lack luster performance - ET300 - is this normal?

[twotonetommy]

I bought a new one piece RB front rotor set and both front and rear pads - ET300 for my 2006 TSX auto. I was really hoping to have a nice bite when I pushed the pedal down but the braking force is lacking. The car will stop but I need to push hard on the pedal to make it come to a stop. When the car was new, I would only have to lightly push down on the brake pedal and it would easily come to a stop. When my front brake rotors became warped and I decided to upgrade my rotors and pads.

I have followed the bedding process and have completed it twice now. I am still finding I need to push down hard to make the car stop. Is this what I should be expecting with performance brakes? I have never purchased anything other than OEM parts until now.

Thanks

[racingbrake]

RB rotors are made of stronger material preventing from common warping or cracking, so it takes a little bit longer than regular (OE) rotors to seat in with any brake pads.

You may have to give a few more hard stops, and drive a few weeks more to let the pad and rotor fully seated. This is especially needed when both pad and rotor are new.

A good guideline is when the cross-hatch lines (on disc surface) start to disappear. If you use a more aggressive compound such ET500 it may quicken the process but selection of a compound is not just the gripping (stopping) power. The modulation (how easy to control the stop via your pedal), dusting, noise and durability are other factors to consider that's why we offer different compounds for customer for fitting their driving styles.

ET300 is an excellent for street driving, and I am sure after the pad is fully seated with the rotor you will find the performance (overall) is far more superior than what you used to feel including the stopping power

Thanks

[Yak Meat]

ET300 are basically not upgraded pads from your stock setup. I run HAWK HPS for street and the XT960 for track. Both are significantly better than the et300.

I ran the et300 for a month and then went to the track with them. They were just backing plates by the end of the track day (4 20 minute sessions) I have a nose heavy VW R32 though...

As I said, i replaced them with the Hawk Pads and ET 960 for the track. They both have significantly greater initial bite and did not glaze like the 300s did.

[twotonetommy]

Thanks for the reply Yak Meat. I'm glad I'm not the only one. I have now had the pads on for a year and I still don't like the way my brakes work. They hum when start to lightly brake and the drone when I heavy brake. When I pull out of my driveway, I have to hold the brake pedal down firmly to avoid moving forward.

The overall feel is fine when I'm moving and braking moderately but I am definitely not pleased with the ET 300 pads overall or maybe its the front rotor that's my issue. Who knows.

[racingbrake]

We sold more ET300 pads to Acura than any other community, if you don't like ET300, except if air in your brake system, we would allow you to trade it in for ET500 or you may end up with the same result.

Thanks

[Bandit]

That's a great deal. The ET500's are a great street pad.

Al

[Yak Meat]

I do have to say, it is quite easy to get air into the lines when doing an entire brake swap and that without a doubt contributed to my ET300 lack luster performance the first time around at Lime Rock.

However, once I bled them and replaced the fluid, I still was less than impressed, even though it had improved, with the pads at the NJMP track days I went to.

The 960s stop real real nice and I have run them on the street as well. HAdnt seen any degradation in performance when cold or in stop and go traffic, other than the horrific squeal they make under light braking... Cant have it all...

[Steven Kim]

ET300 pads squeak!

I just had the RB BBK installed on my 2010 GTI with the ET300 pads, and while they perform ok (I don't track the car) they squeak like crazy after they are warm. They are fine when cold. They are also fine when braking at speed. But, after a few stops and brakings, they start to squeal really badly at low speeds.

I had them installed at a very reputable and knowledgeable shop, and I followed the bed in procedure twice. I specifically got the ET300 pads because they were said to make NO NOISE. I am very frustrated by this and wonder what can be done to get rid of the noise... This includes pad replacement recommendations. Maybe ceramics would be quieter???

[Yak Meat]

Yeah something is wrong. Something wasn't installed correctly or you have air in the lines.

My RB kit was put on a mk4 r32 which is known for its braking out of the box and the RB kit made a massive difference even with the weak et300s. So if you have to push down far, and are not getting good braking out of the kit, I would bleed and check the connections on the brake lines. Check lines first then bleed and put new fluid in.

After that, if it still persists, I would contact RB directly.

My Et300s never made a peep, so that is interesting. Now my Xt960s, now those things squeal like a pig. But it doesn't matter to me, the braking performance outweighs people thinking my car is broken.

[racingbrake]

Our criteria in developing the street pads is "quiet" first as opposed to track pads being "power" first.

Although both are being made with "performance" in mind, but there is not yet one single compound can handle both - Quiet on street yet fully trackable and last a long time. This is known as "trade off" or compromise.

It would be a "try & learn" process to see which pad compound would best suit your needs, including the choice outside RB pads.

Between ET and XT we also offer XT910 which is a "hybrid" compound, most people like it but someone may still find it's not enough on track (as the driver forget it's not a full track compound).

Understand we offer our pads mainly to serve our customers who have purchased our two piece rotors and brake kits. Although we are not a full line brake pads supplier, but our pads are made to offer you:

1. Good modulation
2. Low dust
3. No squeak (street)
4. Dust are easy to clean (track)
5. True friendly to rotors
6. Good durability
7. Consistent friction level that you can expect

[jampy]

greetings from spain,old thread i know but i found this looking for a solution to similar problem that i have and i think will be better continue this and not start other,i install a set of your bbk in my golf r32 mk4 a weeks ago,the brakes have about 400km and i made the pads brake-in procedure but still don`t have stop power,the feel is like the pads slip on the rotors....even when brake hard the car have very long stops,i don't know what pads comes with the kit but reading the other guy problems with the et300 i assume this is the pad that comes with my kit??