Devorlast Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 So as my stock brake pads got pretty worn out I decided to replace them with some aftermarket ones. I got three packs of EBC brake pads, one for rear and two for the front calipers. After taking the stock rear pads out I noticed that the metal shape supporting the pad looks different than stocks, and the bracket piece that goes over the whole assembly fits a little awkward. Still it seemed to fit in the caliper just fine, that was until I tried to put the retainer pin back in. Turns out the loops on the EBC pads are too low so they hit the top of caliper casing and won’t align with the pin holes... After considering all my options I filed the excess metal [it was just a few millimeters so it didn’t compromise the structure of the pad in any way] and got it to fit, and surprisingly work pretty well as well. Then I moved to the front calipers and the real problem surfaced. Once I got the stock pads out and was about to put the new ones in I noticed that the two small pad pieces were not mirrored, instead they were the same. I got confused for a second thinking I was looking at it wrong or something but no, small pads from ABC actually came both same sided. I than opened the second pack of pads I had and they were the same... So basically someone in EBC made the design for those pads based of Honda manual but never QA'd his work or even bother fitting them to a bike to see if they work. I emailed the company to see if they reply, if not Ill send them back to the seller I got them from over eBay and get my money back, than get new stocks. Funniest thing of all was the big logo on the pad pack saying "support America, made in America!", I'm sure to look for Japanese parts next time... I have a photo of how do they look like included, didn’t take one of rear set as I didn’t think about it at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Solomoto Posted August 4, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 4, 2014 Why deviate from OEM pads to start with? Honda (and most other OEM's) engineers their stuff to work and fit right; it may not always be the most premium material nor highest performance due to practical costs but is appropriate for the application, and tested to the nth degree because the manufacturer's reputation and liability is on the line. The after market is usually just generic parts shoehorned to fit a particular bike without careful system considerations or testing. Brake pads and exhaust systems are perfect examples of this. The after market is also use at your own risk, they don't have any legal obligation to design and test to any particular engineering or safety regulations. I recall a couple years ago Recalcitrance on this site used an after market ride height adjuster for the rear suspension; after some miles the threaded link stripped out and dropped the back end of her bike onto the tire while riding on the freeway. She managed to get to bike off the freeway but that easily could have been a deadly failure. I doubt the vendor ever did any bona fide engineering and testing to ensure such a failure never occurred. Many after market vendors are fabricators, not engineers who perform rigorous analysis and design safety in their products. Almost anyone can fabricate, but few can engineer. Caveat emptor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNRabbit Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Lots of folks use EBC pads on their VFRs....sure you ordered the right ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devorlast Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 I like aftermarket because of the lesser limitations, whether its material or legal considerations. Why for instance do you put a aftermarket pipe, fueling mod and some other tweaks in? Manufacturer has to adhere to stricter rules, which is especially visible in the emissions part of the house. Main reason for the pads though was that they were ready available on ebay from a reputable seller. Anyway, I will be calling EBC tomorrow and if that doesn't solve it Ill send the pads back. They wouldn't fit ANY bike the way they are right now, look at the picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted August 6, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted August 6, 2014 EBC's QC missed this one....... good thing I spotted and didnot fit them.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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