Post by stanley550 on May 31, 2014 21:45:27 GMT
One of our Facebook group members (Boris) at one time asked what brake pads everybody was using or can recommend for the rear. Since Gymkhana relies quite heavily on rear brake usage, its a valid question with what seems a few choices out there.
I've been using EBC's Sintered Double-H pads for a while now. This is not a review of EBC pads however. I will probably do a separate one, comparing them to a set of Galfer full metallic ceramic pads, as I ordered a pair of those to see what they are all about.
Also please keep in mind, that this review is directed specifically at Gymkhana which is its own thing with its own bike setup quirks. I use my bike as a comuter bike as well, so rear brakes need to serve a dual purpose, but the main focus is still on Gymkhana.
So after a bit of the lengthy introduction, these brakes are shit... That's it, thanks for reading.
...
What? You want more?
Fine.
I mounted them on the old rotor, which was used previously with the EBC's Double H pads. Since these pads were very different from Double H ones, I removed the rotor, cleaned it, sanded it with fine sand paper and cleaned it one more time with the brake cleaning spray. Rotor was already heavily used and had small ruts developing, as well as a couple of starter cracks in the vent holes. Rotor was still usable, albeit not in the greatest of shapes.
So as with any pad, it takes a few miles of gentle use to rub some of the compound of the pad onto the rotor, so it actually starts to grip. Double H usually take a couple of runs around my house to set enough, so that I can start using them with caution on the street. These didn't set and I had to ride to our usual spot with pretty much no rear brake, and then put in a good few laps on the field for them to finally start to "bite". Since the rotor was cleaned and sanded and was a bit groovy (haha), I was half expecting this, but I still think they took much longer to set than Double H.
So after an hour of the use of these brakes on our field, they finally started to slow the bike down.
Well the performance is lackluster at best. With double H, a quick stomp on the rear will lock the rear and skid (not a good thing, just saying how powerful double H are). These just kept sliding on the rotor, very gradually slowing the bike down. Not the type of performance I need, doing Gymkhana.
One of the reasons I wanted to try these pads, was that they shouldn't be heating up as much as Double H.
One, with double H I boil rear brake fluid way too quickly if I do a few laps one after another, without a few minute cooldown in between.
Two, double H heat up the rotor to a such degree that it eventually starts to crack and becomes dangerous to keep on the bike. Please note, I use OEM rotors, so no cheap Chinese bottle cap metal. Replacing rotors on regular basis (thankfully is just the rear that gets all the abuse) is quite expensive, so I've been buying them off the E-bay, used. In the last three seasons of doing Gymkhana I changed three rotors plus this current one (waiting for the replacement), so four in total.
So these pads heat up rotor just as much if not more than the double H ones. After a few practice session days, the cool orange paint was scorched and bubbly and rotor was severely cracked in a couple of places.
Now please, don't think that I'm riding only rear brake. With these pads not offering the same performance as double H, I was using front brake harder and further into the turns and most of the time kept dragging front brake throughout the entire turn. Partly it was a good experience and training to rely so much on the front brake, due to no performance from the rear, but it was too much. I still need the rear control too make tight, lock to lock turns, and with relying pretty much fully on the front for that, I did slide a couple of times to my side, asking too much from it.
So after a few days of hard riding, the rotor became unusable and went into the trash. Pads still have pretty much all of their material left on them, but they are severely potholed and chipped from what I'm assuming the cracks in the rotor, chipping away at them while turning. Either that, or from intense heat. I did not boil my rear liquid though, while using these. I did allow a little bit of time to cool the brakes, between the runs, so I don't know if that was enough or if the pads actually do run a bit cooler or at least do not transmit as much heat to the pistons and in turn, liquid. I'll try the same cooling intervals with the double H next time, to see if that helps with them too.
Since the rotor was already developing small cracks prior to installation of the pads, I can not say how long it would have lasted with double H. One thing certain, the V pads did not prolong the life of the rotor.
With all that, and a very very bad braking performance (for Gymkhana) from these pads, I can most certainly say, that if you are in the market for new pads, and you look to run your bike in Gymkhana events or just training for yourself, do not get these pads.
This was my experience. If you tried these and have to add or contradict me, please post here as I'd love to see if anybody got better performance out of them.
I've been using EBC's Sintered Double-H pads for a while now. This is not a review of EBC pads however. I will probably do a separate one, comparing them to a set of Galfer full metallic ceramic pads, as I ordered a pair of those to see what they are all about.
Also please keep in mind, that this review is directed specifically at Gymkhana which is its own thing with its own bike setup quirks. I use my bike as a comuter bike as well, so rear brakes need to serve a dual purpose, but the main focus is still on Gymkhana.
So after a bit of the lengthy introduction, these brakes are shit... That's it, thanks for reading.
...
What? You want more?
Fine.
I mounted them on the old rotor, which was used previously with the EBC's Double H pads. Since these pads were very different from Double H ones, I removed the rotor, cleaned it, sanded it with fine sand paper and cleaned it one more time with the brake cleaning spray. Rotor was already heavily used and had small ruts developing, as well as a couple of starter cracks in the vent holes. Rotor was still usable, albeit not in the greatest of shapes.
So as with any pad, it takes a few miles of gentle use to rub some of the compound of the pad onto the rotor, so it actually starts to grip. Double H usually take a couple of runs around my house to set enough, so that I can start using them with caution on the street. These didn't set and I had to ride to our usual spot with pretty much no rear brake, and then put in a good few laps on the field for them to finally start to "bite". Since the rotor was cleaned and sanded and was a bit groovy (haha), I was half expecting this, but I still think they took much longer to set than Double H.
So after an hour of the use of these brakes on our field, they finally started to slow the bike down.
Well the performance is lackluster at best. With double H, a quick stomp on the rear will lock the rear and skid (not a good thing, just saying how powerful double H are). These just kept sliding on the rotor, very gradually slowing the bike down. Not the type of performance I need, doing Gymkhana.
One of the reasons I wanted to try these pads, was that they shouldn't be heating up as much as Double H.
One, with double H I boil rear brake fluid way too quickly if I do a few laps one after another, without a few minute cooldown in between.
Two, double H heat up the rotor to a such degree that it eventually starts to crack and becomes dangerous to keep on the bike. Please note, I use OEM rotors, so no cheap Chinese bottle cap metal. Replacing rotors on regular basis (thankfully is just the rear that gets all the abuse) is quite expensive, so I've been buying them off the E-bay, used. In the last three seasons of doing Gymkhana I changed three rotors plus this current one (waiting for the replacement), so four in total.
So these pads heat up rotor just as much if not more than the double H ones. After a few practice session days, the cool orange paint was scorched and bubbly and rotor was severely cracked in a couple of places.
Now please, don't think that I'm riding only rear brake. With these pads not offering the same performance as double H, I was using front brake harder and further into the turns and most of the time kept dragging front brake throughout the entire turn. Partly it was a good experience and training to rely so much on the front brake, due to no performance from the rear, but it was too much. I still need the rear control too make tight, lock to lock turns, and with relying pretty much fully on the front for that, I did slide a couple of times to my side, asking too much from it.
So after a few days of hard riding, the rotor became unusable and went into the trash. Pads still have pretty much all of their material left on them, but they are severely potholed and chipped from what I'm assuming the cracks in the rotor, chipping away at them while turning. Either that, or from intense heat. I did not boil my rear liquid though, while using these. I did allow a little bit of time to cool the brakes, between the runs, so I don't know if that was enough or if the pads actually do run a bit cooler or at least do not transmit as much heat to the pistons and in turn, liquid. I'll try the same cooling intervals with the double H next time, to see if that helps with them too.
Since the rotor was already developing small cracks prior to installation of the pads, I can not say how long it would have lasted with double H. One thing certain, the V pads did not prolong the life of the rotor.
With all that, and a very very bad braking performance (for Gymkhana) from these pads, I can most certainly say, that if you are in the market for new pads, and you look to run your bike in Gymkhana events or just training for yourself, do not get these pads.
This was my experience. If you tried these and have to add or contradict me, please post here as I'd love to see if anybody got better performance out of them.
