EBC Brakes on the Routan

[Lucian1988]

well the time has come where I finally needed to replace the rear brakes. They were BAD. metal on metal almost.... no wonder the car was sounding like a ship when I was stopping in reverse. now i chose to do the fronts as well, as the steering wheel was shaking... this was the 3rd set of brakes, dealer replaced, but now the van is out of warranty.

I chose the EBS slotted rotors and EBC green stuff pads. why? because it was the only thing I could find really... i didnt want just regular blanks, and wanted better pads.

total price... around 560 shipped, not bad I hope.

pictures, for your time.



installed drivers side, front:



i only had time to do that, and take off the rear, until 10PM hit, and i broke those metal shim thingies that hold the brake pads, so i have to go buy new ones tomorrow.

what takes the longest to me, was to get the old rotors off. its like they are welded on there almost!

[58kafer]

Nice! We're almost out of warranty and I don't think they're going to warranty me another set(backs are just starting), that would be my fourth in 36K, but what ever. Please keep us posted on how they are, possibly some mileage intervals like every 3K. Did they mark which rotor goes where? as far as left or right? Just curious if the cooling fins in the middle of the rotors are arc'd or straight. Just want to see if the after market is trying to get them better than the factory. Nice job, keep us posted.

[Lucian1988]

They did mark the rotors, but only for the front for some reason. It makes sense though, as the slots go in the direction of motion. i took a pic of the fins for you, dont know if it helps or not. Friday i am putting new tires on, and then driving to the beach, so will post initial impressions after that.

[Lucian1988]

i am sure someone is going to search "brakes" and come across this thread, and wonder more about these discs, so im posting this so they know.

I finally installed the others, took some photos:

Passenger side front:



They look identical in size, but I want to say the EBC rotor felt heavier than OEM.

Thickness comparison:



Seems like the EBC rotor has thicker fins for cooling, and just barely thinner discs. I would say about 1.5mm thinner than OEM. you can judge for yourself, from the images.


Now, when I replaced the rear passenger one, I noticed the disc had grooves in it. I wonder what could have caused that, since when I took the pads off, they were perfectly work, although worn down to the metal almost.




Initial impressions are good, but need to actually drive it first. Broke the new brakes in by doing a couple of runs from 25mph to 10 and then 45 mph to 10. Will post impressions after driving 400 miles this weekend with the van!

[PaulAP]

So how do the brakes feel? I know a couple weeks is not long enough to know how well they will stand up over time, but how's the feel so far with these brakes?

And are they actually black, or is that just the way the camera makes them look?

[Volvos Rock]

The black is a colored zinc coating. The area where the pads touch will turn silver, the rest will stay black.

[Chedman13]

Thanks for posting.

I liked slotted being less prone to cracking than drilled.

These look 100x better than OEM. Any "sound" from braking? My slotted made a sound, but I liked it.

[Air_Cooled_Nut]

Thanks for posting.

I liked slotted being less prone to cracking than drilled.

These look 100x better than OEM. Any "sound" from braking? My slotted made a sound, but I liked it.

Drilled won't crack nowadays. This needs to be put to rest, it's no longer an issue.

[Chedman13]

Drilled won't crack nowadays. This needs to be put to rest, it's no longer an issue.

They still can crack, I've personally seen one crack to the edge of the rotor ad another a hairline fracture from the drilled hole.

Chamfer drilling a rotor and better techniques do help reduce chances of cracking.

It's safe to say rotors are more prone to cracking from being drilled. We're most likely not buying rotors cast with holes on our Routans.

It's unlikely, but wouldn't count it out.

[Lucian1988]

Thanks for posting.

I liked slotted being less prone to cracking than drilled.

These look 100x better than OEM. Any "sound" from braking? My slotted made a sound, but I liked it.

braking is significantly better now.. i think we have around 600 miles on them, and they work pretty good. pedal feel is much better, braking is amazing, and yes... there is a sound when you stop, but ive only noticed it on the highway when slowing down from highway speeds. it sounds kinda lovely though haha.

my only irk with this set up is that its kinda dusty on the wheels. not too bad, but just a bit more than OEM.

overall, I am quite pleased with this set up, and tomorrow im going on another trip and will be enjoying these brakes.

[redzone98]

my only irk with this set up is that its kinda dusty on the wheels. not too bad, but just a bit more than OEM.

.

Im running Hawk HPS pads and Centric rotors... Huge amounts of dust. But i dont care, Braking Performance FAR surpasses any 'looks' category.

[Chedman13]

Im running Hawk HPS pads and Centric rotors... Huge amounts of dust. But i dont care, Braking Performance FAR surpasses any 'looks' category.

Any squealing when cold with the hawk hps?

[redzone98]

Any squealing when cold with the hawk hps?

never.

the Pads DO dust, A LOT