EBC Red Stuff Pads
 

Just installed EBC Red Stuff Pads today. Sorry if this is the wrong section, just didn't know where else to put it.

Drove the car about 60-70 miles. everything is cool except for the brakes squeeking a bit when coming to a stop. If I'm hard on the brakes in a stop, they don't squeek, If I stop normally, I get a little squeek.

Car has 7500 miles on it and I did NOT turn the rotors.

Is this normal?
Will it go away?
Is there anything I can do?

It says in the bed in instructions that this is normal. I installed mine yesterday too. :)

Don't know about red. Usually people talk about green. How does it compare to Hawk HPS?

BTW, it took about two weeks to get the last Hawks on my RSX to fully bed. No squeel, just not full performance. Then they were great. I was about to order a set for the MIni, but feedback on EBC would be most welcome.

The EBC reds were recommended to me HIGHLY over the Hawk pads. I am not saying that the Hawk pads are not good....just a recommendation from somebody with a lot of experience. I, will, in fact leave feedback. Word is that these pads don't see full break-in until around 1-1,500 miles!

Why are folks going red. I understand them to be pretty aggressive for street or am I mixing up the yellows with red?

Sounds like the normal brake noise until the pads are bedded to the rotors.

Don

Red is the middle grade, with green being street and yellow being trackable pads. Street is most quiet and dust free and yellow is really noisy and dusty. Reds will be in somewhere between.

You can make it a little more quiet with the disc quiet spray on the brake pads. There is generally more squeeking with more aggressive brake pads.

I think this is a personal preference thing more than anything else. I like Carbotechs myself and many friends swear by Hawks. The question to ask is why they have that opinion.

I like Carbotechs for the brake modulation, the abilty to feel the brakes and change the braking ability from the feedback I get.

Slinger,
Besides the dust, I am looking to make them a bit less grabby when you hit the brakes quickly, but lightly. Not looking for more total grip, or I would be looking at Porterfield. Stock S. A harder pad may be the right direction. That's why I was thinking HPS over HP. Sounds like Carbo's may be viable.
The good thing is that pads are so easy to change compared to having just putting struts under it. Not as easy as my old Saab. You could do all 4 in 10 min. They went in the top of the caliper.

I guess that I could be describing less grabby as well with the description of brake modulation. The Carbotechs are quite friendly on the rotors,about 4 pads to one set of rotors for the front.

Not sure about Porterfields. I have used them before, the R4, but not on the Mini. Also very dusty and noisy.

Been running EBC reds for a year.
 

Hey slimjimtell,
I put these pads on my R56 after a track weekend at Summitt Point. Have run them at AutoX and on the track as well as 10,000+ miles as a daily driver.

I spent a fair amount of effort when installing them to be sure to get the brake pad paste (available from your dealer. part #81229407103 ) in all the key spots (same ones as on R53). Then spent even more effort bedding the pads. Have not had any squeel or squeek from them. They stop great. Smooth and steady without big initial grab.

However, they are far from dustless. Used to clean my bridgespokes at least every 4 or so days. Now with gunmetal Rota RB's the dust doesn't show as much and the polished rim is easy to clean.

Cheers,
Greg

Certainly pads are a personal preference. In my case...really just looking for a pad that wore good for the street and had low dust emission. Hopefully these Reds will fit the bill.

I would not put the Porterfields on a Mini either. They were FANTASTIC on my Morgan. Like gaining power brakes. Pads front and of course shoes in the rear.
Guess I'll order some Carbo's. Need to figure what silly tool is needed to screw in the rear pistons. Why can't they just give us a slot?

Carbo's were not cheap, but I put a set on order. Auto-X-Cooper also recommended them first, so I sent my order his way.
Is it the Harbor-Freight brake kit I need to spin in the rear pads, or can it be faked?

Needle nose pliers.

Dustin from AutoX is extremely knowledgeable and will steer you in the correct direction.

Greg,
Should I take them back off and put the Brake Pad Paste on them or will they bed in and stop squeeking. Any tips on bedding them quicker or best.

Thanks

Thanks. I should have thought of that. Thinking back to the original master book: Complete Idiots Guide to the VW. Kept my Bug alive for years and provided several good laughs.

I see Jegs has a little cube with 6 sets of pins for under $10.

Rear brakes can be compressed like this, but my hand still cramps at the memory of this from last January's brake job. The Harbor Freight tool is loads better for just $30.

So far, I've liked the EBC RedStuff pads. Very low dust on my opal/grey wheels compared to the OEMs. Nice progressive braking. Never had any squeaking, but I swapped out rotors at the same time.

I just never seem to find my six sided cube or my HF brake tool when I need it. Somehow, I always seem to find my needle nose pliers.

I highly recommend Castrol's Copper Grease for noise.

Also, as I understand it, when changing brake pad compound (changing pads to anything other than the very same company and same brake pad type. i.e. changing from EBC red to EBC green, or from EBC to carbotech) you should machine the rotors.

In a perfect world, one would always machine/replace the rotors with every pad change. Lots of good physics to support that. I don't but the brand change any more than the old wives tales about changing oil brands. No physics, no chemistry.

I have my own method for lightly dressing the rotors using a hard backed diamond hone. I know I have never seen it "recomended", but it has worked for me for 30 years. If it is not sufficient, I buy new rotors. Simple.

One advantage of a nice garage, I can find my automotive tools. I am more likely to have left my needle nose on one of my other work benches!

I agree...I think the factory uses that copper grease as I noticed it on my stock pads. I also opted to swap out rotors with new ones. I have the stock rotors and pads matched in case I want to sell or put them back on the car. They only have 800 miles on them.

You should get new rotors or machine the existing ones if you have access to somebody who will do it on the cheap when putting on new pads. It just saves another potential headache.

HF must have seen me coming as the brake tool kit is up to 37 bucks. Still, I guess it is easier than messing with c-clamps, vice grips and pliers. I don't have the patience I used to. Comes with old age.

I just take off the rotors myself (30 mins per side), and take them down to my local shop. Charges me AU$10 (US$8) per rotor, to machine them.

Redstuff for R56
 

I'm about to replace my Redstuff pads with another set of them + EBC rotors. I hope that says something... They're not particularly easy on rotors, but I think the only way to get new pads to bed in a reasonable amount of time is to start with new rotors. Plus, I think its's just good practice. Also, I suppose 30K miles is OK considering I do about a dozen (8-run, 80-sec.) autocrosses a year, plus as much bombing around the White Mtns as I can fit in.

I like the Reds for 2 main reasons:

1. Very consistent feel & fade-free braking with stone-cold to very hot brakes.

2. Gets rid of most of the excessive initial grab (i.e. touchy & difficult to modulate) that the stock R56 Cooper-S brakes have.

The dust is not incredibly low, but it's considerably better than stock pads.

I will also mention that I did own an R53 for about 4 years - completely opposite situation - The EBC greens were my favorite pad for that MINI. It really needed the higher initial bite and higher coefficient of friction. My other point of comparison for the R53 (besides stock pads) was the Hawk HPS pads - I did *not* like those at all. They were very inconsistent & I never new if they were going to bite OK & not fade away. YMMV...