EBC 'Green Stuff' Pads

[chrisryder]

Thinking of fitting the Marina discs off Monty onto Bluey, but I don't know whether to fit standard QH pads, or whether to shell out on 'Green Stuff' ones. The marketing bumph makes them sound too good to be true, so... are they?

This: http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthre ... llen-apart........ makes me worry...



Has anyone else tried them? Good? Bad? I don't really like the idea of my pads turning to dust...

[plastic_orange]

My son had them on his corsa years ago - seemed to work fine and a bit less dust than normal.

Pete

[Mogwai]

I have greenstuff on mine (marina brakes) noticeable difference on trackdays I've done since fitting them, especially when they are hot

[Alex'n'Ane]

I think I also have green stuff pads on mine, but nothing to compare too, but no complaints so far.

[chrisryder]

cool, might go for them then there's a possibilty there was just a bad batch going around, hopefully they've sorted it now!

on the other hand i could go for the normal cheap-as-chips ones, and then i have a reference! Could even have a top-gear type braking test with Alex'n'Ane

[bmcecosse]

They seem to be like Marmite - love it or hate it. Very mixed reviews on the Mini and TR forums. I would go with cheap as chips pads and see if you need to do anything else when you have tried them.

[Innovator]

I once had EBC pads on my mountain bike and quite soon after fitting them the friction material came away from the backing pad. It was scary! From that point on I would never fit them again even when I was offered them for free for my car many years later from EBC.

I have always used Mintex M1144and found them fantastic. Once however I was not convinced that they were worth the extra over OEM pads (made by AP so not a cheap make). So I fitted the OEM pads and the difference in feel and braking performance was amazing.

Look around at what proffesional motorsport teams use, that should give an indication.

[charlie_morris_minor]

I would go with cheap as chips pads and see if you need to do anything else when you have tried them.

I can not agree.. I would go for a quality set... after all the brakes are only up to the weakest part of your system.. I do not buy cheap pattern cylinders for the same reason.

[chrisryder]

by 'cheap-as-chips' i meant cheaper than ebc still £10 a set for Quinton Hazel ones.

Not so sure i'd want to use what 'professional motorsport teams' are using. i'd never get the heat into them! that was the attraction of green stuff pads, better stopping, but usable on the roads.

[MarkyB]

I'm with chrisryder on this, it's like using a full race cam on a road engine, not such a good idea.

[bmcecosse]

I've never had any problems with the 'cheaper' pads offered to me by my local Autoparts. However the original equipment pads on both a Vauxhall and a Renault BOTH came away from the backing ........... So - nothing wrong with 'cheap as chips'..

[charlie_morris_minor]

sorry chris the only part of your message reinforced by Roy's post that stuck was the "cheap as chips" not the "normal" part of your message. when the word "normal" is the important part.

[Innovator]

When I said look at what the race teams are using I mean the pad manufacturer, not the actual pad compound. obviously a full race or rally compound will be no good for the road.

Mintex and Ferodo both do compounds suitable or the road.

[minor_hickup]

I would definitely recommend avoiding the Ferrodo DS500 pads as they still need a fair bit of heat to avoid feeling wooden. Probably great on trackdays but not on the road in the winter. Greenstuff seem OK although I still find them dusty! I think ATE OE pads are the best by a long way for pedal feel and bite if you can find them.

[chrisryder]

i went for some quinton hazel ones, they seem to do the job. from limited testing over the last week (people pulling out infront of me ) they do work. i've got much more confidence that i did with the drums! it was always a case of 'well i might stop' but i was always prepared to steer out of the way aswell, in case they didn't stop me!

[bmcecosse]

Drum brakes in GOOD WORKING ORDER should easily lock the wheels at 30 mph and give perfectly satisfactory braking at higher speed. They just don't do it over and over again without a chance to cool in between..... I find by far the limiting factor is tyre to road adhesion.......

[chrisryder]

have you ever driven a Minor with discs bmc?

[bmcecosse]

No - don't need to! The drums work perfectly well - can't do better than lock the wheels, and my drums easily do that! I believe the discs are very heavy - not so the drums. And - I have never managed to fade them.

[plastic_orange]

There is satisfactory and satisfactory Try stopping repeatedly with drums at motorway speeds (or even less with a laden car), and guess which way the car will pull each time. Discs in my opinion are a sensible upgrade and will give an expected stopping distance every time - similar to a modern.
I'd suggest limiting the top speed of cars fitted with drums to let's say 50mph in order for their braking performance to blend in with todays traffic

Pete

[charlie_morris_minor]

roy how can you say the discs are heavy compared to drums when by your own admission you have never driven a disc braked minor?

However i agree with part of what you say a minor with a good set of drums has the same braking capacity as a set of marina discs.. the first time you break.. after which the heat fade will make the drum set up much worse and take far longer to cool down.. also discs need a lot less fiddling with to keep them in peak condition..

4 up in a traveller coming down some of the hills in cardiff was enough to induce brake fade at the bottom.. I have only had brake fade once with the discs and that was in the brecon beacons.. i stopped at the bottom of the hill for a few minutes to allow the discs to cool before i felt it safe to drive on