Experience with Akebono pads

Fosgate · Post by **Fosgate** » 09 Aug 2018, 08:00

Hey guys,

I want to check with people who used Akebono ceramic pads in their S70/V70/850...
I did a big brake upgrade on my 1997 S70 T5 with front 12in discs, brand new discs on the back and Akebono pads all around ...
Also replaced the brake fluid using the gold bottle castrol brake fluid...

After all this my brakes I would say are below average... even though it stops I would say there is no initial bite, and you need to use more force to get any decent braking to take place ...
I have made sure to remove all the air from the lines (unless there is a special procedure that I'm not aware of) did it twice actually but still not much improvments ...
So either the Akebono pads are really crap when it comes to providing good braking performance or there is something wrong with my braking mechanism...
Interested to hear what your experience has been with these pads before I go ahead and replace them with another brand...

Only advantage I can see with Akebono is that they have virtually dust free.. but I rather have dust then crappy brakes....

Thanks

sventastic · Post by **sventastic** » 09 Aug 2018, 15:47

I don't have the akebono pads, but I did a lot of research on brake pads before upgrading to the 302mm rotors. I wanted to find something with good cold bite that also wouldn't fade too much at an autocross. I went through a lot of threads, and some people rave about the akebono euros, but from what I could tell the only thing they are actually good at is not producing brake dust and they compromise most other qualities to achieve that. I would guess that these people didn't try them out on many hard braking tests. They are known to have little to no 'bite', so you don't get that initial stopping power, even into the middle to bottom of the pedal as it seems you are experiencing... I went with Stoptech Sport pads, it was between them and Hawk HPS. The wheels are dirty every 500km but I'll take that trade-off for good stopping power

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 09 Aug 2018, 16:27

I put a set on and then shortly after I changed them back to Mintex Reds. The bulk of my driving is highway and I tend to drive deep into an exit ramp before braking. The first few exits scared me to death since the brakes just weren't there for a half or 3/4 of a second. When they bit they stopped great but I didn't really want to retrain my brain.

...Lee

Post by **scot850** » 09 Aug 2018, 16:37

Funny how you guys all say that about Akebono pads. When I asked about pads they were the recommended pads. I have just fitted a set to the front of my son's XC70 and have the rears to do. I said that my only other experience was with my 00 'R' that the PO had fitted Akebono pads to the front. I have always found them to be poor when cold but good when warm with the low dust benefit. I already see the difference in my son's car on the front wheels. Not black dust as normal!

The other variables are the condition of the rotors, the brand of the rotors, and the caliper condition along with the caliper slider pins.

It may also be application differences too.

As to the rattle issue, what is strange is that the pads are backing off enough to rattle. How old are the rear calipers? Could be they are partially seized or the pads are stuck on the pins. When were the rear flexi brake hoses replaced?

I can't recall when I last used a set of the anti-rattle shims.

Neil.

Fosgate · Post by **Fosgate** » 10 Aug 2018, 03:35

Thanks for the info, looks like its not just me having trouble with these pads... I'm going to go ahead and replace the fronts for now over this coming weekend to see how much difference it makes.
To note I have brand new good quality discs all around, the calipers are not seized, and the guiding pins have been cleaned and lubricated and I have also replaced the brake line going to the caliper with the braided ones so pretty much everything has been done properly...
I'll keep you posted after changing the front pads, on how much improvements I got going with performance pads over the Akebono ones.

Post by **oragex** » 10 Aug 2018, 03:50

The easiest thing would be to grab a set of genuine from the junkyard and give it a try. It is quite mentioned the Akebono to lack bite when cold. Also worth mentioning that there may be more that one Akebono quality available.

My experience with them is very confusing. In winter they usually do ok. In summer, I have days where it lacks initial bite. Other days, when the car sat in direct sunshine (which is pretty strong these days), there is clearly more bite right off the bat.

I still cannot say enough about the lack of dust compared to genuine (in fact there is not even a possible comparison)

As mentioned above, there are also easily other potential issues with the brake system that can affect braking power.

But all in all yes, at least the cheaper Akebono are not the pads that will make me break (or at least scratch) my nose against the steering wheel