Emira brake specs confirmed AP Racing 370mm/350mm

[Martylemoo]

I changed mine for Performance Friction, Seriously Lotus now list all the brands for Emira
Emira Pads

 

[kitkat]

Just to update some information here, the stock brake pads are no longer Ferodo DS2500, they’re actually made by Brembo which makes sense in AP Racing calipers.

 

[kitkat]

Pad replacement is pretty easy minus one small thing, the pad retaining pins in the rear have extremely limited space to get knocked back into place from behind the rotor. I had to resort to using a small titanium 3d printed hammer to tap it into place. Fronts aren’t an issue since you can just turn the steering wheel.

 

[VL3X]

Just to update some information here, the stock brake pads are no longer Ferodo DS2500, they’re actually made by Brembo which makes sense in AP Racing calipers.

Oh wow.. That explains why folks are complaining about the dust. The oem brembo pads on my STIs were extremely dusty. I don't recall DS2500s being so bad.

 

[kitkat]

Oh wow.. That explains why folks are complaining about the dust. The oem brembo pads on my STIs were extremely dusty. I don't recall DS2500s being so bad.

They may only be for North America too, I had a copper free mirror hanger card in my car when I bought them.

 

[Hapkin]

What are better street able pads for our Emiras for track that aren't too noisy but offer better brake fad resistance, and aren't too dusty? Ie not out and out track pads. But better than stock

 

[kitkat]

What are better street able pads for our Emiras for track that aren't too noisy but offer better brake fad resistance, and aren't too dusty? Ie not out and out track pads. But better than stock

I honestly don’t think that exists without going carbon ceramic — I’m not unhappy with the EBC RedStuff but I wouldn’t depend on them for fade resistance.

 

[Hapkin]

I honestly don’t think that exists without going carbon ceramic — I’m not unhappy with the EBC RedStuff but I wouldn’t depend on them for fade resistance.

Does a carbon ceramic option exist? I love mine in my M2CS. Would love to have an Emira version though may not be cost effective

 

[Dragoon]

My Emira is stuck at the dealer for a fractured front brake pad because these pads are now on back order with no ETA. Is there another good option that cross-references with the OEM pads that I can suggest to the dealer? I would like to go with the EBC YellowStuff pads, but Lotus won't cover the installation of these pads under warranty even though they can't source me OEM pads. They also won't cover any other brake issues if they arise in the future if I install something different than the factory pads now. Before I found out about the back order, I wanted to have them install all new factory pads, run them for a while, and then change them out once I've broken in the car and know that everything is working properly. It's painful knowing my car could sit at the dealership for weeks just because of one single brake pad.

 

[slotus]

After doing the track day at the factory I can confirm that the stock pads are pretty good but not quite up to aggressive track use. Hopefully a good compromise pad can be found without going to a full race pad.

The stock rotors are also a weird single piece bi-metal design that I have never seen before. I wonder if proper 2 piece AP rotors would be a direct swap when the stock rotors wear out.

 

[Warren-RB]

Let's dive in on the braking system a bit! The Evora GT uses very similar brakes, unknown whether they are identical but the geometry is equivalent. AP Racing 4 pots, 370mm front / 350mm rear.

Assuming the whole system is similar on the Emira to what they did on the updated/recent Evora variants, the performance should be absolutely excellent for a factory braking system. It's totally unknown whether the system is the exact same or not, but Lotus do tend to standardize where possible between models so there's a good chance the late model Evora GT fitment might be carried over.

AP Racing uses a standardized system for their brake part numbers, so we can do some sleuthing.
View attachment 3927

2021 Evora GT/GT410/etc front brake pads are Lotus part number A132J0326S. The part number printed directly on the pad is AP Racing 356 CP7040X61BX-DS25HP. Image:
View attachment 3921

That's an AP Racing CP7040D61-type pad profile. The section at the end is the friction compound. In this case DS25HP indicates that it's the Ferodo DS2500HP, which is sometimes called DS2500+, a variant of the DS2500 compound for street applications in heavier vehicles (i.e. not superlight).
View attachment 3923
AP Racing offers this aftermarket in their own APF405 compound, Ferodo DS2500, Ferodo DS2500HP, Ferodo DS3000, Pagid RS29, Raybestos ST45, and Raybestos ST47.


The rear pad for the same car (2021 Evora GT) is Lotus part number A132J0001S, which is printed on the pad as AP Racing 420 CP6600X55BX-DS25HP, so it's a similar configuration to the front pad but in a slightly smaller geometry to suit the smaller rear rotor.
View attachment 3925
View attachment 3924
AP Racing offers this aftermarket in their own APF404 compound, Ferodo DS2500, Ferodo DS3000, and Pagid RS14B. Lotus likely has the pad made for them in the DS2500HP compound to match the fronts.


There is a ton of information available in the AP Racing catalog in the Brake Pads section about all of these compounds, about the available variations of AP's own pads in this particular shape (profile), and a wealth of technical data.

This same pad geometry is also available directly from other brake vendors (Hawk, EBC, Carbotech, etc) in a variety of different compounds to suit particular applications.


All this is simply to say... for those who want something different from the factory pad for a race or track-day application, there's a whole world of race-oriented pads available, for those who want to gain outright performance at significant cost to noise and/or dust. Almost all "factory" pads make a necessary compromise in raw performance to gain quiet and low-dust operation for daily usability in the real world, and I expect the Emira to be no different. Brakes are naturally very noisy, and the engineering needed to make them livable and comfortable while also performing well in a range of conditions is very, very difficult.

Warning/caveat: High performance street/trackday brake pads are notoriously annoying to live with on the street, so I discourage experimentation if you aren't prepared for the compromise. Also, the most aggressive race pads that provide extreme performance usually require significant heat before full friction behavior and should never be used on public roads, because they are essentially unusable in the cold after first setting off, and WILL result in a collision or other incident that could lead to injury or death. Please be safe and smart.

Hope some of this helps someone down the line.

Thanks to Airen, this morning we were able to put our hands on Emira calipers and can confirm:

Front caliper:
CP7545, Piston: 31.8/41.3mm, Pad: 149x61x16.8mm
Rear caliper:
CP6692, Piston: 31.8/38.1mm, Pad: 130x55x16.8mm

 

[Dragoon]

Thanks to Airen, this morning we were able to put our hands on Emira calipers and can confirm:

Front caliper:
CP7545, Piston: 31.8/41.3mm, Pad: 149x61x16.8mm
Rear caliper:
CP6692, Piston: 31.8/38.1mm, Pad: 130x55x16.8mm

That's great news! I'm excited to see your brake kit options for the Emira!

 

[Martylemoo]

On Monday we will know if Evora 400 series brake discs for the front, I have a set waiting for me at home.
I am also having a custom set of alloy bells made for the rears so I can run Alcon discs.