EBC Greens.......Good or Bad

[Don Hiltz]

Today, I installed a front set of EBC Greens. While I really didn't need new brake pads, I'd heard such good reports on their reduction of dust and noise I wanted to give them a try. I had the rotors turned too.

Tonight, I looked at http://www.miata.net/products/perform/ebc.html and was very disappointed to read some very negatve reports.

What's the opinion of the Viper Community on EBC Greens??????

Thanks.....

Don

 

[1TONY1]

Good.

 

[Steve-Indy]

I personally like them for the street...very little dust, and no noise on our 4 Vipers so equipped. For track, the Greenstuff pads have a very short life which is no surprise as this is clearly stated on the Greatbrakes website.

 

[Don Hiltz]

My original pads had 49K miles (normal driving....no track time) and showed about 50% wear. Can I expect that type of life from the Greens?

Thanks again....

Don

 

[Achilles99]

I had the EBC's, and hated them. They dust a lot less for sure, and they modulate better, but I thought they lacked stopping power. The stock pads bite better.

With ABS, I wouldn't use EBC's. Without ABS, it's a tossup. If you find that the pads don't effect your driving style, I'd stick with them (why not? They dust a LOT less.) Otherwise, you may find yourself going back to stock or upgrading to Brakeman 3's...

 

[GTS Bruce]

Brake dust and squeal are normal on high performance brake pads.Dust easily washes off.Anyone that matters knows that a high perf cars brakes squeal.People confined to minivans might not understand it.Its beyond me why anyone would compromise brake performance on a high performance car because of some dust and noise.BTW you can brake a little harder or easier to stay out of the noise zone. GTS Bruce

 

[Joseph Dell]

I didn't like the EBCs b/c I felt like I had less stopping power. I tried greens all around, then greens up front w/ reds on the back. then brakeman 3's all around. I like the brakeman 3's even though they screach pretty bad. oh well... you can't hear the brakes over the exhaust so it isn't so bad.

a lot of it is personal pref.

The EBCs never wore out at all...

JD

 

[Hisserman]

I have EBC Greens all around and find them fine for the street. I push it hard sometimes and they have provided enough stopping power for me (not on track though). The dust factor is greatly reduced. You should get the mileage you are looking for. Enjoy them and don't worry about it!

 

[Fast Viper Dan]

Don,
Since the original pads lasted for 50K miles, Stopping power is not an issue. EBC's will stop you just fine. They are NOT dust free but a California duster will clean up your wheels with ease. As an experiment, I ran EBC's on a track day. They should not be used for track days! They get hot and fade real quick.
Bottom line,
They work just fine on a Viper, a good choice for street use only.

By the way, I've gone thru 8-10 sets of brakes in 25K mi.. Brakeman 3's in one day. They work well on the track. They normally last longer than that, but when you set your mind to it, you can accomplish anything!

 

[DodgeViper01]

I have heard they are great for dust but have less stopping power. I changed the pads about 5K miles ago and kept stock. My pads and rotors wore VERY fast for some reason (19K miles).

 

[Iceman]

I uses Brakeman 3's for the track and I tried leaving them on but I could not take it. The car sounds like a locomotive stopping. The squeak is so bad I don't think it's usable on the street. The stock pads by comparision are real quiet.

I am thinking of trying the greens myself just to cut down on the dust.

PS: I also use the Performance Friction 01's in front for track days and the dust is so bad the it actually bonded with the rim. It took me a couple of hours with chrome cleaner to get that stuff off.

 

[Tiepilot]

I have greens and love them, they stop fine with no noise and dust is not an issue. They are the only brake pads I will ever use on my Viper.
You need to "cure" them per directions or you may have issues like some here are describing.

 

[Rollin4]

Bottom line,
They work just fine on a Viper, a good choice for street use only.

As stated above "street use only". No dust, no squeal, and definitely less stopping power. Great street brakes.

 

[BlueGTS]

I have a set of Green’s but am not sure I want to put them on. From what I have read here they have less stopping power, which is a step in the wrong direction IMHO. My car is a streetcar but in the one instance I need to emergency stop I would like a pad that stops better than stock. I would hate to be thinking after an accident how I traded off stopping power for less dust. I think I will try the brakeman 3's with a lot of brake grease, and see if that will cut down on the squeaking.

 

[scottgf]

Hello,
I installed greens on the front of my snake and new rotors at the same time...No squeak...maybe a little less dust, but still enough dust that after a few hours on the road the wheels need to be cleaned.
I havent used them on the track yet, but on the street they seem to stop fine. Also I havent checked how they are wearing..
I agree with others here....I wouldnt trade "stopping power" for less dust and no squeaks...But I havent noticed less "stopping power" although I probably havent pushed to the limit on the street ( I save that for the track).
Cheers,

 

[joe117]

I have green pads. Not much dust at all. I don't need any more stopping power than the greens give me.
Someone else might.
I like the greens.

 

[Fast Viper Dan]

I am not sure what less stopping power means? EBC will lock up all four wheels (non ABS) if you stand on them. At that point you have lost control. The difference between street pads and track pads (EBC or Brakeman 3) the track pads need some heat to start working. By that I mean, you will find the first time you use the brakes they will seem like they are not gripping. Or after a few miles down the highway (not using the brakes) same thing, they will seem as if they are not gripping. On the other hand street pads, Stock, EBC or others will grip right away, when cold. On track, I take one lap to warm up my tires as well as warm up my brakes. So I must disagree that track pads on the street are a good way to go. Those that track there cars know the difference and know what to expect. Some people drive spirited on the street and the track pad works for them. At the beginning of this post the driver had used the same pads for 50k miles. That would indicate light brake use and there fore a dust-"less" pad would be a good choice.
Don't get me wrong here, Brakeman 3's are good pads, as are Porterfield R4's. If you have a heavy foot.

 

[Achilles99]

I would stand on the brakes with the EBC's while coming to a light. A few times, I thought I was going to plow into the car in front me. I'm not driving 60 to 0 instantly, either... these are slow approaches to the light from 20 mph or so.

I felt like I was the only one who disliked the EBC's, but I guess there are some others around who feel the same way.

That's what's great about having choices... some people swear by the EBC's, and some go with other choices.

 

[scottgf]

I would stand on the brakes with the EBC's while coming to a light. A few times, I thought I was going to plow into the car in front me.

Achilles,
Were your brakes cold???
I have noticed that the first few stops arent the best when the pads are cold....I forgot to mention that in my previous post.....
I always try to tell myself "cold tires/cold brakes" when i first go out in my snake....I got surprised a couple times and had to apply extra pressure to the pedal...
Cheers,

 

[ACR steve]

Ok, now that we know EBC's aren't the pad of choice if you drive a viper hard (like it should be) what would be a good choice for the performance driver? somebody told me about KVR's ?

 

[FlyBryViper]

I used Brakeman #3 on the street for 8 months, but I only drove the car a total of approx. 800 miles, most in town. On the track, they rock - the hotter you get them the more they brake. On the street, occasionally they would need a little heat to have the initial grab stock pads provide. But once they had heat, again, they are great.
PFC-01 are also a track rated pad that some prefer, and provide a little more initial bite than Brakeman #3.
IMHO, both are great performance pads that are streetable. Oh yeah, you will have to get used to people looking at you - occasionally they will squeek when cold!

 

[Qualitywires.com]

I agree..they are okay for non-racing everyday driving, but when it comes to breaking...hell no!

I was going down the track at about 122mph a year ago...and put the brakes on...my car had a hard time stopping..I had to down shift and pump the brakes.

 

[Bonkers]

Be very careful of the set of EBC that you get. My first set (direct from JonB) performed much better than the ?Biltex? pads that came on it in both stopping and dust. Even my AutoX times improved slightly (probably more confidence than mechanical.)

The second set (bought from my local parts supplier) clearly stated "Viper" but also "Fiat" on the box and the difference was horrendous - stopping power was halved, there was dust on occasion, and generally they didn't feel proper. This set was so bad I ended up putting my worn ones back on because they worked so much better.

I love my EBCs and doubt if I would change them up.

 

[Achilles99]

I would stand on the brakes with the EBC's while coming to a light. A few times, I thought I was going to plow into the car in front me.

Achilles,
Were your brakes cold???
I have noticed that the first few stops arent the best when the pads are cold....I forgot to mention that in my previous post.....
I always try to tell myself "cold tires/cold brakes" when i first go out in my snake....I got surprised a couple times and had to apply extra pressure to the pedal...
Cheers,

Nope, brakes were up to temp. I tried them autocrossing, too. Modulation was better, but initial bite very much lacking.

I liked the stock pad initial bite, but lockup was too easy. So, I sold my 98 and went with ABS. Interestingly enough, I can really hammer the brakes with ABS (stock pads) and not lockup the car as easily. The rear calipers are definitely an improvement over previous years (43mm vs 36, I believe). As a sidenote... when I bought my 2001, the car had EBC Greens. I tried them for a few days, and STILL didn't like the bite. So, my experience with them on both ABS and non-ABS cars have been less than stellar (YMMV).

 

[Snakester]

I have greens up front and reds out back and the grip is just fine for me. Plus there was dramatically reduced dust and no squeal. But I made sure that I chamfered the new pads and scuffed the rotors to make sure that they weren't glazed.

 

[Achilles99]

I have greens up front and reds out back and the grip is just fine for me. Plus there was dramatically reduced dust and no squeal. But I made sure that I chamfered the new pads and scuffed the rotors to make sure that they weren't glazed.

I sanded the rotors as well, and even tried the wire brush drill attachment. Still didn't like it...

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Horrible stopping power but if you realize that and don't drive like Schumacher it's a good trade off for no dust or noise.

The best place to get EBC is from Steve Pasztor 972-743-9443 at www.GreatBrakes.com

He ranks up there in "Tator" status when it comes to customer service.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Might not hurt to see what a few said in an old thread:

http://vca2.viperclub.org/forums/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB14&Number=243931&Forum=All_Forums&Words=Wing%20King&Match=And&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=allposts&Main=243268&Search=true#Post243931

 

[Shelby3]

EBC greens are fine on the street, very little dust, and no squeal. If they aren't working for you on the street, you are driving in a manner that is likely to get you arrested.

 

[Yves]

Horrible. Hate them.