Recommended Brakes/Rotors for V8 Esprit

[esprit17]

an interesting read i have just re done all of mine i have a 97 esprit with the brembo system the guy before me had purchased pnm groved and drilled ebc discs front and rear and hawk pads ....

honestly every time i needed to stop id have had more joy in swinging up the roof and hoping there was an on coming wind .

since that i have refaced the discs replaced every  soft brake pipe for braided and got rid of the sponge efforts replaced all the brake fluid bled the system twice and fitted yellow stuff pads all round .

 

the verdict 

 

well frankly crap i've been on the phone to ebc to ask about this and spoke to a lovely guy in the tech dept hes recommending i keep trying to bed them in as it seems 5-600 miles isnt enough yet and they wont be working right yet .

the yellow stuff pad has a red coarse layer to cut into the disc to aid in seating properly and i appear to still be in this section so i will listen to his advice and keep trying just hate the amount of dust they create its an awful lot ,

my old friends v8 gt had the same brakes as mine other than the rears seemed more like a proper piston caliper as the front version but smaller that had stock brakes and was amazing .

 

if it does not get better i will be going back to standards and sending these back watch this space. 

cheers Alex, put the mileage in and let us the outcome....

[qwerty123]

whatever you do, don't rely on greenstuff in the front. woeful.

 

I just put yellow in the rear and I've heard good things about them but have yet to try them out.

(I have AP discs/calipers and RS4-2 pads up front)

[Vulcan Grey]

How were the rotors "resurfaced"?

 

If they turned them on a lathe with a cutting tool, then the friction is generally reduced due to high and low grooves on the surface.  It is only recommended to Blanchard grind rotors and flywheels, so they have the most consistent friction surface, and aren't overheated during the process.

 

Second, EBC Greenstuffs are not an aggressive pad material.  If you want more initial bite and performance from the pad, you'll have to go more aggressive.  I recommend the Ferodo DS2500.  Great pad!  It is what Lotus use on the Evora's excellent brakes.

[hedgerley]

An interesting read - my 2001 V8-GT is in for major service and MOT at the moment and with new pads/discs suggested (to close for comfort for the MOT) I had a long conversation with Pete at PNM. With the AP Racing set up at the front I've gone for like for like AP replacement rotors (drilled) with a 4-piston replacement kit and 321mm drilled rotors at the rear.

 

After much discussion and advice I went for the Green Stuff pads on PNM's recommendation - I don't don't take it out on track so don't need to be too aggressive I hope to get the car back this weekend and will report back in a few weeks when they are bedded in.

[Bibs]

Worse pads ever for your car, terrible decision. Just saying but as I've said before many times, these really aren't suitable pads for a supercar, they barely scratch the mustard on a hatchback...

[Alex Carter]

so 1200 mile plus in and there crap spent another day chatting to there tech dept and he wanted to know what the numbers where on the pad boxes he recons the problem lies there i have bite when the first depressed but after warming them up they are fading badly so they have suggested making me a set of rare bluestuff ment for enduro but they claim there incredible so as soon as they have got me them ill fill you all in 

 

failing that im going back to stock discs and 2500 ferodos where to get these discs from tho who does em ?

Edited June 11, 2013 by Alex Carter

[esprit17]

so 1200 mile plus in and there crap spent another day chatting to there tech dept and he wanted to know what the numbers where on the pad boxes he recons the problem lies there i have bite when the first depressed but after warming them up they are fading badly so they have suggested making me a set of rare bluestuff ment for enduro but they claim there incredible so as soon as they have got me them ill fill you all in 

 

failing that im going back to stock discs and 2500 ferodos where to get these discs from tho who does em ?

Hi Alex,

 

A month on, how have you got on?

[red vtec]

I had green stuff on my stilo 1.9JTD and they were shite, no way I'd want them on a sportscar. I have Hawk on the Lotus with Hispec calipers they seem good I also have a set of Pagid (blue?) kicking around in a box. I have heard good reviews of Mintex.

[Alex Carter]

quiet frankly mate ###sed off is'nt the word these things are crap i've had more phone calls to ebc trying to get stuff sorted and Im just not getting any calls back . The last discussion was about 2 weeks ago them saying he'd make me a set of blue stuff pads to try as he did before and he would call me to get them sent out (should be about a week ).

No call back its like they don't give a monkeys going to get back on the phone today and see whats what getting a bit bored of going round in circles. Id understand their lack of interest if it was a saxo but its not and braking is a big thing on this car . Im getting fed up and it is'nt doing anything for there name as a manufacturer i think im going to find stock discs and ferrodo 2500 pads for mine because these arnt worth their weight in scrap i urge everyone to stay away from ebc utter pants.

on a side line i spoke to a racing company where i live as they do engineering too so i thought id ask some questions and the lovely guy very helpfull had explained he also had a lot of dealings with ebc and that the guys were very nice but he too had also had the same thing where a set of brakes just didnt work ? seems like its a bit to common for my liking they swopped out the brakes for him and the next set worked ok but whats the point in that you cant sell brakes that dont work or might if you get a good set whats all that about ???

[Alex Carter]

so brake update ..

 

after waiting three weeks for a call back no call i finally filled a request on there website for a refund for these ebc brakes within two mins an email .

"we dont have the blues in stock alex we have to make them for you be about 7 -10 days "

 

i replied funny that you said the same thing three weeks ago if there was a problem with stock why not call your customer and tell then instead of just nothing .....

ive declined there offer on the grounds that if the blues dont work its another six months of chasing .

 

im now waiting to get these things off my car and go better can some one tell me where i can get ferrodo ds-2500 for my esprit someone must make sell them somewhere ???

[Alex Carter]

just to follow on from this i have got my refund for the crapstuff and have found a supplier for the esprit v8 brembo brakes thats got ferrodo ds2500 in stock fronts are 140.21 inc vat and rears 152.21 including vat plus delivery obviously .

slightly more that the crapstuff but worth every penny and as soon as possible ill be changing these discs too .

[Stuart]

Hi Alex,

A few weeks in now. How are the pads holding up?

I'm looking at changing the rears on mine. Front I have the ones supplied by lotus with the AP calipers. Rear I've the greenstuff. So slightly forward biased at the moment.

Stu.

[Alex Carter]

Stock discs and ferrodo pads way to go ebc = epic bad crap

[esprit17]

Just updating this thread.

I have brembo front discs/calipers and ebc green stuff pads all round and I've had real problems with break performance. So following Alex's lead I ordered some Ferodo DS2500 pads from Demon Tweeks............ so two things learnt

1) when looking at the greenstuff pads upon removal they were smoother than a baby's bum, to the point I would say that they were glazed, so that explains the poorer performance but what is strange is my understanding that to glaze the pads you need to overheat them which having only done 2000 general motorway / A roads and a few brake tests 60mph to zero not sure how that would cause it to glaze. Anyway I've cleaned the discs up, no evidence of overheating there, no blueing of the surface or cracks so after a polish with my grinder they are ready to receive the new pads.

2). Took the plunge and ordered the DS2500 unfortunately unsure of correct pad references I spoke directly to Demon Tweeks to get the right pads. Unfortunately the fronts were the wrong size so after a quick call I've received the right ones.

So here is the correct references for brembo equipped cars

Fronts are FCP1348H (H denotes the compound as being DS2500)

Rears are FCP1560H.

Total cost was £230

Make sure you order some copaslip (hi temp anti seizing assembly compound) as the DS2500 pads are not backed with rubber to stop them rattaling and/or seizing.

I'll update the thread once if fixed my suspension and have bed them in on whether it was worth the investment.

[Bibs]

Copper Slip. There's another product called Cera-tec which is ever better still

[Jacques]

Since the Ferrodo DS2500 seems to be good pads for the Brembo brakes, would they be similar good on AP braked Esprits?

 

I use the DS2500 on my Corrado: rather much brake dust, but consistently good braking, slow and fast driving.

 

Kind regards,

Jacques.

[dave excell]

I found the Brembo set up on the standard V8 inadequate, fitted bigger discs and 4 pot calipers from PNM. Results were only marginally better with red stuff pads. Swapped the 4 pot calipers for 6 pot and the difference was a massive improvement. I now feel safe even on track laps of the Le Mans 24 hour circuit.

I am just undertaking a similar conversion on the Excel but limited to disc size with the 15 inch wheels. I had some serious brake fade on the Excel last year comming down mountain passes in France and Italy. 

Its only my opinion but 6 pot is the way to go.

[Artie]

Pad material is a huge issue!  Most EBC pads up to and including yellow, just have a narrow temp band.  Ferrodo and Hawk pads of more racing nature are suited to the V8.  The Brembo setup is adequate, but good brake fluid and pads are required to get excellent braking.  I have Brembos on my 99 and with Hawk HP Plus pads up front and EBC yellow on the rear, my seat belt will choke me from 120mph when depressed suddenly.  The idea that you can only get stopping power from more Pistons is not accurate.  Yes, it can improve the clamping force but improvement in pad material is a giant leap forward when it comes to friction developed for stopping.  If you are having issues getting stopping power from your Brembo equipped car, try Hawk HP Plus or Ferrodo or even a Carbotech pad.  Stainless lines, new fluid and a proper flush will have your braking much improved.  Also, don't discount the performance improvement that can be made by ensuring the rear brakes are sliding properly on the slider mechanism as well as the pad material being applied to the rear.  Using more aggressive pads will result in more dust, but I would rather be cleaning dust off my car and wheels than towing the car home with a damaged front end from lack of stopping power.  Additionally, PNM offers some braking improvement kits retaining the stock Brembo calipers but increasing the diameter of the discs.  This is a very easy and relatively inexpensive way to increase brake torque that will improve your stopping power.  They offer standard disc type kits with solid discs for front or rear or 2 piece.  I have ordered the 2 piece rear upgrade as I needed new rear rotors anyway so I will post a write up on installation when the kit arrives in the coming weeks.  I will also be installing the 2 piece larger front kit as well with soon thereafter.  Just thought I would add some context here to this constantly circulating myth that even the Brembo brake V8's don't stop well.....  

 

By by the way, the part number for the front Hawk HP Plus pads for the Brembo equipped cars is:. HB194 N.570

 

Artie

99 V8