Brake Humming

[dwalby]

That is interesting. However the point I was trying to convey is the Engineering dept at manufacturers spend a lot of time figuring out what will give the most effective braking while also taking into account rotor life, etc.

This is something where there's lots of opinions, and I think because every ride is different, its hard to conclude anything with any certainty.

People have claimed that the EBCs are harder on the rotors. But, like tires, it all depends on what type of riding you've been doing. If you get up to speed on the Interstate and don't stop for 300 miles, and do that day after day while touring, you're going to get a hell of a lot of miles out of a set of pads and your rotors will last forever as well. If you're racing around in the mountains and braking like a GP rider, not so much. Or, doing a lot of stop-and-go riding around town.

So, without any controlled testing, I'm inclined to believe that one company's HH friction is more or less the same as anybody else's, that's why they have a standard in the first place. I can't understand if you brake with any HH friction compound, how one could be easier on the rotors, because the friction is what stops the bike, and that same friction wears the pads and rotors. I could believe that perhaps the HH friction range is fairly large, and Honda pads are on the lower range of the HH spectrum, and EBC on the high range, but I have never seen any data to address that question. If anyone knows anything about that I'd like to hear what they know.

 

[dwalby]

found this info, which suggests that rotor life and coeff of friction/stopping power aren't always directly proportional. Some of the pads with high stopping power are easier on the rotors than pads with less stopping power. Not very scientific info, but from a supplier of automotive racing pads, so probably as reliable as anything else out there. Also, it appears that the HH rating is only used by motorcycles, car pads use the lower friction ratings. F rating is a coeff of friction of 0.35-0.45, G is 0.45-0.55, and H is > 0.55.

Pad Characteristics | AP Racing

AP Racing, the Coventry, UK-based company is a key supplier and the leading manufacturer of performance brake and clutch systems for road and race cars.

apracing.com

 

[Upt' North]

This is something where there's lots of opinions, and I think because every ride is different, its hard to conclude anything with any certainty.

People have claimed that the EBCs are harder on the rotors. But, like tires, it all depends on what type of riding you've been doing. If you get up to speed on the Interstate and don't stop for 300 miles, and do that day after day while touring, you're going to get a hell of a lot of miles out of a set of pads and your rotors will last forever as well. If you're racing around in the mountains and braking like a GP rider, not so much. Or, doing a lot of stop-and-go riding around town.

So, without any controlled testing, I'm inclined to believe that one company's HH friction is more or less the same as anybody else's, that's why they have a standard in the first place. I can't understand if you brake with any HH friction compound, how one could be easier on the rotors, because the friction is what stops the bike, and that same friction wears the pads and rotors. I could believe that perhaps the HH friction range is fairly large, and Honda pads are on the lower range of the HH spectrum, and EBC on the high range, but I have never seen any data to address that question. If anyone knows anything about that I'd like to hear what they know.

I think you're right about the range but it must be huge. I followed the advice on StromOwnersUK where everyone slags off the Suzuki OEM HH pads on the rear. The difference is night and day and I can now actually lose some speed with the rear which I couldn't before. You couldn't actually activate the ABS no matter how hard you pressed. Obviously servicing the brake may have helped too but I found nothing amiss.