my 2009 RS would launch you off the seat & over the windshield during a panic stop.... my F3, which has BREMBO brakes, aren't half as good as my RS brakes were... as far as i'm concerned, BREMBO brakes suck.... :gaah:
Dan P
SPYD3R
While calipers are certainly an important component in the braking process. There are other components which will impact the final result as much or more than the calipers.
There is no question that the Brembo calipers are much superior to their BRP predecessors. So this is not the issue if you have a 2013+ Spyder.
The 2008 & 2009 Spyders used semi-metallic pads which stopped VERY WELL even with inferior calipers. However, the screeching emitted by these pads was intolerable. So, BRP went to an organic pad. This helped greatly with the noise. But braking suffered quite a bit. This may have been the impetus for them going to the much superior Brembo calipers.
But the pads supplied by BRP are still organic. And while pretty much quiet. They don't come anywhere near providing the stopping potential that can be had with this newer system. With a stock, unloaded Spyder 1-up. Stopping power is at least adequate if not very good with the current Brembo / Organic setup. But add storage weight, a 2nd rider and maybe a trailer and you're looking at a much more leisurely stopping sequence. If you need to stop in a hurry this can really get your undivided attention. To put it mildly. You just do not want to be surprised at how your ride does not stop well.
Metal compound pads will always stop better than pads made with organic fibers. Not only do they grip the rotor more positively. But they create and transfer heat much more efficiently. Stopping is simply the conversion of energy. You are converting forward inertia into heat. The better you do this. The faster you will stop.
Steel is probably the best compound for stopping. But it is very noisy and creates rust on everything it touches. EBC Sintered brake pads are made with a copper compound. Copper transfers heat better than steel but it is not quite as aggressive on the rotor. The end result is similar to steel but without the noise or the rust issues. So, they will stop much better than an Organic pad. They are more expensive. But it is unlikely that you will be thinking about the additional expense during an emergency stopping scenario.
The next important component is the rotor. The EBC rotors offer a better braking surface than do the OEM BRP rotors. So this component will increase stopping power over just changing to the Sintered pad sets. An added benefit is that the EBC rotors resist warpage much better than the OEM rotors. I've had several customers who have gone through at lest 1, if not more, sets of front, OEM rotors due to warping. As far as I know, none of them have experienced any rotor warpage having installed the EBC rotor sets.
If you are not stopping as well as you would like. There are solutions.
I hope this helps.
That just ain't gonna happen... nojoke
