech so they can make a set of 1521 e-brake pads. As soon as I do so they should release the full rear brake pad kit (main + ebrake). I believe it should cure our squeek problems once and for all.

Give me another week or two and they should be close to finished.

Hope that helps,
007

 

Below are a few pictures from my brake pad replacement job.

1. The tool I use to push back the pistons in the calipers. It makes brake pad changes much easier and eliminates the risk of damaging the pistons, seals or rotors.
2. New pads in their boxes. Fronts are on the left (1165).
3. Caliper prior to removing the pad retaining pins and clip.
4. View of what the brake pad wear sensor looks like.
5. View of the difference in the location of the pad wear sensor slot between the new Porterfield pad (top) and the stock Brembo pad (bottom).

 

A few extra pictures:

1. Brake pad spreader tool out of the packaging.
2. Brake pad anti-squeal paste.
3. Pad retaining pins and clip after they are removed from the caliper.

 

Thanks for the pics -


When I called the dealer to inquire prices for pads & rotors, I was told that I would also require a "Pin Kit" for $80.
I assume from your pics - this is the third image on the black Mat??

Did you feel this needed to be replaced?

Does the new wear sensor cable attach easily enough on the other side (not the brake pad connection) ??

Thks -

 

Yes, the pins and the retaining clip are shown in that picture. Each caliper has 2 pins. So, wow, talk about dealer markup! I would suspect that a fair price for the pins is about $2.00 each. There are 12 total on the vehicle, so $24 total.

I can see how they might want to replace them each time. Each pin has a compression collar on the back that holds the pin in place and, legally, they may want to use a fresh set each time. The reality though, is that it is perfectly acceptable to use the pins multiple times and most people reuse
the pins throughout all pad changes during the life of the vehicle.

According to the workshop manual, the connector for the wear sensor wire is hiding behind wheel well liner. IIRC, you have to remove a couple of Torx head screws to pull back part of the liner and gain access to the connector. I didn't have to replace my sensors, so I didn't have to mess with this.

 

Dear Gecko,

I got your PM, but I can't PM you back because apparently I don't have enough posts. In fact, it seems that I can't even answer your question here, because that would be in violation as well. Heck, even my signature on posts was deleted because I had a link to my (non-commercial) Esprit website. I understand the need to control Spam etc., but sometimes this board's rules seem a bit draconian compared to the dozens of other forums I have participated in through the years.

 

http://www.endless-brake.info/brake-pads/brake-pads

Hi guys.

Have any of you tried / heard of this supplier?

Used extensively in Aston race world with great success.

 

As per karlfranz's suggestion I had the Porterfield brake pads installed a few weeks ago. So far, so good... No squeal (knock on wood), seemingly less dust, and great stopping power!

That's two I owe you karlfranz! I also had the oil changed recently and bought a case of the BMW Castrol 10w60. I owe you a beer or two--if you ever get over to the boring side of the state, let me know.

Now I just need replacements for those damned e-brake pads...

 

I'm glad it worked out for you as well. The E-brake is on my short list of upgrades so I should be doing those soon. Maybe it will help reduce even more brake dust as my rear wheels now get dustier more quickly than the fronts.

I was talking to the owner of our Orlando dealership about organizing some type of get-together at their location. Maybe just a meet and greet. They seemed to like the idea.

Other than that, you might catch me at the Celebration Exotic Car Show where every year I am the chief concours judge for Lotus.