Brake Pad Questions

[Nanna10r]

Ok guys time for some information sharing on Brake pads .... I know bugger all about them so lemme start the Ball rolling .....

About to Replace the OEM front pads on "Tiggr" 02 ZX9R F1 with braided lines n 26000k.
Was given 3 otpions all in a Scintered Metal composition ....

So questions are:
1. is this the way to go is there a lot of difference in the various Brands,
2. Do softer Scintered pads wear the discs away quicker,
3. what other compounds are used on modern scoots ?.
4. How often do you need to change the brake fluid ?.
Thanks for the help.

Cheers Brett

[Barrabob]

well brett hers a link to somwhere that sells what you need and i am tiold it comes pretty fast by post.

zx9r owners would know what works best i have seen somewhere that you can use softer in the front and harder in the back etc think theat was ferodos though.

http://www.johnstamnas.com/

usually ebc h/h are the grippy ones.

[omen_child]

I find that brake pads make a bit of difference, and once you find something you like, stick to it.

All pads are sintered to some degree (to avoid low friction issues when wet), but the degree varies with rating. Currently i'm using EBC HH pads, have used them on a couple of bikes and i like them. Being that they're labelled at "spuerbike/supersport" pads, it's understandable that they're a little wooden when cold, but when they get some heat in them, they bite like a scalded rottweiler.

Brake fluid should be changed about every 12 months, as it's hydroscopic and degrades in performance with age.

[bonester]

1. is this the way to go is there a lot of difference in the various Brands?
Dunno about braking performance, but the Dunlopads I fitted to my ZZR have increased the bite considerably since fitting them along with Goodridge lines.
2. Do softer Scintered pads wear the discs away quicker?
I would guess that your Kawasaki factory pads are scintered- ZZR1100, and ZZR1200s are for example.
3. what other compounds are used on modern scoots ?. Kevlar
4. How often do you need to change the brake fluid ?. They recommend every two years- I would think it would depend on where you live (humidity is the key) and how often you ride in the rain- as to how much moisture the fluid absorbs. BTW the front rotors on my ZZR1100 warped just after fitting Kevlar pads- maybe you should stick to scintered metal?
[/quote]

[redzedx7r]

BTW the front rotors on my ZZR1100 warped just after fitting Kevlar pads- maybe you should stick to scintered metal?

[/quote]

thats because the kevlar pads don't dissapate the heat as well as the sintered pads

[mrmina]

mate the best to brands are ebc and sbs.

i've got the sbs on mine at the moment and they do the job.

[Felix]

thats because the kevlar pads don't dissapate the heat as well as the sintered pads

Kevlar is actually incredibly good at dissipating heat, which is part of the reason it is so impact resistant - the energy moves throughout the material and away from a centralised point.

I think the problem is that the heat coefficient of the kevlar doesn't match the disc. You'll find that the kevlar actually out-performs the disc, leaving the net heat gain being sunk into the metal disc.

The other problem is that it will absolutely flog the brake fluid. You can probably buy several sets of "normal" discs for the price of kevlar, so I'd try a few out and see how they go over a few thousand k's apiece.

Brake fluid changes are at the most every 2 years, and every 12 months the preference. It's not expensive stuff, but so very important.

[Neka79]

hmm i have braided lines, i reckon they work better than stock, after comparing them to jamies bike a few months back...less spongy...
i run sbs sintered- road in the front, race in the back (i dont care if the backs are harder-but up front ill sacrifice longevity for cold pull up- u never kno wen ur gunna need to stop quick)...
ive also got wave rotors these days- so the baby pulls up in a real hurry...ive used EBC previous on other bikes & found them to b ok too..

[corbywan]

I moved from OEM brake pads to EBC HH.
Both are great, the EBC HH are cheaper, (nearly half the price) and in my opinion a little better than OEM.
Let us know how you go.

[Jube]

Be careful as most of the aftermarket pads have slightly smaller friction material dimensions than the oem. I used carbonne lorraine on my nine and then went back to oem and it took forever to wear the pads to the disc again as the oems are about six mm wider.

[paternoster]

I just replaced my front brake pads on my ZX6R '05 (2000km) with EBC HH type couple days ago. I used to like EBC before to replace my OEM on my R6 but not this time. I think the OEM nissin has much better grip, and smoother. Is any other brand that i should consider?

[Steve_TLS]

Here's a little info on pad ratings, i.e EBC HH A HH pad is going to be the best, but whose HH's are better than others?

What do edge codes mean?


An edge code is a means of identification that may be used to describe the initial frictional characteristic of any brake lining.

Typically, a two-character code (e.g. EE, FF, GG, HH, etc) is used on specific friction formulation. These characters represent the coefficient of friction when a 1" square piece of friction material is subjected to varying conditions of load, temperature, pressure and rubbing speed on a test apparatus known as the Chase machine.

The coefficient of friction measured by the Chase test describes the relationship between the two forces acting on the friction material. A clamping force is exerted on the friction material, resulting in a frictional or resistance force. A low coefficient of friction means that very little of the clamping force is transferred into resistance force. On the other hand, a high coefficient of friction means that given the same level of clamping force, a higher resistance force is generated by the brake pad.

For example, a pad that carries an HH code has a normal coefficient of friction of 0.55 or higher, and a hot coefficient of friction of 0.55 or higher.

The first letter of the code represents the normal friction coefficient. This is defined as the average of four test data points measured at 200, 250, 300 and 400 degrees Farenheit.

The second letter of the code represents the hot friction coefficient based on a fade and recovery test. We all should know what brake fade is. If you've ever had to use the front brake extensively and found that its effectiveness quickly diminished, that's fade. Recovery is basically the period where the brakes are gradually cooling off.

The hot friction coefficient is defined as the average of 10 data points located at 400 and 300F. On the first recovery cycle of the pad; 450, 500, 550, 600 and 650F. On the second fade cycle; and 500, 400, and 300F on the second recovery cycle.

The range of friction coefficients assigned to each code letter are as follows: C = less than 0.15. D= 0.15 to 0.25. E= 0.25 to 0.35. F= 0.35 to 0.45. G= 0.45 to 0.55, and H= over 0.55.

[Neka79]

damn steve..ur making spewzuki riders look like nerds...or is that spewzuki doin it for yas??lol..

[Steve_TLS]

Bit of both I think Neka.

But have you noticed I don't really know anything? I'm just a cut and paster (Plus you might not believe it coming out of a spewzuki mouth )