EBC Brakes - Japfest Silverstone Headline Sponsors
EBC Brakes is this year’s headline sponsor of Japfest. Here’s a little look at their best products and what you can expect them to bring to the show.
EBC Balanced Brake Kits with Apollo Calipers, From £1,395
The British master of stopping power, EBC Brakes has just launched the performance product we’ve all been dying to get our hands on: the awesome new range of multi-pot calipers.
Now EBC, as we all know, has been manufacturing direct-fit, performance discs, pads and braided brake lines here in the UK for decades now. And very good its hardware is too. Many, many project cars have benefitted from running these puppies over the years.
EBC also has the biggest list of applications of anyone in the industry. The firm is a braking behemoth, make no mistake. Still, while this new selection of calipers has taken a while to develop, the result has definitely upped the game in terms of design and performance.
For a start, these make use of the standard pad-shapes, so you’re not limited to buying specialist profiles and compounds. It also means each caliper is specifically engineered for each application – not the usual case of one caliper adapted to fit everything.
Other top features include staggered piston sizes (to eliminate pad taper), hardware machined from stainless steel so they’ll never ever rust, and a single retention bolt, so you can change pads in less time than it takes to boil a kettle.
Available in yellow, red, blue, and black finishes (which, incidentally, is achieved with hi-tech Teflon Polyester top coat, rather than powdercoat which can fade and crack over time), these form part of the new EBC Balanced Brake Kits. And why are they called that I hear you ask? Well, it’s because they offer not just the big floating disc and Apollo caliper kit for the front axle, but a set of matched pads and braided lines for the rear, to give a totally balanced setup. Genius!
Quick Facts:
• Designed, manufactured, pressure tested and assembled in the UK
• Hard-anodised Apollo calipers
• Teflon Polyester top-coat finishes
• 300-380mm two-piece floating slotted rotor
• Front and rear EBC pads
• Front and rear braided brake lines
• DOT 4 racing fluid
Discs
Uprated Discs
Stating the obvious for a moment, if you haven’t got drums, the brake disc is the part that your caliper will clamp the pads onto, building up friction and slowing down the car.
What’s important here is that disc setups offer the widest range of upgrades, the simplest of which is a standard-sized disc (on the front or the rear) with a performance-orientated surface treatment. These provide an effective hike in braking performance for minimum outlay and are as simple to install as standard items. Here are the main ones you will come across…
USR Slotted Rotors
These are EBC’s take on the traditional grooved disc. The slot pattern of the USR Series makes this the disc of choice for drivers who desire improved braking with minimal air noise created from the slots. The finer slot pattern on the USR is what makes them quieter in operation while still offering pad degassing and removing dirt, dust, water and debris from the braking area.
Match these to a set of higher friction pads such as EBC Redstuff, Greenstuff or Yellowstuff and you’ll transform the stock braking of your car.
GD Sport Discs
Dimpled discs, which were actually invented by EBC back in the 90s, are like hardcore cross-drilled items but the holes don’t pass all the way through. This is done chiefly to prevent stress fracturing but also helps with gas dispersal. While the wide aperture slots on the GD Sport Discs also help with cooling by drawing cool air under the brake pad and rotor interface. For best results you’ll also want to match these to a suitable pad compound.
BSD Discs
Check out the unique blade slot design on these BSD Discs. These help to remove hot gases from the braking zone in a super-quick and efficient way, even more than the traditional uni-directional slot. This in return helps keep the pads flatter and the brakes cooler and, well, they look pretty awesome too.
Matched to a set of EBC’s performance pads will see you stopping faster and running cooler with less thermal distortions.
Pads
Although they come in all shapes and sizes, brake pads will always be specific to your vehicle or aftermarket calipers. What makes them different to standard then is the makeup of the friction surface.
Manufactures use different pad-compounds containing everything from semi-metallic, ceramic and organic materials, which give different braking characteristics and are susceptible to different operating temperatures and durability.
Softer compounds are generally suited to aggressive track driving but will wear out quicker. While harder compounds can be more durable, but may run the risk of brake fade under higher temperatures. Again, the key is finding the right balance for your application…
Ultimax2
The Ultimax2 is EBC’s entry-level brake pad that is perfect for OE replacements for your daily driver. The non-metallic pad compound has been engineered for longevity and to produce minimal dust, but the best bit? All this will cost you less than half the price of the equivalent OE part, while giving you better performance.
Quick Facts:
- R90 type approved
- Red ‘brake in’ surface coating for instant safe braking
- 100-percent ECO friendly material with ZERO sulphides
- No shims for noise reduction needed
- Great bite from cold
- Works in all climates
Greenstuff
EBC launched its sports range of pads 21-years ago, and since then, they have sold well over three million sets of performance pads. Greenstuff is their best seller and there’s a good few reasons why…
The latest version of EBC’s best seller has been deliberately designed with a softer compound to improve pedal feel on lighter cars at lower speeds. This resulted in a pad that produces medium dust, has a good life expectancy and causes minimal disc wear.
Tests at the UK MIRA Motor Vehicle Research Institute have shown a version of Greenstuff to stop a car almost 20-feet quicker than original parts on a popular hot hatch braking from 60mph – that’s a huge 15-percent brake improvement. Need we say more?
Quick Facts:
- Fast street pad with 15-percent brake improvement
- Capable of repeated heavy brake use without brake “Fall-Off”
- Minimal disc/rotor damage characteristics
- Superb material for lighter model Asian and European sport compacts
- Red ‘brake in’ surface coating for instant safe braking
Redstuff
This is EBC’s flagship street brake pad specifically designed for prestige and faster cars. The ceramic compound sets new standards in brake performance.
The harder compound does require a longer bedding in period to achieve the optimum level of performance. Be patient and accept the odd brake squeal during this time and they’ll reward you with a brake feel that inspires confidence.
This kind of performance doesn’t even come at the trade-off of high levels of brake dust – the new Redstuff blend is almost dust-free. Which is great news for you and your alloys.
Quick Facts:
- High friction formula improves brake effect 30%
- Low brake dust fast street pad with 15% brake improvement
- Capable of repeated heavy brake use without brake ‘Fall-Off’
- Minimal disc damage characteristics
- Superb material for prestige imports/European and Asian cars
- ECE R 90 type approved for most cars
- Red ‘brake in’ surface coating for instant safe braking
Yellowstuff
Probably EBC’s most famous compound. Yellowstuff pads have reached legend status in the tuning scene and for very good reason. It’s the go-to pad for those who want maximum road legal stopping power but with the credentials to hold its own when out on track.
Even though EBC’s flagship pad is best suited for fast road and track use, it has excellent cold bite and feel, making it a suitable everyday pad. These pads are good cold but warm them up and you’ll see new levels of stopping power. It’s one of those rare situations when you get the best of both worlds with this one.
- High friction formula improves brake effect 30%
- Fastest road legal brake pad
- Zero brake fade
- Capable of repeated heavy brake use without brake ‘fall-Off’
- Very minimal disc/rotor damage characteristics
- Suitable for shorter track events and race use
Orangestuff
This one is a full-on race pad and has been developed for medium to long race durations. It’s best suited on light to middle weight, high powered race cars where a higher fade resistance and wear life is desirable compared to its stable-mate Yellowstuff pad. Hardcore track addicts only apply here!
Quick Facts:
- Pre-scorched surfaces for quick bed in
- Huge friction levels
- Stable at highest temperatures
- Reduced disc damage
- Effective from cold
- Zero brake fade up to temperatures exceeding 750oC
To see all this for yourself, make sure you head over to EBC’s stand in the Retail Village. The guys and gals will be more than happy to answer any questions you have about these awesome products.
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