Time to replace brake pads and rotors? Project3 uses brakes brake pads and rotors from EBC brakes

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September 21, 2011

Project3 Brake Review

Having a fast car means nothing if you don’t have the proper equipment to stop it. Just like with suspension, tires, and wheels, brakes are a crucial part to any race, project, or even a show car. While our Project3 Mazda sedan isn’t setting any records or boasting the highest horsepower, having the proper set of stoppers puts more confidence in our ability to drive and handle the car.

Two specialists in the industry supplied Project3 with the necessary supplies and parts to complete this task: EBC Brakes USA and CorkSport Performance. EBC Brakes USA supplied a full front and rear set of their amazing Zinc Coated, Slotted and Dimpled 3GD rotors and Red Stuff pads. EBC offers a variety of racing pads ranging from Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, and Green. The color of the pad is their way of telling the consumer what type of pad they should get, for not only the amount of power the car produces but also the type of driving they will be using it for. Since the Project3 won’t see too much track time and is mostly for daily driving use, we opted for the street version, Red Stuff, which also creates less brake dust than its counterparts.

Upgrading the rotors and pads is always good, but if you’re going to get in there and remove most of the parts, you should seriously invest into some stainless steel brake lines. CorkSport Performance builds their lines on MVSS-1006 specifications and is DOT approved; their design helps eliminate that “mushy” pedal and gives you upgraded response when you need it.
To top it off, Motul 5.1 brake fluid was used to increase sensitivity and performance with braking. Provided by Intec Racing, changing out the fluid on a major brake job like this should be mandatory.

The install: Provided by Kevin Kempf of SpeedFactory Racing and Tuning

Installation time: 90 Minutes

Ease of Installation: Medium**
**Changing of the brake rotors and pads is fairly simple, but changing the lines and flushing/bleeding the brake fluid should only be done with the right equipment. Failure to do this right can cause air bubbles in your brake system.

Final review:
After the initial break-in period is done of roughly 100 miles, we gave the brakes several tests. Overall, response is greatly improved throughout the entire system with an added feel through the brake pedal. While we don’t have official start and stopping times, immediate braking under standard driving was instant, coming to a complete stop in mere seconds with no loss of traction or issues with ABS.

Driving hard at highway speeds and having to slow down fast to maintain with traffic was no issue and felt really smooth and very quick. While the Red Stuff pads might not offer the most aggressive grip, it sure gets the job done well for street driving.

We can only imagine that when we decide to autocross the project car, having proper brakes alone will help us shave crucial time off our runs while looking good when we do it.