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Akebono Brake Pads vs EBC Pads – Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Showdown

Akebono at eEuroparts.com

Choosing the right brake pads is an essential part of regular car maintenance. What you place between the rotor and the caliper will impact your overall safety. Cheap brake pads that don’t ‘bite well’ will leave you with a longer stopping distance and compromised performance when you need it the most. Then there’s the matter of durability. By turning to proven brands, you’ll avoid most of the potential issues.

Speaking of proven brands and their products, Akebono brake pads definitely fit this description. Today we’ll go over Akeobono’s lineup as well as EBC’s most popular brake pads. We’ll see what each brand offers and why these pads are a solid choice for just about any Audi, BMW, or other European brands.

Akebono Euro Ceramic brake pads

Akebono Brake Pads – Proudly Made in the USA

Akebono is one of those companies with a long history of excellence and innovation to its name. With R&D facilities spread out across the US, France, and Japan, Akebono has had very little issues maintaining its reputation as a top-tier brand.

What sets Akebono apart from the rest is the fact that they run production facilities in the United States. Akebono has factories in Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina, meaning that many of their products are built using the good old American know-how.

That being said, Akebono is a Japanese brand founded back in 1929. When you buy Akebono, you’re getting a perfect blend of Japanese ingenuity, US build quality, and a pinch of relentless European QC.

Our current offer includes two of Akebono’s most popular brake pad series – EURO Ultra-Premium ceramic pads and their PRO-ACT Ultra-Premium ceramic brake pads.

 

EBC High Performance brake pads

Akebono EURO Ultra-Premium Series Ceramic Pads

Akebono is one of the few brands that offer a complete range of brake pads dedicated solely to European vehicles. The EURO Ultra-Premium pads are designed to meet the performance demands of luxury European cars and their owners. This particular pad is known for its bite and stopping power, especially when combined with a quality rotor and OEM caliper. Speaking of OEM, these are fully OEM compatible.

Performance is just one part of the EURO Ultra-Premium equation. EURO pads produce virtually no brake pad dust, even under heavy braking. Such properties are attributed to the Akebono Ceramic Technology (ACT), which has proven its worth numerous times since it was first introduced almost 20 years ago.

Akebono has adapted the ACT to meet modern European vehicles’ needs, thus bringing this decades-old technology up to speed with the latest demands.

Akebono EURO Ultra-Premium pads are available for the following brands:

  • BMW
  • Mercedes-Benz
  • Audi
  • VW
  • Volvo
  • FIAT
  • Porsche
  • MINI
  • Jaguar
  • Land-Rover
  • SAAB

Akebono PRO-ACT Ultra-Premium Series Ceramic Brake Pads

The full range of Akebono’s ceramic brake pads includes more than just their EURO series. The PRO-ACT Ultra-Premium series ceramic brakes are designed for drivers who want to upgrade their brakes and go a step above the OE pads. PRO-ACT features a number of technologies that make these pads incredibly competitive.

Akebono had used an advanced version of their ACT technology, which achieves improved performance across the board. Drivers who decide to go with the PRO-ACT series can look expect enhanced stopping power, little to no brake dust accumulation, as well as a tangible reduction in both noise and vibration.

EBC Brakes

EBC is arguably one of the most popular brakes manufacturers in the automotive industry. Their pads are color-coded, which is a system that has become synonymous with this brand over time. Our current offer of EBC brakes includes their legendary Redstuff, Bluestuff, and Orangestuff progressive ceramic pads. If you’re interested in learning more about progressive pads, we have a full guide on that subject.

With that said, each of these offers a slightly different performance profile, but all of them go above and beyond OE specs.

EBC Redstuff Ceramic Brake Pads

If you know brakes, you probably know that EBC Redstuff brake pads are one of the most popular choices for drivers who want to step out of the realm of OE. This is a street pad designed specifically for sedans and passenger cars.

EBC has used its standard ceramic braking compound, thus delivering improved performance and very little brake pad dust. This is not a track brake pad. Instead, the Redstuff is aimed more toward a longer lifespan and higher fade resistance under normal driving conditions.

The improved durability and lifespan of Redstuff pads are a result of a harder ceramic compound. As a result, these pads take some time to fully break-in, which is probably the only downside to this series of pads. Even so, going with Redstuff brakes is a proven choice.

EBC Bluestuff NDX Super-Street Ceramic Brake Pads

One of the reasons why EBC has such an established reputation in the automotive world is the fact that it has a pad for every application. EBC Bluestuff NDX is a super-street pad designed to offer track day performance to those who occasionally hit the local twisties and those who do serious track racing but don’t have a dedicated track day car.

Meeting the needs of such different user groups meant that EBC had to come up with a compromise. They’ve created a ceramic pad that offered great control and excellent fade resistance properties, which is precisely what you want out of a decent track day pad.

The Bluestuff pads also offer excellent cold bite properties, making them an ideal pad for the streets where you don’t get the warm-up lap. As far as downsides go, you’re looking at moderate brake dust accumulation as well as a fair bit of noise. That being said, this is still one of the best hybrid pads you can get at the moment.

EBC Orangestuff Full Race Brake Pads

Last but not least, EBC offers full-on racing pads designated as the Orangestuff series of pads. This product is designed for automotive enthusiasts who are looking to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of their braking systems. As far as specs go, the Orangestuff pads are nicely balanced across the board.

You’re getting top-tier levels of fade resistance and control. EBC has managed to offer such a performance without compromising the wear life. Cold bite performance is decent, which makes the Orangestuff street ready as well. However, you’ll get the best braking performance out of these when they are adequately warmed up.

The Orangestuff compound is made for medium to long-duration racing, where it offers high levels of friction and good temperature control. EBC has sacrificed some of the dust and noise properties to create a pad that won’t do much damage to your rotors.

Going Above OE Pads – Is It Worth It?

The braking system is usually one of the first things that get upgraded on a car, and for a good reason. Being able to brake later into a turn is something every car enthusiast appreciates. However, not everyone is interested in track day driving, so how does upgrading your braking system impact your daily commute? In other words, is the upgrade worth the investment?

Benefits of Performance Pads

There are different ways you can upgrade your brakes. It all comes down to how far you’re willing to go. On one end of the spectrum, you’ve got a full brake job with new, larger rotors, larger calipers, and performance pads. On the other, you have performance pads slapped onto OEM rotors and calipers.

Upgrading the pads alone is enough to improve your car’s braking performance, especially if you’re street-oriented. Different compounds offer different levels of ‘bite.’ Going with performance pads will give you a tangible improvement in this regard.

Wear and Comfort

Aside from being able to stop faster, going with performance pads brings several other benefits. If you take ceramic pads as an example (most of the pads mentioned in this guide are ceramic), you’ll notice that they last much longer than metallic or other types of pads. You’re also getting lower noise levels and less brake dust accumulation on the wheels.

All of these benefits mean that you’ll change your brake pads less frequently, enjoy a more comfortable ride, and have a cleaner car at the end of the day.

Brake Disc Wear

Your choice of pads also has an impact on your brake discs. Some compounds are known to wear out brake discs much faster than others. A damaged disc is a safety risk both on the street and on the track. Investing in a good set of pads will make your rotors last more on average.

How to Choose the Right Pad for your Car?

Finding the right pad for your car requires a bit of research. Before you do any of that, you’ll need to define what you’ll be using your new pads for. Enthusiasts interested in visiting local track day events might prioritize performance over comfort. On the other hand, those looking for a more durable pad will look for improved comfort and wear life above anything else.

When you figure this out, head over to our online store where you’ll be prompted to input your vehicle’s year, make and model. Once you do that, your system will show you all of the available pads for your car. You’ll find Akebono brake pads in our offer, along with pads of other popular manufacturers.

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