When i was searching around on here for front pad info i couldn't find much feed back on the new green stuff V4 pad and didn't want to spend as much money as the Ferrodo pads cost so just thought i would try them.

Having fitted the front pads a few weeks ago, i've been trying to find time to give them a good B road blast. Unfortunatly i just haven't had time, but thought i had noticed some fading when hard braking coming up to roundabouts, but wasn't sure, and by the time i am at the next junction roundabout on my usual journeys the brakes have had time to cool. So late last night when no one was around i tried some heavy braking on a local road. I was travelling at approx 70mph and stamped heavily on the pedal. This is what i found:-

1st test - Bite and braking was good (better than OE stuff), the pedal feel stayed constant untill i nearly stopped, but did start to firm up and breaking efficency may have started to drop very slighty, but altogether felt good.

I then accelerted up to 70 again and tried again

2nd test - Initial bite and pedal feel was OK, but then the pedal started to go hard and breaking effiency dropped, I pressed harder which compensated a bit, but breaking was fading quite badly.

3rd test - braking was $hite fraom the second i hit the pedal, i had to almost stand on the pedal, i managed to get the ABS to kick in but the pedal had absolutly no feel and i had no idea when i was going to stop.

4th test - had a quick go but not a lot happened

Within a few hundred yards the brakes were working as per test 1.

I know this isn't i a particularly realistic test, but just wondered how the green stuff would compare to other pads.

Austen

I run EBC Greens in my RA,it has no ABS but I do use them with cross drilled disks and competition fluid.
I love them best combination for the road I have found, just stand on them no fade at all comes to a stop no dramas at all.
They got better after they had bedded in for while and have remained constant as they have worn down. I like them so much I have put a set in my race car with excellent results.
They are much better than the Mintex fast road pads I had before and loads cleaner.

Austen, the "V4" Green Stuff pads are the "old" compound, and they're known to be sh*t, so your experience is far from unusual.

The latest version of the Green Stuff compound is called AF44/78 and appears to be a considerable improvement. Look for the big EBC brakes test thread for further details.

Why do we get so many questions about EBC pads? Because they are not a brake pad manufacturer (apart from a few for Bikes in the US) and they keep swapping compounds so it's very hard to compare like with like. After several years on here, and reading hundreds of posts, I would pay money to have EBC pads removed from my car. If they would only spend as much money on product developement as they do on marketing they might have a good and reliable product. But they don't.

There have been signs that EBC are trying to improve their range wih significant product changes rather than just marketing spin, but good reputations are not won overnight. Must try harder. We're still waiting.

Richard.

Richard, I'd imagine that the reason there are so many questions about them is that they're very widely distributed. In fairness to EBC, they now unquestionably are a pad manufacturer, with all their new stuff being produced at the plant in Bristol which they now own.

While I'd be the first to acknowledge that their previous product line was patchy to say the least, the open manner in which Andy Freeman recently accepted this, and put their prospective new offerings to the sword in such a public manner (see the EBC Brakes test thread) certainly does indicate a willingness to change.

Will be trying some of their new stuff myself soonish, and if it's as good as/better than what I currently favour, I'll probably carry on using it.

Mind you, it certainly would be refreshing if, having admitted that the old Green Stuff compound (in particular) wasn't up to snuff, they'd ask retailers who still have stocks to return it, and replace with the new version.

[Edited by greasemonkey - 1/10/2004 11:59:47 PM]