Application: 2018 Lexus ES350
Installed these pads and new rotors on the front and rear of this vehicle after research on how to obtain stronger braking power on this non-performance oriented vehicle.
While braking power was nicer with more initial bite than the original OEM brakes that were on the vehicle from the factory, there were several issues with the pads described below:
1) This brake pad produces a ton of brake dust, equivalent of what you would see on BMW and Mercedes vehicles. After two weeks of driving, the factory wheels are coated in dark brown brake dust, something you don’t see on Japanese vehicles with OEM pads or Akebono equivalent quality which I’ve used in the past on various vehicles.
2) This brake pad has serious fitment issues. On initial brake pressure, there was a loud clunk of the pads. The pads seemed to shift slightly, causing this terrible noise inside the cabin. I’ve taken the brakes apart twice, and all caliper brackets and calipers were tightened down securely and there was no movement from anything being loose. There was also a grinding sound coming from the brakes as the vehicle was turning with slight brake pressure applied.
3) These pads squeal on stops towards the end of the stop. I’ve lubed the back of the pads again after install assuming I might have missed something but one pad continued to squeal despite all of my efforts.
Final thoughts: Even though, this pad is marketed as an OEM equivalent pad and not one of the higher performance lines that EBC offers with the squealing and brake dust you will experience in those lines due to the compounds, I would not recommend this pad to anyone. New rotors were installed on all four corners, all slider pins were properly cleaned and lubed so a new friction surgace was given for these pads to perform at their best, which they did, when it came to stopping power, but failed at noise reduction, dust and fitment.
I ended up installing the Duralast Elite pads from Autozone. After the initial drive, there was a heavy grinding noise that appears to be normal from the initial transfer layer. After 60 miles of driving, the noise has gone away, there are no squeaks or squeals and no clunking noises coming from the pads. The pads appear to have less bite but we will see as they break in, despite having the same GG rating of the EBC pads.
If EBC worked out the noise and fitment issues, I would learn to live with the heavy brake dust but improved stopping power.
Installed these pads and new rotors on the front and rear of this vehicle after research on how to obtain stronger braking power on this non-performance oriented vehicle.
While braking power was nicer with more initial bite than the original OEM brakes that were on the vehicle from the factory, there were several issues with the pads described below:
1) This brake pad produces a ton of brake dust, equivalent of what you would see on BMW and Mercedes vehicles. After two weeks of driving, the factory wheels are coated in dark brown brake dust, something you don’t see on Japanese vehicles with OEM pads or Akebono equivalent quality which I’ve used in the past on various vehicles.
2) This brake pad has serious fitment issues. On initial brake pressure, there was a loud clunk of the pads. The pads seemed to shift slightly, causing this terrible noise inside the cabin. I’ve taken the brakes apart twice, and all caliper brackets and calipers were tightened down securely and there was no movement from anything being loose. There was also a grinding sound coming from the brakes as the vehicle was turning with slight brake pressure applied.
3) These pads squeal on stops towards the end of the stop. I’ve lubed the back of the pads again after install assuming I might have missed something but one pad continued to squeal despite all of my efforts.
Final thoughts: Even though, this pad is marketed as an OEM equivalent pad and not one of the higher performance lines that EBC offers with the squealing and brake dust you will experience in those lines due to the compounds, I would not recommend this pad to anyone. New rotors were installed on all four corners, all slider pins were properly cleaned and lubed so a new friction surgace was given for these pads to perform at their best, which they did, when it came to stopping power, but failed at noise reduction, dust and fitment.
I ended up installing the Duralast Elite pads from Autozone. After the initial drive, there was a heavy grinding noise that appears to be normal from the initial transfer layer. After 60 miles of driving, the noise has gone away, there are no squeaks or squeals and no clunking noises coming from the pads. The pads appear to have less bite but we will see as they break in, despite having the same GG rating of the EBC pads.
If EBC worked out the noise and fitment issues, I would learn to live with the heavy brake dust but improved stopping power.
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