Ds2500 pads?

[Geoff Deakin]

My KVA has Billet 4 front calipers with 295 discs.

When bought it last year it was fitted with two servos.

I only drove it for about 200 motorway miles, before terminal electrical failure brought everything to a halt.

As part of my winter overhaul I removed both servos, having just run up and down the road with them disconnected.

The difference in braking power did not seem to alter - It actually didn't seem that startling to start with.

When the servos were off the car, I vacu tested them, and they didn't appear to be working.

The front pads now are EBC Red Stuff.

It has been suggested that I run with DS2500 pads.

Has anyone any experience with these, with no servos?

Looking forward to your comments.

Cheers,

Geoff.

 

[PhillipM]

DS2500 are a very good pad indeed, they are a good step up from Red Stuff - however, if you get them too hot, they tend to leave deposits on the discs and cause vibrations - it can be hard to tell if they're overheating because they don't fade much even when they are.

However, the new EBC Bluestuff NDX introduced this year is a very similar pad but with even more braking power, lower disc wear - and at a similar price, so I'd go with those.

If you don't mind the odd brake squeak around town then I would talk to Ian@Carbotech about some XP8 pads - these are fantastic on our racer without servos, loads of power and bite even over DS2500/3000, but still easy to modulate. They're also very hardwearing and kind on discs.

 

[Julian]

I'm running DS2500 pads all round. 330 x 28 front discs, 290 x 23 back discs, 4 piston calipers everywhere and a dual master cyl and balance bar arrangment with no assistance.

Happy with pad performance, but they do tend to squeal very LOUD under light braking quite often. I use car only for hillclimbs and ciruit work. Race it, break it, fix it just in time for next event etc. So you need to ask, what do I want to use my car for? If it's primarily for road usage, I'd think about a more street oriented pad. But for me, they work well from cold and up, which is important when you get to the first corner on a hillclimb!

 

[Chris E]

Geoff
I use DS2500's on my Noble and they are very good for street at track day use.
As with all new pads, they do need bedding in carefully though to get an even amount of pad material transferred to the disks during this process to avoid judder.

 

[Geoff Deakin]

Hi,

Thanks for your input.

I should have said - I'm only planning road use for the forseeable future, but maybe the odd hillclimb next year.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Geoff.

 

[PhillipM]

In that case I'd stick the new NDX Blue's on, they're silent and generate less dust than the DS2500's.

 

[René]

I have for a few years DS3000 on my Hartge on 315mm disk's but my car is 1390kg (with 3/4 fuel) so more heavy then a GT40.
But they do good, also on a trackday, though on the street the squeal a bit, not always and not that loud as say RC6
I also hear good stories about PF Performance Friction.
Parts Finder

but what PhillipM says sounds very good...don't know those...
Best is a brake pad with a good bite also when cold and do not squeal on a hot day and do not dust so much, also do not eat the disk's so fast and are wheel friendly with his dust...

hm...I'm looking for such brake pads too, my DS3000 perform good but I know their must be better all-round brake pads out there.

 

[PhillipM]

The NDX are a new pads for this year - I've always been a bit wary of EBC pads as they done some crap compounds before, but after trying their 2011 Bluestuff and their new compound of Greenstuff for this year too they've certainly turned things around.

The Bluestuff NDX does everything you've just listed there for your best brake pad. Superb all-round pad.

 

[Tim]

My observations on pads from personal experience are,

DS2500, a little wooden in feel at high temps, have not had them fade at all. reasonable on the discs, OK cold but needs higher pedal pressure, Not the best un-boosted. Will not buy again.

DS3000, as above for feel and no fade. Very harsh on discs, a set of discs for a set of pads. Not the best cold. Will not buy again.

EBC Yellow, Never had them fade but very very wooden in feel, easy on the discs. OK cold but needs higher pedal pressure. Will not buy again.

Pagid S14 Very good initial bite, very modulate-able, reasonable on discs, Work well from cold, probably good with no boost. Will be using more of these in the future.

All of these have been in boosted brake cars, but if I was going to try something for un-boosted I would certainly be going the Pagid route.

Pagid Brake Pad Products.

 

[EGLITOM]

The NDX are a new pads for this year - I've always been a bit wary of EBC pads as they done some crap compounds before, but after trying their 2011 Bluestuff and their new compound of Greenstuff for this year too they've certainly turned things around.

The Bluestuff NDX does everything you've just listed there for your best brake pad. Superb all-round pad.

Would they be available for wilwood 6 and 4 piston calipers
Size 120,4 * 61,7 * 20,3 mm ?
(only found the "old" versions on their website)
TOM

 

[PhillipM]

They should be yes, certainly for the 4-pots.
I don't know who the distributor is over there but Ian @ Godspeed Brakes can have them made any shape you like.

If you find you need more braking power than that I think you'll have to put up with the odd bit of brake squeal and go for either the Pagid offerings Tim recommends (well, probably the RS15 over the '14s), or the Carbotechs - they have a lot of power for something so easy on discs, so are good for un-servo'd cars.

 

[EGLITOM]

Thanks Phillip

good contact, will get the NDX´s for my Wilwoods in about 2 weeks

TOM

 

[PhillipM]

No problem, I have a bit of a brake fetish to be honest