[Need Advice] Aftermarket Brake Pads

[Cyano_Hibiki]

The OEM pads on my FL5 is due replacement soon-ish. I've been looking into aftermarket replacement pads. I want to be upfront that I had little experience with this subject. The last time I had brake pads replaced was on my old Prius.

I have been using this amazing thread by @johnny.silva7 to help my research (thank you so much!).

Since I daily this car and it won't see the track anytime soon, I mostly looked at street or street/light track options for mostly commute and occasional spirited back road driving. I also would like to strike a good balance between brake dust reduction, reliability, and longevity. I have thus settled on either Endless SSM PLUS or MX72 PLUS. They seem to be well-reviewed with good reputation. I was gonna go for Dixcel but their NA distributor is in Canada and the tariff made it not worthy.

Here are my questions:

• Are the pads I mentioned above any good for my purpose, if you have any experience with them? If not, what alternatives would you recommend?
  • Bonus point if its a good deal. But I understand you get what you pay for so quality is still my priority.
• Do I need to swap out the rotors if I switch to an aftermarket compound? Or would a proper bedding procedure be enough?
  • When I got my free oil change at the dealer a month ago, they inspected the brakes and said the rotors are good (not surprising given the car just hit 7K miles as of this month).
  • Rotors are expensive and I want to avoid replacing them as long as they are still healthy.
• Should I have a shop do it for me, or would this be something I can do it myself in my garage? I don't have a car lift, just a jack and a set of stands.
  • I do have access to a DIY shop with mechanics that can help me out if I ever need it.
  • I also want to learn how to do it myself.

I really appreciate your advice!

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[Chilly613]

I have the Dixcel M pads for my car. I only paid an additional $20 in import fees.

 

[Cyano_Hibiki]

I have the Dixcel M pads for my car. I only paid an additional $20 in import fees.

I asked shopdixcel.com about the tariff and they told me it would be around 25% for the Dixcel Z set. Where did you get yours from?

The MX72 PLUS front rear set is $282 shipped on Black Hawk. Is Black Hawk reputable? I see they also sell Dixcel pads.

 

[ctechauto]

Both brands Endless and Dixcel are imported brands subject to tarrifs and extra fees (as you know). Do you have a strong preference to those brands? If not, you can find brands like EBC Red Stuff which are extremely available, OEM Brembo, Stoptech (yes, their parent company along with Centric and Raysbestos are closing business so probably would be NOS later on) or even more track-focused brands like Ferodo DS2500. Personally we run the Ferodo DS1.11 pads on our track dedicated Cayman.

Either way, happy to send you a quote if you're interested. and if you're in the DFW area (or want to make the trip), happy to quote you on labor at my shop to do them for you as well.

As for rotors, if you choose to go back to single piece rotors rather than the FK8 2021 and FL5 two-piece rotors, they will be less expensive, considerably. But not many people do that. However, lots of people do just go straight to Girodisc or Paragon two-piece rotors and then just save on the center hat cost down the line and just replace the rotor part itself. If you do not choose to change the rotors (highly recommend you do so either way), you have to be VERY cognizant about the bed-in procedure because the compound is changing.

 

[Chilly613]

I asked shopdixcel.com about the tariff and they told me it would be around 25% for the Dixcel Z set. Where did you get yours from?

The MX72 PLUS front rear set is $282 shipped on Black Hawk. Is Black Hawk reputable? I see they also sell Dixcel pads.

I bought mine direct from Dixcel, but that was a few months ago so the fees may have changed.

Black Hawk was good before all the tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption. At this point, I wouldn't buy anything from Black Hawk. The information they are sending to the shippers for the import fees have been incorrect and are causing people to be charged 3-4X more than what they should be.

Last time I bought Rigid Collars and the JDM Euro Horn, the import fees cost more than half of what my order was.

 

[SP R KiD]

The OEM pads on my FL5 is due replacement soon-ish. I've been looking into aftermarket replacement pads. I want to be upfront that I had little experience with this subject. The last time I had brake pads replaced was on my old Prius.

I have been using this amazing thread by @johnny.silva7 to help my research (thank you so much!).

Since I daily this car and it won't see the track anytime soon, I mostly looked at street or street/light track options for mostly commute and occasional spirited back road driving. I also would like to strike a good balance between brake dust reduction, reliability, and longevity. I have thus settled on either Endless SSM PLUS or MX72 PLUS. They seem to be well-reviewed with good reputation. I was gonna go for Dixcel but their NA distributor is in Canada and the tariff made it not worthy.

Here are my questions:

• Are the pads I mentioned above any good for my purpose, if you have any experience with them? If not, what alternatives would you recommend?
  • Bonus point if its a good deal. But I understand you get what you pay for so quality is still my priority.
• Do I need to swap out the rotors if I switch to an aftermarket compound? Or would a proper bedding procedure be enough?
  • When I got my free oil change at the dealer a month ago, they inspected the brakes and said the rotors are good (not surprising given the car just hit 7K miles as of this month).
  • Rotors are expensive and I want to avoid replacing them as long as they are still healthy.
• Should I have a shop do it for me, or would this be something I can do it myself in my garage?I don't have a car lift, just a jack and a set of stands.
  • I do have access to a DIY shop with mechanics that can help me out if I ever need it.
  • I also want to learn how to do it myself.

I really appreciate your advice!

I cannot answer your first question but I can answer the last 2.

Short answer, no you do not need new rotors to accommodate a new non-oem set of pads. Your OEM rotors will be just fine. I will say I'm surprised your pads are needing to be replaced so soon...I have about 24k miles on my 2023 FL5 and my pads are still measuring yellow-green. I am replacing them with paragons next month due to autocross/track, but it's surprising to hear replacement needed at 7k. If you want to, that's a different story. I'd double check the thickness yourself just to be sure. I would even consider myself a spirited driver.

For your second question, brembos are even easier to replace pad wise than regular calipers. It really is easy as popping out the pins, removing the hardware, sliding the old pads out and new in, then reinstall hardware and popping the pins back in. Be sure to use grease on the outside of the pads! Theres TONs of videos on youtube on how to do it. Watch a couple and try it. If you have any kind of DIY car experience, I'd say it's pretty easy (maybe 3 or 4/10 difficulty wise). Of course, your opinion may be different depending on tooling available to you. I would even wage this is fine to learn on for yourself.

Everyone has different opinions, other may not feel the same why I do. Anyway, good luck! Hope you get to the other side.

 

[Cyano_Hibiki]

I bought mine direct from Dixcel, but that was a few months ago so the fees may have changed.

Black Hawk was good before all the tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption. At this point, I wouldn't buy anything from Black Hawk. The information they are sending to the shippers for the import fees have been incorrect and are causing people to be charged 3-4X more than what they should be.

Last time I bought Rigid Collars and the JDM Euro Horn, the import fees cost more than half of what my order was.

I see, good to know. I guess I'll look into options that ship within the US then.

I cannot answer your first question but I can answer the last 2.

Short answer, no you do not need new rotors to accommodate a new non-oem set of pads. Your OEM rotors will be just fine. I will say I'm surprised your pads are needing to be replaced so soon...I have about 24k miles on my 2023 FL5 and my pads are still measuring yellow-green. I am replacing them with paragons next month due to autocross/track, but it's surprising to hear replacement needed at 7k. If you want to, that's a different story. I'd double check the thickness yourself just to be sure. I would even consider myself a spirited driver.

For your second question, brembos are even easier to replace pad wise than regular calipers. It really is easy as popping out the pins, removing the hardware, sliding the old pads out and new in, then reinstall hardware and popping the pins back in. Be sure to use grease on the outside of the pads! Theres TONs of videos on youtube on how to do it. Watch a couple and try it. If you have any kind of DIY car experience, I'd say it's pretty easy (maybe 3 or 4/10 difficulty wise). Of course, your opinion may be different depending on tooling available to you. I would even wage this is fine to learn on for yourself.

Everyone has different opinions, other may not feel the same why I do. Anyway, good luck! Hope you get to the other side.

Thank you for the advice. Yes, I didn't really check the pad thickness myself, which I totally should. I'm going to look into how to do that myself.
I was mostly concerned about how much dust these OEM pads are creating. Replacement really is not something urgent. I'm just trying to get ahead so I don't have to stress about it down the road.
The dealer didn't really say the pads need to be replaced due to wear, they just kind of mentioned it as part of the inspection. I suspect my pads are totally fine just like yours.
For the brake rotor question, you can see why I'm confused. There are already two different answers to this question in this thread

Both brands Endless and Dixcel are imported brands subject to tarrifs and extra fees (as you know). Do you have a strong preference to those brands? If not, you can find brands like EBC Red Stuff which are extremely available, OEM Brembo, Stoptech (yes, their parent company along with Centric and Raysbestos are closing business so probably would be NOS later on) or even more track-focused brands like Ferodo DS2500. Personally we run the Ferodo DS1.11 pads on our track dedicated Cayman.

Either way, happy to send you a quote if you're interested. and if you're in the DFW area (or want to make the trip), happy to quote you on labor at my shop to do them for you as well.

As for rotors, if you choose to go back to single piece rotors rather than the FK8 2021 and FL5 two-piece rotors, they will be less expensive, considerably. But not many people do that. However, lots of people do just go straight to Girodisc or Paragon two-piece rotors and then just save on the center hat cost down the line and just replace the rotor part itself. If you do not choose to change the rotors (highly recommend you do so either way), you have to be VERY cognizant about the bed-in procedure because the compound is changing.

Thanks for the recs! No, I don't have strong preferences. I will look into the Red Stuff. And sure, if you want to toss in a quote for the parts shipped that'd be nice, but I think I'll either do it myself or find a local shop to do it for me.

I've heard good things about paragon rotors. They are pretty pricey but I might consider getting their 2-piece rotors in the future when my OEM rotors are due replacement. Given the mileage on these I think I can get away with not replacing them? I can for sure look into how to properly bed them in. The pads thread has mentioned this video:

Would it be sufficient to follow what they did?

 

[SP R KiD]

I see, good to know. I guess I'll look into options that ship within the US then.



Thank you for the advice. Yes, I didn't really check the pad thickness myself, which I totally should. I'm going to look into how to do that myself.
I was mostly concerned about how much dust these OEM pads are creating. Replacement really is not something urgent. I'm just trying to get ahead so I don't have to stress about it down the road.
The dealer didn't really say the pads need to be replaced due to wear, they just kind of mentioned it as part of the inspection. I suspect my pads are totally fine just like yours.
For the brake rotor question, you can see why I'm confused. There are already two different answers to this question in this thread



Thanks for the recs! No, I don't have strong preferences. I will look into the Red Stuff. And sure, if you want to toss in a quote for the parts shipped that'd be nice, but I think I'll either do it myself or find a local shop to do it for me.

I've heard good things about paragon rotors. They are pretty pricey but I might consider getting their 2-piece rotors in the future when my OEM rotors are due replacement. Given the mileage on these I think I can get away with not replacing them? I can for sure look into how to properly bed them in. The pads thread has mentioned this video:

Would it be sufficient to follow what they did?

Not to be that guy, but you could always read up on the subject. Plenty of credible online sources will confirm you don't need new rotors most likely. If you have any doubts about strangers' opinions online, you could always reach out to the pad OEM you are deciding to go with and ask them if they recommend getting new rotors!

I 100% value community collaboration and normally don't bash people for asking questions they could google. But you may want to google this stuff too!

 

[AZCWTypeR]

I've used Akebono pads on other Honda's experiencing long life, low dust, and low rotor wear. I'll consider them for the CTR when the time comes. I'm not tracking.

No need to replace rotors unless they are damaged, warped, or too thin. Minimum thickness is called out in the service manual and stamped in the rotor. It will take extra miles for the pads to break-in on used rotors.

 

[Cyano_Hibiki]

Not to be that guy, but you could always read up on the subject. Plenty of credible online sources will confirm you don't need new rotors most likely. If you have any doubts about strangers' opinions online, you could always reach out to the pad OEM you are deciding to go with and ask them if they recommend getting new rotors!

I 100% value community collaboration and normally don't bash people for asking questions they could google. But you may want to google this stuff too!

Haha, you are totally fine! It is fair criticism. I did research a bit myself. Maybe I wasn't looking at the right place. I'm fairly new to car and mechanics stuff, and I'm still learning where to look for credible information. You can't just trust anything online nowadays.
And thank you very much for the info so far! I'm going to spend some time and read up more about this since it's not urgent.
If you happen to have sites, blogs, or YouTube channels recommendations in general, please drop them here if you don't mind!

 

[Evox787]

I bought mine direct from Dixcel, but that was a few months ago so the fees may have changed.

Black Hawk was good before all the tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption. At this point, I wouldn't buy anything from Black Hawk. The information they are sending to the shippers for the import fees have been incorrect and are causing people to be charged 3-4X more than what they should be.

Last time I bought Rigid Collars and the JDM Euro Horn, the import fees cost more than half of what my order was.

And your are not wrong

I bought mine direct from Dixcel, but that was a few months ago so the fees may have changed.

Black Hawk was good before all the tariffs and the removal of the de minimis exemption. At this point, I wouldn't buy anything from Black Hawk. The information they are sending to the shippers for the import fees have been incorrect and are causing people to be charged 3-4X more than what they should be.

Last time I bought Rigid Collars and the JDM Euro Horn, the import fees cost more than half of what my order was.

I know this is totally unrelated to the pads, but just in case—and also because yesterday the global tariff of 10% was announced—this is something that needs to be considered in case of trying to buy something. Sure, it probably isn’t too much, but the shipper will try to take advantage of us because the people on the other end are lazy and don’t want to deal with that either, ultimately affecting us, the receiver, in the end.

You aren’t wrong at all. I contacted them. I was going to pull the trigger on the Blitz exhaust, and I could not get vendors here to give me clear answers or avoid leaving me hanging for a reply. Basically, on both ends, they are just lazy. I understand the hassle of dealing with people like me asking a bunch of questions, but if you’re paying any amount of money, I think you are allowed to ask questions. That’s another conversation for another day, though. So, I went to the only website I know. This was my email:

"I am interested in purchasing the Blitz exhaust for the FL5 Type R, listed on your website under product number 63206. Before placing an order, I would like to clarify a few points:

Could you please provide information on the applicable tariffs and the specific code used when completing the paperwork upon the item’s arrival in the United States? I would like to avoid any unexpected charges.

Does placing an order automatically add me to a waitlist for this part, or is it available for immediate shipment?

Thank you in advance for your assistance. I look forward to your response."

To their answer, I find it a little bit odd, because I don’t think they answered my emails. I understand that English probably isn’t a strong language for them, but neither is mine, and I try to pass the message as clearly as I can to avoid getting lost in translation, or anything that could cause confusion. This was their response to the email.

“Thank you very much for contacting us.

We have confirmed that the following is in stock but there are only a few stocks left.

BLITZ NUR-SPEC CUSTOM EDITION EXHAUST SYSTEM VS FOR HONDA CIVIC TYPE R FL5 63206
https://www.blackhawkjapan.com/prod...BzYeLfGuhJ2SPLhEfkWwxScGFL_W0CF3WGL32GZM0aiVG

We will be able to ship it to you in about a week to 10 business days once the order is placed.
Once the stock runs out, it may take a while for them to be restocked.


We apologize for any inconvenience, but we are unable to provide the total tariff amount that will be applied to the item.

Please be informed that U.S. Customs has begun imposing tariffs on all imports from Japan, including shipments valued under $800 USD, as the De Minimis exemption has now been removed for all countries.
The general tariff rate is approximately 25%, including brokerage fees.
Additionally, steel, aluminum, and copper products are subject to an extra 50% tariff on top of the standard rate.

As a result, the fees charged by the shipping courier are related to these new tariffs, along with their brokerage fees.
These fees are not included in the payment made to us and will be collected by the shipping courier before the item is delivered to your address.

We appreciate your understanding as we adjust to these changes.

For further information, we recommend reaching out to your local customs office.

**We can assist you by declaring only 70% of the total value of the items in your order.
Please remember to include a note with your order requesting a 30% reduction in the invoice value so that our shipping team can make the necessary adjustments.”

Because if they put the proper description, like the code—for example, 8708.92.5000—and as the description put “exhaust muffler parts,” it is not going to be another 50% on top, and it isn’t supposed to be 25% either, for all the information I could gather. Unless they are selling steel from other countries and not Japanese, the math isn’t adding up, and we are all being lied to about the “JDM quality,” and now the curtain has come out. Again, someone along the line is lying. And who is the one affected, always?

But probably this will come out wrong or something, but this is why I’m really hesitant to modify my car. In the internet era, I find it hard to trust people who try to take advantage of us or just brush it to the side and call us names because we don’t stay quiet. Here in the US, the quality of parts isn’t good either, especially JDM counterparts. Again, I’ve been out of the game for a long time. I was on the Mitsubishi, but when I was buying parts back then from companies, I don’t remember it being this bad.

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