Brakes glorious brakes

[HereComesTheWife]

Now that my car is running nicely, I actually have some motivation to get everything else fixed up, so I'm trying to be a grown up and learn things for myself instead of waiting for Patrick to sort it. I reckon there's going to be a few noddy questions from me.
Anyway, I need new brakes, I've been looking at yellow stuff brake pads, but I don't know if they are worth the additional cost. I do tootle a bit in my car to and from work, but it also gets 'driven' around the back roads, I don't do track days. I have the turbo on there, so it gets to 60 rather quickly. Im quite happy to pay the price for yellow stuff, but don't want to do it if there is little difference to OEM. Any help would be massively appreciated

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[Bossworld]

I've got Brembo pads on the front of mine which I'm very happy with for A roads and the occasional Beehive run.

Got Brembo pads all round on the Mini too.

Had yellowstuff on the rear when I first got the car and got ditched along the way in attempts to fix the handbrake. Currently running Pagid on the back as I was broke at the time and didn't have the extra fiver for the Brembo pads lol

[HereComesTheWife]

I've got Brembo pads on the front of mine which I'm very happy with for A roads and the occasional Beehive run.

Got Brembo pads all round on the Mini too.

Had yellowstuff on the rear when I first got the car and got ditched along the way in attempts to fix the handbrake. Currently running Pagid on the back as I was broke at the time and didn't have the extra fiver for the Brembo pads lol

Can you notice any difference between the cheaper and more expensive ones?
I miss doing the beehive challenge, stupid 40 mph limit

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[Topdownman]

Not fitted the yellowstuff ones yet but I now have a full set of YS and standard style discs to go on at some stage.

That was about £50 for 4 discs and £120 for the pads. At that price I am happy to try out the YS as they have a big following and I wont know until I try them if I notice any difference.

Given that Jack is now running properly then thats got to be a good time to try to get the brakes as good as possible?

[HereComesTheWife]

Not fitted the yellowstuff ones yet but I now have a full set of YS and standard style discs to go on at some stage.

That was about £50 for 4 discs and £120 for the pads. At that price I am happy to try out the YS as they have a big following and I wont know until I try them if I notice any difference.

Given that Jack is now running properly then thats got to be a good time to try to get the brakes as good as possible?

Well that was my thinking too, because I've never bought my own stuff im a bit unsure

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[Bossworld]

I've got Brembo pads on the front of mine which I'm very happy with for A roads and the occasional Beehive run.

Got Brembo pads all round on the Mini too.

Had yellowstuff on the rear when I first got the car and got ditched along the way in attempts to fix the handbrake. Currently running Pagid on the back as I was broke at the time and didn't have the extra fiver for the Brembo pads lol

Can you notice any difference between the cheaper and more expensive ones?
I miss doing the beehive challenge, stupid 40 mph limit

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Once warmed up if I stamped on the pedal I'd be face up to the windscreen. I've only done about 400 miles since the change so haven't fully abused them yet but they've got a nice bite and did me well on a 50 mile run out to the coastal route > Morpeth > A192 route home last Sunday.

Personally given the car weighs so little, I'm not sure how much difference there'll be between decent brands so I'll leave that to those who have tracked their cars.

The pads I took off the front still had plenty of meat on them but looked like they'd been on years. Suppose like anything car related, a freshen up will feel better.

Re: Beehive - Aside from the posted limit, it's more a case of running into people tootling along at 25mph on a weekend!  :protest:

[HereComesTheWife]

I've got Brembo pads on the front of mine which I'm very happy with for A roads and the occasional Beehive run.

Got Brembo pads all round on the Mini too.

Had yellowstuff on the rear when I first got the car and got ditched along the way in attempts to fix the handbrake. Currently running Pagid on the back as I was broke at the time and didn't have the extra fiver for the Brembo pads lol

Can you notice any difference between the cheaper and more expensive ones?
I miss doing the beehive challenge, stupid 40 mph limit

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Once warmed up if I stamped on the pedal I'd be face up to the windscreen. I've only done about 400 miles since the change so haven't fully abused them yet but they've got a nice bite and did me well on a 50 mile run out to the coastal route > Morpeth > A192 route home last Sunday.

Personally given the car weighs so little, I'm not sure how much difference there'll be between decent brands so I'll leave that to those who have tracked their cars.

The pads I took off the front still had plenty of meat on them but looked like they'd been on years. Suppose like anything car related, a freshen up will feel better.

Re: Beehive - Aside from the posted limit, it's more a case of running into people tootling along at 25mph on a weekend!  :protest:

Nowt worse than the Driving Miss Daisy's on the beehive, and there's nowhere to overtake safely

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[jvanzyl]

I've got pagid all round on mine- they're fine....I think the weak point in my whole setup is my tyres (Toyos).
Anyway- my point is that they're fine, BUT the cheaper you go (including Pagid) I think the more fettling you have to do in terms of fitment. So basically you've got to file them down do that they fit nicely and can move back and forth.
I'm assuming that if you spent more money on they likes of EBC or carbotech that they'd just slot right in and work nicely...

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[shnazzle]

I've got pagid all round on mine- they're fine....I think the weak point in my whole setup is my tyres (Toyos).
Anyway- my point is that they're fine, BUT the cheaper you go (including Pagid) I think the more fettling you have to do in terms of fitment. So basically you've got to file them down do that they fit nicely and can move back and forth.
I'm assuming that if you spent more money on they likes of EBC or carbotech that they'd just slot right in and work nicely...

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Err, metinks you should have filed down/cleaned up your calipers! haha.
NEver had any issues with any pads slotting in. God knows I've been through a fair few.

[jvanzyl]

I did! Maybe I just got a naf batch of pads....

I've got pagid all round on mine- they're fine....I think the weak point in my whole setup is my tyres (Toyos).
Anyway- my point is that they're fine, BUT the cheaper you go (including Pagid) I think the more fettling you have to do in terms of fitment. So basically you've got to file them down do that they fit nicely and can move back and forth.
I'm assuming that if you spent more money on they likes of EBC or carbotech that they'd just slot right in and work nicely...

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Err, metinks you should have filed down/cleaned up your calipers! haha.
NEver had any issues with any pads slotting in. God knows I've been through a fair few.

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[1979scotte]

@jvanzyl  not the first person I've heard moaning about pad fitment.

@HereComesTheWife try a cheap set of pads and see how you get on. Especially as you've had some brake issues. I used yellow stuff on my turbo can be noisy and possibly like to get warmed up a bit. May have contributed to my handbrake woes but have no real evidence to support that theory. Stopped the car hard whenever you needed it too.

[jvanzyl]

@jvanzyl  not the first person I've heard moaning about pad fitment.

@HereComesTheWife try a cheap set of pads and see how you get on. Especially as you've had some brake issues. I used yellow stuff on my turbo can be noisy and possibly like to get warmed up a bit. May have contributed to my handbrake woes but have no real evidence to support that theory. Stopped the car hard whenever you needed it too.

Not a bad suggestion- rather get good working calipers and "ok" pads to start with...

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[Ardent]

With Shnaz on this one.

I'm runnig Pagids all round and the only cleaning up to do was removing any crud or rust from the calipers. Pads untouched, slotted in just fine.
Pagid stock discs and pads. Stops just fine. No green yellow red stuff here.
Yes, you want the brakes to work if  you need them to, but I like to use them as least as I can to maintain as much momentum as I can.

[tricky1138]

@jvanzyl  not the first person I've heard moaning about pad fitment.

@HereComesTheWife try a cheap set of pads and see how you get on. Especially as you've had some brake issues. I used yellow stuff on my turbo can be noisy and possibly like to get warmed up a bit. May have contributed to my handbrake woes but have no real evidence to support that theory. Stopped the car hard whenever you needed it too.

I'm with Scotte (and most others by the sounds of it!) Just get a normal set of pads to try out. You've already got a new set on the rear - how are they?

I looked at getting yellowstuff on my Impreza many moons ago, but the tales of noise and not working well from cold (confirmed above!!) put me off for my daily driver.

I personally wouldnt use yellowstuff except on track! I'm sure others have different opinions!

[The Other Stu]

Another +1 for the Brembo pads.
Previously, I had a set of Pagids (which worked OK I guess, but fitted terribly) and replaced them with some Ferodos which I thought "Well, they're branded, should be OK"

They were awful. @Carolyn helped me fit them and so I know they were fitted correctly (albeit they didn't fit very nicely).
They were causing problems (failed MOT) so we took them out to have a look at. One of them was worn on one side and the other had actually split in half!

So I went to ECP and for an extra couple of quid, bought the brembo pads. They fit much better.

What I will say about them is that whilst they'll stop you on a tuppence, they do wear down quickly.

[HereComesTheWife]

So the consensus is that the yellow stuff pads aren't really worth it for me. I'm quite happy with the pagid ones I have on the rear, so I'll probably just go for something similar. Thank you for your help everyone

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[HereComesTheWife]

Looking like brembos are the winner for me

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[Alex Knight]

I looked at getting yellowstuff on my Impreza many moons ago, but the tales of noise and not working well from cold (confirmed above!!) put me off for my daily driver.

I personally wouldnt use yellowstuff except on track! I'm sure others have different opinions!

I use Yellowstuff all round, on road and track. Not ever heard a squeak from them, road or track. Bite from cold is 100% too - zero issues for me. They are fit and forget.
Cannot praise them highly enough for the price.

[shnazzle]

I looked at getting yellowstuff on my Impreza many moons ago, but the tales of noise and not working well from cold (confirmed above!!) put me off for my daily driver.

I personally wouldnt use yellowstuff except on track! I'm sure others have different opinions!

I use Yellowstuff all round, on road and track. Not ever heard a squeak from them, road or track. Bite from cold is 100% too - zero issues for me. They are fit and forget.
Cannot praise them highly enough for the price.

See now why you gone and done that? A decision was made and then you come in swaying the mass concensus. Damn you Mr Knight.

[Topdownman]

Loving your work Alex!

I guess you have to try the YS for yourself to get your opinion!

I have been happy with my standard EBC pads and plain discs but am going to try YS for myself.

Its probably more important that the calipers are regularly cleaned and working properly than the effect of a given pad for road use?

[ChrisGB]

I would say that the stock Toyota pads are pretty good. I ran them on my turbo setup and on road, they only ever concerned me once, coming down the Isle of Man mountain circuit "the wrong way" towards Ramsey, where they started to grumble and fade, but the speeds where way beyond normal road use. Other than that, they had very good feel and progression and worked well from cold.

I'm currently running Yellowstuff in the 2GR setup. They definitely work beyond what stock pads can do, but they are not without drawbacks. Although they will stop you well from cold, the pedal feel is quite wooden until you get some heat into them. Also, they don't seem to grumble before fade sets in, you get a quite subtle warning that they are on the way to overheating, but you will have to be pushing very hard indeed to get to that stage!

I would be happy with stock pads at turbo power levels. I'm going carbotech next time out, Yellowstuff are ok for road use, but I'm looking for more heat resistance and better progression. They ain't cheap mind!

All in, I would say that most decent quality pads should be ok, like tyres, they are personal taste. Definitely avoid budget pads though, they can be really grabby and difficult to modulate.

[Mikeymead]

Just to throw a spanner in the works, I've got Yellow Stuff pads and Mtec grooved and dimpled discs.
I don't find them that noisy, stopping from cold seems fine as is the hand brake operation. Just done a Hill climb school, did 17 runs up the hill with 3 hard braking points on each run and the brakes behaved brilliantly.

[HereComesTheWife]

Thanks for your help everyone, I think I'm going to go for the brembos and see how I come on, I can always change them next time if they aren't agreeing with me

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[MR TWO]

Thanks for your help everyone, I think I'm going to go for the brembos and see how I come on, I can always change them next time if they aren't agreeing with me

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Are you sure?  Yellow stuff = superior braking, no noise. work perfectly when cold, plus they're fit and forget.  Modded cars have enough foibles which we have to deal with. I know after four years of daily driving -spiritedly on occassion- that my brakes are made of the right stuff.

[HereComesTheWife]

Thanks for your help everyone, I think I'm going to go for the brembos and see how I come on, I can always change them next time if they aren't agreeing with me

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Are you sure?  Yellow stuff = superior braking, no noise. work perfectly when cold, plus they're fit and forget.  Modded cars have enough foibles which we have to deal with. I know after four years of daily driving -spiritedly on occassion- that my brakes are made of the right stuff.

No I wasn't sure, and now I'm less sure

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