Chicken Coupe
Jul 5th, 07, 5:20 PM
This might be posted in the wrong place, but I think it's OK here.
Thought I'd drop a line about my experience with a recent upgrade to EBC Yellow Stuff pads. It is on my daily driver and not a Chevelle, but my 2003 Explorer suffered from the same lackluster braking as those of you with 11" stock rotor setups and a nearly 4K lb vehicle.
I have to imagine that the improvement would be similar for my Chevelle and would like to hear about anyone's experience on one of "our" cars because if I can improve the brakes on my Chevelle like I did on the Explorer for $120, I'm all in.
Ever since I got my Wife her Gr. Cherokee with 13" ft. rotors, I have been jealous of the difference in braking capability vs. my 11" disc setup. Just breathe on the pedal and this thing is hauling down from 70 MPH like Hercules. After reading all the tech articles, I decided to give the EBC brakes a try knowing I might be throwing away money for a name brand vs. Hawk or others that are less expensive.
The EBC tech articles discussed that the Yellow Stuff pads would increase braking by about 30% and had excellent cold and hot performance. Likewise with their Green Stuff pads designed for heavy or SUV vehicles with similar performance. I decided on the Yellow Stuff ft. pads and Green's for the rear (they do not make Yellows for the rear in my application) . My rotors were warped and the runout was too severe to resurface, so I also ordered their slotted rotors. Rather unique, as the slots do not run to the edge. Again, referencing their tech articles, they explained that this modification made the pads wear very evenly with increased performance in a street application. regardless of the actual contribution, they were only about $20 a pair more than "replacement parts", so if nothing else I have a better looking rotor.
I must admit that I cannot break the habit of "doing it the right way" or "don't do it at all" as I cleaned, sanded, masked, and painted all if the brake caliper/brackets. I am also attempting to teach that to my 2 sons, so they can help me with my resto and don't know any other way. BTW, they BOTh did an absolutely GREAT job. I did have some fun with them along the way watching them try to figure our how to get the pads on the rear when they have 1 L-outer and 1 R-inner pad. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
"Holy Hanna", the results are i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e! After breaking them in as instructed, I decide to give them a not-so-scientific performance test. Cold or hot, street or highway, my Explorer is honkin' to a stop. They were NEVER like this before.
I will say to anyone who is thinking about upgrading to these pads, for any vehicle, that there was a HUGE price spread among both local suppliers and Web sites. Do your homework.
Thought I'd drop a line about my experience with a recent upgrade to EBC Yellow Stuff pads. It is on my daily driver and not a Chevelle, but my 2003 Explorer suffered from the same lackluster braking as those of you with 11" stock rotor setups and a nearly 4K lb vehicle.
I have to imagine that the improvement would be similar for my Chevelle and would like to hear about anyone's experience on one of "our" cars because if I can improve the brakes on my Chevelle like I did on the Explorer for $120, I'm all in.
Ever since I got my Wife her Gr. Cherokee with 13" ft. rotors, I have been jealous of the difference in braking capability vs. my 11" disc setup. Just breathe on the pedal and this thing is hauling down from 70 MPH like Hercules. After reading all the tech articles, I decided to give the EBC brakes a try knowing I might be throwing away money for a name brand vs. Hawk or others that are less expensive.
The EBC tech articles discussed that the Yellow Stuff pads would increase braking by about 30% and had excellent cold and hot performance. Likewise with their Green Stuff pads designed for heavy or SUV vehicles with similar performance. I decided on the Yellow Stuff ft. pads and Green's for the rear (they do not make Yellows for the rear in my application) . My rotors were warped and the runout was too severe to resurface, so I also ordered their slotted rotors. Rather unique, as the slots do not run to the edge. Again, referencing their tech articles, they explained that this modification made the pads wear very evenly with increased performance in a street application. regardless of the actual contribution, they were only about $20 a pair more than "replacement parts", so if nothing else I have a better looking rotor.
I must admit that I cannot break the habit of "doing it the right way" or "don't do it at all" as I cleaned, sanded, masked, and painted all if the brake caliper/brackets. I am also attempting to teach that to my 2 sons, so they can help me with my resto and don't know any other way. BTW, they BOTh did an absolutely GREAT job. I did have some fun with them along the way watching them try to figure our how to get the pads on the rear when they have 1 L-outer and 1 R-inner pad. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
"Holy Hanna", the results are i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-e! After breaking them in as instructed, I decide to give them a not-so-scientific performance test. Cold or hot, street or highway, my Explorer is honkin' to a stop. They were NEVER like this before.
I will say to anyone who is thinking about upgrading to these pads, for any vehicle, that there was a HUGE price spread among both local suppliers and Web sites. Do your homework.