EBC Brakes Review

EBC Brakes is one of those companies that have made a name for themselves in the automobile industry by producing nothing but quality products, especially in an industry that is progressively resorting to cheap imported equipment as opposed to quality equipment that has been made to the very highest standards.

Over the years, a lot of famous brands have come and go, and many of them have resorted to outsourcing their manufacturing processes to firms in emerging markets in a bid to lower production costs. This has come at the cost of quality. EBS has gone the other way, focusing on maintaining the highest quality and hand-crafting their own products.

They also conduct ongoing research on their facilities and have invested millions of dollars into research and design.
That said, with the sheer volume of EBC products out there, it’s impossible to review every single one of them in a single review.
We will, therefore, focus on the most important ones below.

If you’re looking for a set of brake pads for your 4×4 vehicle, then the Greenstuff brake pads are what you need to go for.

Main Features

• Built-in shims to reduce noise
• Chamfered edges on the pads
• Organic friction material

Product Review

These brake pads are an improvement on the 2000 series Greenstuff brake pads that came before them as they last longer and perform much better when it comes to tough off-road conditions.

They are perfect for those who own trucks and SUVs and are formulated to work on especially heavy vehicles.

This set of brakes is similar t6o the 6000 series, except it’s actually made for the lighter variety of SUVs and trucks.

Main Features

• Built-in shims for noise reduction
• Patented red coating on pad surface
• Coated with additional green powder

Product Review

These brakes actually last longer than the 6000 series when used on lighter trucks and SUVs. They also produce no noise and very little dust while performing at the top of their game. That, combined with their long life, ensures that they will save you money as you won’t have to replace them for a very long time.

If you do a lot of street racing, then the Bluestuff line of brake pads is perfect for you.

Main Features

• Easy installation
• Pad material is bonded to steel backing plates
• Friction material is made of aramid fibers

Product Review

These brake pads are so good that they actually perform better than most OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) brake pads.
They have very hard material, which puts them in the highest tiers of quality you will find for racing brake pads.

The wear occurs evenly, so the brakes will perform well even as they grow old and worn and they ensure a total stop of your vehicle.
They are also extremely easy to install, and you can install them yourself.

These brake pads are made for your average sports car. While they are not race quality, they will work well enough for sports vehicles where the driver likes to slam down on the gas pedal every once in a while.

Main Features

• High grip level
• Built-in shims to reduce noise
• No asbestos used

Product Review

These brake pads are perfect for your everyday car and are a perfect entry-level EBC product to get. They have built-in shims to reduce noise as well as red surface coating to give them that extra grip and unmatched braking performance. They also fit very well and will wear out evenly over their life span.

These brakes are built primarily for use on the race track and, as such, perform better than just about any other brake pad used on the race track.

Main Features

• Pad is semi-metallic
• Pad surface has two cooling pads
• Friction levels are .5 cold and .6 hot
• Chamfered edges on pad surfaces

Product Review

If you do a lot of track racing and aren’t happy with the OEM brakes that came with your car, this set of brake pads is the perfect replacement you could get for your race vehicle.

They are faster gripping than other brake pads, have a strong semi-metallic construction for greater durability, and perform much better than other brake pads in the same class while lasting much longer.
They also have all the right features built in so they don’t squeal.

These brake pads, like the Greenstuff series, are also designed for heavier vehicles, SUVs, and trucks.

Main Features

• Pads are ceramic
• Built-in shims for noise reduction
• Chamfered edges

Product Review

These brakes are meant for heavier vehicles and trucks like the Greenstuff series. The major difference is that these are entry level brake pads using ceramic brake pad surfaces, rather than aramid fiber.

They are, therefore overally cheaper. The shims have also been molded into the brake pad, and the edges have been pre-chamfered.
That said, they are still very high performing brakes and will outdo most other brake pads on the market.

Extra duty brake pads, as the name suggests, are built for tough conditions and heavy vehicles that spend most of their time off-road.

Main Features

• Brake in coating
• Low dust and fade-free material
• Pad formulation is made of carbon
• Very strong performance

Product Review

These brakes are meant for use in jeeps, trucks, and SUVs, and are similar to the Greenstuff series.

The major difference is that the friction material is made of long-lasting carbon granules, rather than aramid fibers.

They are still stronger than your average brake pads but much more affordable than Greenstuff series brake pads.

If you’re driving a light vehicle and need a replacement brake pad set that offers performance at the same level or better than your OEM brake pads, then this set is a perfect choice.

Main Features

• Very high friction coefficient
• Chamfered edges and built-in shims
• High quality

Product Review

These brakes are perfect for your light vehicle, especially if you’re looking for a replacement to your OEM brake pads that fit in perfectly with your vehicle.

They work perfectly well for both European and Asian vehicles and have a solid construction that ensures you will use them for a very long time.

FAQ/Buying Guide

Contents:

Where are EBC Brakes made?

The EBC brakes company has manufacturing facilities in both the US and the UK. They carry all of their manufacturing out in these two facilities. Brake pad manufacture is split evenly between the two facilities while the manufacture of brake rotors and discs is mostly carried out in their UK facility.

What does EBC Brakes stand for?

Quite literally, it stands for the European Braking Company.
Another thing about this company is that it pretty much bucks the trend, as far as the manufacture of brakes is concerned. Most of the world is moving toward cheap brake rotors and pads. EBC, on the other hand, is focused on keeping the quality of its products high and maintaining industry-leading technology and product performance.

Their customer service is also unmatched.
This company produces brake pads for cars, SUVs, trucks, wind farms, Humvees, armored tanks, railway vehicles, and industrial vehicles. It’s really hard to beat that.
As far as types are concerned, they also manufacture a wide variety, such as ceramic brake pads, sintered brakes, aramid brake pads, and carbon brake pads. They also do brake discs for both vehicles and motorcycles, doing both cast iron and stainless steel brake pads.

Do EBC brake pads squeal?

The short answer is that they do not, due to the advanced technology used in their manufacture.

The long answer:
A good first step is to understand why brake pads squeal and then to explore why EBC brakes are so quiet compared to other brake pads.
To be sure, it’s very normal for brake pads to be squeaky, as annoying as the noise is for many drivers. In fact, squeaky brakes are just as good at stopping cars as quiet ones.

The reason why brakes squeak has to do with the way they’re set up. Basically we have a brake disc in the middle of two brake pads that have some friction material lining their surfaces at the point of contact with the disc. When conditions are just right, this assembly, together with the caliper on which all of it is mounted, will vibrate at a very particular frequency.

Braking your car will only amplify the volume of the vibration, but it won’t change the frequency. So, basically, when you hear your brakes squeak as you clamp down on the brake pedal, you’re only being made aware of a vibration that has been ongoing for a long time. The main factors behind the vibration are the mass of the brake pads and the stiffness of the whole setup.

The solution to this problem is to either dampen the vibration or to change its resonant frequency to something that is out of the audible range so that, even though it will still be there, you won’t be able to hear it even when you brake.
There are other types of normal brake noises that are produced as a result of different factors.

For example, when brakes accumulate moisture overnight, they will make grinding noise in the morning as they drive away the moisture and warm up.

That’s why you are likely to hear a hissing noise coming from your brakes on a dewy or rainy morning.
That’s because there is a film of rust on the brake disc that is getting scrubbed away by the brakes. That is perfectly normal.

Another source of noise may be the friction material used on the brakes. That material used to be asbestos, but asbestos was found to be a carcinogen, so the industry moved away from using it as friction material. Manufacturers moved on to Kevlar, but that material tended to emit too much dust. Nowadays, many manufacturers use ceramic and metallic friction material.

These are very high-performing and safe friction materials. The trade-off is that they come with a bit of noise as your brakes will tend to grind or hiss a little as you brake. It’s a small price to pay, however.

There is one kind of noise on your brakes that you should never ignore, and that is the noise that tells you it’s about time you changed your brake pads. Brake pads have a small steel finger that gets exposed as the friction material wears down and begins to scrape on the brake disc. This is a very annoying ripping metallic noise, and it basically tells you that your brake pads have worn down and need a replacement.

As far as normal squeaking is concerned, EBC takes care of it in a number of ways. For example, the brakes are chamfered, which is to say they are given soft edges, rather than sharp ones. This prevents the brake pads from dragging by a bit when they meet the metal disc, which usually causes squeaking.

The friction material used on EBC brakes are a polymer mix that reduces noise and also contains a higher scrub factor (the ability to clean away moisture and rust from the disc), which also reduce or eliminate squeaking completely.

Are EBC brake pads ceramic?

The material is actually a composite. It consists of aramid fiber mixed in with ceramic particles. This is better than your average ceramic brake pad in that it doesn’t squeal, lasts longer, and performs much better.

Conclusion

EBC brake pads are your trusted friend when it comes to stopping your vehicle when and where you want. If you’re more interested in quality than cost savings, then you can’t possibly go wrong with these brake pads.