I wanted to increase braking response and feel in my sc400. First i tried ss brake lines and didn't feel much difference. Recently i decided to try some aftermarket pads hoping for less pedal effort and more bite. I decided on EBC ultimax. I also did a few other things to the car at the same time. New shocks, new front tires, and i had the rotors resurfaced before installing the new pads. During installation i noticed the inboard pads were very difficult to install required some force.( I tried all the different pads to make sure i wasn't trying to force the wrong pad in). After i installed everything and put it back together i noticed the wheels took more effort to spin and i suspected it was the inboard pads rubbing, but what else could i do, i figured it would required a break-in period. I drove the car and noticed improved breaking and didn't feel any extra drag. The next couple of days i noticed the car seemed to have a slight vibration especially as i took a 2500 mile round trip right after installation. Eventually the rotors warped and now the car vibrates badly when braking. My though is that the clearance on the pads what not designed correctly and the inboard pads were too stiffly mounted to operate correctly. The company i that sold them to me (autopartswarehouse.com) won't help and they said i'll have to contact EBC. Well EBC is in the U.K so i am still working on that (maybe i can reach them late tonight). Does this sound accurate, is it not out of line to ask for a refund on the pads and to pay for the cost of new rotors? What's the best way to approach the company?

 

Unlikely your rotors are actually warped. Read this

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp...rakedisk.shtml

On my track car I had EBC Greenstuff pads. When I replaced them I used had an issue similar to yours. The pad had a break-in layer on them. I think it's designed to remove the thin layer of brake pad material from the previous pads that is present on the rotor.

I had very bad vibration issues with those pads even after bedding them in per the EBC instructions. At certain speeds the vibration was so bad the entire car shook. I've never experienced anything like it. When the brakes were heated up the problem would go away, but once they cooled down it would come back.

Ended up going to a track day at PIR, after the first session was over the problem went away and I've never had the issue again. My rotors were never warped.

Good possibility the pads are not bedded in properly and you have an uneven layer of pad material on the rotor which is causing your issue.

Anthony

 

well, it would have to be brake pad material from the ebc's if there is because i had the rotors resurfaced before installing the pads. Maybe i will try the orginal pads with the rotors after i have talked to ebc and see if the problem persists, but looking at the rotors i can't see any residual material on them.