Brembo X-tra Pads - Anyone tried these?

[Setright]

Hello all,

as in the thread name: Has anyone tried the Brembo X-tra pads?

I can only find Brembos own information and a few online reviews that are clearly sponsored and therefore may not be 100% reliable.


I am interested in their actual braking performance - nevermind noise and dust.

[Setright]

There's a full set on it's way to me. I'll get back to you on my experiences.

[Setright]

Fitted yesterday, just running-in....watch this space for impressions soon.

[Setright]

Just a quick life story before I dispense my impressions: I went on my first trackday in 2004, aged 29. I have been on countless trackdays and tracks since then. I visit the Nürburgring at least once a year. I am not the fastest driver at any events, but far from the slowest. Basically, I drive with the intention of having fun...and getting home alive :-)

I ran the Xtra Pads in (all four corners) for almost 900km on public roads. They are clearly designed to inspire confidence by having high initial cold friction. You have to like that in order to like these pads on the road. The bonus is that this aspect is unaffected by speed, meaning that at motorway speeds they react instantly with lost of deceleration.

During normal road use, I don't feel any hint of loss of braking power with repeated use.


By chance, I got the opportunity to participate in an advanced driving course. With repeated high speed braking the friction level is reduced a little, but to me that is a good thing, as they became easier to modulate and less "grabby" when hot. No sense of fade or overheating...but a driving course isn't as hard as a full-on trackday.

Cooled down, and back on the public roads, the pads immediately felt ready to stand the car on the front bumper again. Quite impressive for a E90, street legal pad. No recovery period. No soft brake pedal.


They dust slightly less than BMW stock pads (not hard to achieve!), but I would never rate them as "low dust". Still, the dust is easy to wash off with regular, PH-neutral car soap.

Noise? Running-in, I heard them squeak twice, under light low-speed braking. After the driving course, they squeaked a little again, but they stopped doing that after just 100km of road use.


All in all, I am impressed and very happy with Brembo Xtra pads. Plenty of braking power, with reserve for light trackwork.

Ferodo "DS Performance" offer similar versatility, with lower initial friction and more dust than stock and in my experience squeak/squeal in everyday driving.

[eluded]

Originally Posted by Setright

I went on my first trackday in 2004, aged 29

That's old

[Nircom]

Originally Posted by Setright

Just a quick life story before I dispense my impressions: I went on my first trackday in 2004, aged 29. I have been on countless trackdays and tracks since then. I visit the Nürburgring at least once a year. I am not the fastest driver at any events, but far from the slowest. Basically, I drive with the intention of having fun...and getting home alive :-)

I ran the Xtra Pads in (all four corners) for almost 900km on public roads. They are clearly designed to inspire confidence by having high initial cold friction. You have to like that in order to like these pads on the road. The bonus is that this aspect is unaffected by speed, meaning that at motorway speeds they react instantly with lost of deceleration.

During normal road use, I don't feel any hint of loss of braking power with repeated use.


By chance, I got the opportunity to participate in an advanced driving course. With repeated high speed braking the friction level is reduced a little, but to me that is a good thing, as they became easier to modulate and less "grabby" when hot. No sense of fade or overheating...but a driving course isn't as hard as a full-on trackday.

Cooled down, and back on the public roads, the pads immediately felt ready to stand the car on the front bumper again. Quite impressive for a E90, street legal pad. No recovery period. No soft brake pedal.


They dust slightly less than BMW stock pads (not hard to achieve!), but I would never rate them as "low dust". Still, the dust is easy to wash off with regular, PH-neutral car soap.

Noise? Running-in, I heard them squeak twice, under light low-speed braking. After the driving course, they squeaked a little again, but they stopped doing that after just 100km of road use.


All in all, I am impressed and very happy with Brembo Xtra pads. Plenty of braking power, with reserve for light trackwork.

Ferodo "DS Performance" offer similar versatility, with lower initial friction and more dust than stock and in my experience squeak/squeal in everyday driving.

Thanks for the review

[Kermit]

About to pop a full set of these on mine shortly, as after over 50k miles, my original pads will soon be due a change. Big trip to the Alps in winter so getting everything squared away now.

[ShocknAwe]

Nice review thanks.

[BlkGS]

Are you guys in Europe not able to get power stop z26 pads or something?