Brake pads (£ = better?)

[killa]

I was just about to purchase some Brembo rear brake pads for my TRX 850.
Is it right to assume, Brembo, plus more money, equals better pads. Or could I buy some decent Kyoto or EBC and wouldn’t notice the difference?

Thanks
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Bike:- Yamaha TRX850 | Killas Biking History | Killas Gaming History | Killas autmotive history

[stinkwheel]

I like them and put my money where my mouth is. However, make sure you get ones designed for road use. The race ones need to be up to temperature to work properly and would be a liability on the road.

I did find that I had to sand the paint off the side edges of my last set of brembo pads because they were binding slightly against the callipers (pretec 6-pots). All 4 pads did this. I suspect it may be due to fine tolerances on both parts meaning the thickness of the paint made them too wide.
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[killa]

[stinkwheel]

[Rogerborg]

I wouldn't touch EBC with your piston.
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[Nobby the Bastard]

Whereas I swear by EBC (american) pads.

Unless they are the 'organic'ones. Don't like them.
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[Fin]

I buy the cheapest pads I can, haven't had a problem yet, In my opinion and anyone who's ridden my bike my brakes are good. Standard brakes on a cbr600f3 and the cheapest pads I could find on AliExpress (came from Germany).

A Golf seemingly brake checked me after I overtook the car behind it, I was probably doing 70 - 80 and they braked from 50 to about 35 as I was behind them (already slowing).
It doesn't say much without videos etc but I'm happy with them.

I'm sure there are useful sites out there which explain the differences.

My understanding is that it depends what you want from pads, good performance when hot, good braking initially / cold. It's all to do with the compounds that they are made of and what they are designed for.

[NJD]

EBC HH here and no complaints.
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[stevo as b4]

I've always used either EBC or Carbon Lorraine sintered pads, because they are good and easy to get hold of. I wouldn't say other brands like Brembo or Ferodo are any better or worse. Its pad type, material and friction rating that's important IMO.

My EBC Pads in the rear brake of my 125 are stupidly easy to lock the back wheel up with anything more than a gentle press of the brake pedal.

[Howling Terror]

Brembo calipers, rotors and EBC sintered pads n the front and EBC organics on the rear. Like them.
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[bacon]

Bendix MRR on the 7r were awesome in the 6 pots

On my old 7r, I swapped out the calipers for some nissins off of eBay, they came with some new Ferodo pads, no idea what they were, I wish I'd saved the packaging, but they got destroyed in 5k miles or less and were fantastic, then I replaced with ferodo sintergrips which felt wooden in comparison.

SBS sintered pads seem ok too, had them on the sv1000s and have them on the Deauville now.

If I were to buy new pads now for my MT09, I'd consider trying some Brembos or I'd buy some Bendix MRR again

[garth]

I'm pretty fussy with pads. Brembo reds are good, worth the extra.
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[wr6133]

Never tried Brembo pads.

I have run a variety of cheap pads through bikes used for commuting and I came to the conclusion

EBC - Organic are decidedly average, sintered pretty good (but I avoid sintered on my commuter).

Armstrong - Organic are best cheap pads I've used, obviously not a patch on sintered but they have a really good split between stopping ability and longevity (for an organic).

Kyoto - Don't let the Japanese name fool you, these are cheap nasty Chinese shite. As penny pinching as I am, I replaced these before they were even close to worn out because they were utter crap.

Pyramid parts - Worse than Kyoto, the material actually became detached off one pad after doing a few runs down Henstridge airstrip.

Goldfren - Had a set of their sintered, stopping power was ok but what pissed me off was the hole for the pin to go through was too small (by alot) so before installing them I had to drill the hole out. I wonder about quality when they can't even get a simple hole the correct size.

TLDR - The really cheap pads are crap, mid priced ones can be ok.

[stinkwheel]

[wr6133]

[Dave70]

[Scythe]

I current use Brembo SC pads on my ZX6 road bike, SBS RS on my track bike, and EBC HH on my Versys (prev. used EBC HH on the ZX6 too).


Brembo SC pads are great on the road - initial bite and solid braking power is good. No complaints but are pricy.

SBS RS pads - No complaints here, equal braking power and bite to Brembo and far cheaper, but I don't know what they're like on road (lots of heat cycles + braking from cold - on track the brakes used regularly they stay warmish). I am considering these on my road bike when the Brembo SC's are worn out. I've heard plenty of good reviews for road use so I have no concerns.

EBC HH - Not as good as Brembo or SBS, but not bad either. Similarly priced to SBS RS.


In conclusion, for value for money vs performance, I would go SBS RS pads for the front. For rear pads, I would just fit some good quality organic pads.
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[kramdra]

Rear pads are not that important.. I like Nissan pads but they are 90 quid for the full set. They work well in the wet or cold, predictable and not too sharp.

Some pads are abrasive and will wear discs very quickly, my left front is original at almost 100k.

[Howling Terror]

^^^Rear pads are not important to you.

Predictable rear braking is important to me when I'm taking a pillion, not used much during solo riding but when it's raining and say I'm approaching a well used junction that's when a bit of split of braking gives extra confidence as does dragging a bit of brake when two up and slow filtering, or the occasional U turn.
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[Polarbear]

The best pads I ever had were Bendix pads on my Busa. I can't remember which ones but they were silly money and recommended by UKBusas.org. Even Tocico six pots worked with them in.
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[chickenstrip]

Genuine Yamaha pads are good on my Fazer; good feel and last well, but currently ok with EBC HH's front, EBC standard rear. The HH's I find lack a little feel when cold, but this doesn't last long - a few good squeezes and all is fine. HH's are way over the top for the rear.
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[bacon]

[stevo as b4]

EBC HH sintered in the rear and hoping and wishing my front brake was as sharp and bitey. Next step was fuck it and order a custom made disc that's bigger and make my caliper work with that.

You people that are going out of your way to avoid sintered pads in your commuters, just how many miles a year are you doing? And why do you value disc life so much over stopping power? Is a new disc every 2-3years a worse price to pay than sharp and predictable braking?

[wr6133]

[Nobby the Bastard]