yvnrg1981

Sorry to ask but i have done a search but didn't get anything with the s550. Has anyone run EBC redstuff on s550? I have the 2012, but i believe the pads haven't been changed just the engine. I just hate to keep having to wash my car every other day because of brake dust. Plus my Oem are squealing with only 7500 mil on odometer. Any thoughts or recommendations?

S_G7

If it's just the brake dust that you want to minimize and you have silver alloy rims, I would try Armor All Wheel Protectant. Thoroughly spray the protectant on all surfaces of the wheel after washing them and let it sit overnight. The protectant will keep the wheels relatively brake dust free for about 2-3 weeks. The protectant also gives the silver alloy finish a really nice sheen. I haven't tried the protectant on chrome wheels, so I can't speak on that.

Currently, I'm using Armor All Wheel Protectant as the solution to keep my silver AMG 19" wheels brake dust free. I'm pretty happy with the results, however I do plan on changing to Akebono dustless pads once the OEM pads are worn out. Even though the Armor All Wheel Protectant allows the wheels to look clean longer in-between washes, when I do wash the wheels it takes me a long time to remove the oily residue left from the Mercedes OEM brake pads. I currently have the Akebono pads on my 745i and the brake dust is virtually non-existent.

phatisfy

Ive had both red and green versions. Both are good. Got rid of most of the break dust.

yvnrg1981

My car has only 7500 miles on it, you think i can just put on brakes pads w/o changing the rotors? I have used red stuff in the past on different cars and it's a really hard material...always left record marks in rotor. You think the oem should be good?

phatisfy

Just get the "Green" ones then. It's less harsh. Your rotors should be fine. I put the red ones on my clk w/20k miles and it was fine. I had the green ones on my 6series and that was also good. Honestly, I don't think you need the red ones since its more of aggressive driving/breaking.

Mad Dawg 350

My experience with EBC's Redstuff pads was mixed (replaced oem to restuff on a Lexus I once owned). Braking performance is greatly improved over OEM. Dusting?? The same as OEM which stunk on Lexus. This was after 2500 miles before I sold the car so the pads and new rotors were well broken in. When it is time to change out the the pads on my E350, I'm going with Akebono Euro pads.

phatisfy

Akebono's are good also.

yvnrg1981

I went with the Akebono euro...and what a difference. Braking seems on par with OEM. Great cold bite and great as they heat up. Not sure about the squishy feel people are referring to but mine seem the same. No more squealing and no more BLACK BRAKE DUST!!!!! or any dust for that matter. Been driving around for over 3 weeks and rims look like they were just washed. Unbelievable. Also the Akebono's cost me 130 for front AND rear. EBC Redstuff would have been 260.

yvnrg1981

UPDATE:
So it's been about 1200 miles....no dust...but they squeal like crazy as they heat up and under light pressure. Only problem with that is that most of my braking is light. Can anyone tell me if it might go away. If i really use my brakes the squealing stops but only until they cool of a bit. Rotors look good no grooves or anything. I know the ceramic pads take some time to break in...was wondering if any of you guys had this issue and did it go away?

marthyh

Did you install the pads yourself and if yes did you clean everything properly and apply copperpaste to the back of the pads and the pad-seats and cleaned the braking surfaces properly.
Sometimes mechanics tend to be lazy,or under time pressure and then just install everything out of the box ,not cleaning any friction surfaces.

I had Akebono's on my CamaroZ28 and man I did some hard braking and never ever squeeled.
I will soon install the Akebono's front and back on my W221 including disks( and expect nothing but good..)

Also did you follow a brake-in procedure where you gradually let the pads get used to heat :its done by 10-15x times gradually stopping from 60-10Mph and keep driving during this whole procedure so that everything can be cooled properly.

Then you could do some harder braking from 60 to 30Mph and again keep driving to cool everything before you stop.

Oh yeah only do it during dry circumstances.

The idea is, to prevent glazing the surface of the pads etc. that can occur if the pads are shocked hot the first times braking.

If your disks have a blue-ish haze then their braked-in and you can drive as normal.

If you didn't ,chance is, that glazing already occurred and need to be sanded off the pads etc.

yvnrg1981

Rather than simply follow general advice on breaking in Akebono pads (also know as bedding) I decided to email the experts. Here is the response.

Thank you for your inquiry and for choosing Akebono Euro brake pads for your BMW. On the question of bedding procedures: We do not believe any special care needs be taken after the pads are installed especially if your rotors are new OE quality, or the existing good condition rotors are used at the time of new pad installation, as long as the rotors have not been resurfaced with a brake lathe. Akebono pads are fully cured during the manufacturing process and there are no "green" resins or binders at the surface as you might expect with other aftermarket friction materials. Our manufacturing process is unique and not shared by other aftermarket manufacturers.

If your rotors were resurfaced it is possible that the finish is now outside of OE specification for smoothness (Ra 15-30 microns) and you may not realize the full bite potential of the Euro pads until that smoothness has a chance to re-form and a friction transfer layer has occurred. The transfer layer usually appears as a blackish finish on the rotor surfaces, and should be very polished in appearance. This event will feel like a bedding procedure but in fact it is rotor burnishing procedure. There is no particular Akebono recommended procedure required and it will happen naturally, if you will.

I hope I have been able to address your concern. Please feel free to ask for more information should you need it.

Sincerely,

Robin Gedye
Sr. Product Manager, Aftermarket Div.
Akebono Brake Company - U.S.H.Q.
310 Ring Road
Elizabethtown, KY 42701
Tel: (270) 234-5547 Cell: (859) 805 1849

Got that from a different site as i also read before they dont need any bedding. I guess maybe ill drive some more for now and see what happens.

jett3jett

I have EBC redstuff on my s550, so far so good. But I bet i could have spent the 130 and been equally satisfied.