Just installed a new set of standard EBC rotors and Redstuff pads on all 4 wheels. Have a couple of questions though. Every so often I can hear/feel a slight rubbing from the front brakes when stopping. It's not there all of the time though. I'm wondering if this has to do with the brake in coating that they use and that they're just bedding into the rotor? Anyone else have something like that happen for the first couple hundred miles?

Also noticed some squeaking from the rears. The ebc site says that this happens and to give it 500-1,000 miles for everything to bed in. Anyone else notice this and did the squealing get better after a few hundred miles? So far I'm only about 50 miles on them. The rubbing noise in the front is the most concerning although I took both the wheels off and can't find anything that looks out of sorts.

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

You aren't the first person to complain or notice these quirks with EBC pads...IMO the Rotors are great..the pads are not my preference because of what I've heard from others about the same things you mentioned...The better pad for SMOOTH and QUIET braking throughout the long life of the PADS, is Akebono Euro pads, used with the EBC Rotors....

Not saying your's are any problem, just that they are known to make noise for a while...Nothing to worry about really.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. So do you think that the rubbing noise from the front is the break in material on the pads still? I would think if it was something major that I'd notice scoring on the rotor but they look good from what I can tell. It's just strange that it only does it on some stops. Seems to change if you take a sharp turn and then brake. Maybe the turn just throws the alignment off a bit on the rotor and then when you brake a different part of the pad is contacting. Hopefully it will go away, I'd hate to end up buying new stuff in 1,000 miles.

 

Did you install the stick-on quieting pads behind all the brake pads prior to installing them?

You have to trim them a bit and cut a hole in the center for them to fit properly but they are a necessity.

 

Yes, that was installed on both pads for each wheel.

 

Just drove home from work. The front brake noise is almost like a grind more than a rubbing noise. I decided to take the wheels off and check for anything out of place but it looks good to me. Maybe it is just the break in material, there sure is a lot of dust from it. The rotors look good on each side and are smooth as can be so I don't think that anything is rubbing where it shouldn't. I guess I'll ride it out to see if it goes away after another 100 miles or so. I think that EBC says the break in material will be gone after a couple hundred miles.

The rears only squeal once they're warmed up so who knows what the deal is back there. I'll give them a few hundred miles and if the problem is still there I'll look into using some different shims or at least making sure the ones that were on there didn't shift or anything. If anyone else has experienced this or has any thoughts I'll certainly listen. I read wild bills install and he mentioned that there was no noise at all which made me think I did something wrong but I've done brakes before a few times and did a very detailed job on these to prevent this from happening. Thanks.

 

I wouldn't be too concerned as of yet. It can take some time to break in the new rotors and pads. I would concentrate when braking, avoiding panic stops and instead applying even pressure over a longer distance than usual. You'll **** off the guy behind you, but he probably had it coming.

Try to avoid heating up the rotors and pads too much until the break in period is complete or at least a few hundred miles.

The pads are always in slight contact with the rotors, some noise is expected if you ask me. My EBC's with Centric pads made a whooshing/grinding noise for awhile until broken in, and still make a little bit of noise due to the hard ceramic composite.

Remember the Redstuff are at the harder end of the spectrum, so an extended break in time is to be expected.

 

Sounds good. Thanks for the response. I'll admit that I was a little hard on them out of the gate. I wanted to make sure that the brake bleed was done properly and that there wasn't any air in the lines before I handed the car over to my wife. Hopefully I didn't do any damage to the pads, I just did a few somewhat aggressive stops from 30 MPH. I never came to a complete stop so I can't see that harming anything. I've been easy on them since and will continue to do so.

 

This may serve to help others as well with new brakes..

1. From a speed of 60mph, gently apply the brakes a couple of times to bring them up to operating temperature. This prevents you from thermally shocking the rotors and pads in the next steps.
2. Make a series of eight near-stops from 60 to about 10 mph. Do it HARD by pressing the brakes firmly, but do not lock the wheels or engage ABS. At the end of each slowdown, immediately accelerate back to 60mph and then apply the brakes again. DO NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP! If you stop completely and sit there with your foot on the brake pedal, you will imprint pad material onto the hot rotors, which could lead to vibration, uneven braking, and even ruin the rotors.
3. The brakes may begin to fade after the 7th or 8th near-stop. This fade will stabilize, but not completely go away until the brakes have fully cooled. A strong smell from the brakes, and even smoke, is normal.
4. After the 8th near-stop, accelerate back up to speed and cruise for a while, using the brakes as little as possible. The brakes need about 5 minutes to cool down. Try not to become trapped in traffic or come to a complete stop while the brakes are still very hot.
5. If race pads, such as Hawk DTC-70 or Performance Friction 01 are being used, add four near-stops from 80 to 10mph.
6. After the break-in cycle, there should be a slight blue tint and a light gray film on the rotor face. The blue tint tells you the rotor has reached break-in temperature and the gray film is pad material starting to transfer onto the rotor face. This is what you are looking for. The best braking occurs when there is an even layer of of pad material deposited across the face of the rotors. This minimizes squealing, increases braking torque, and maximizes pad and rotor life.
7. After the first break in cycle shown above, the brakes may still not be fully broken in. A second bed-in cycle, AFTER the brakes have cooled down fully from the first cycle, may be necessary before the brakes really start to perform well. This is especially true if you have installed new pads on old rotors.

 

I've always read that you should try to avoid hot spotting new rotors. But therre is different info from different manufacturers, so follow what they tell you.

One disclaimer - if you are going to do a pad bedding procedure, such as that mentioned above, a closed course would be the way to go, or a very deserted, straight, back country road. Let's be safe about it.