Zip brake pads

[classic Ed]

As you may be aware, they do not make Zip (no) stop brake pads any more so in order to keep your kart going an alternative is needed. Some people scout through ebay trying to find original pads but they are few and far between. If your original pads get too low they will come unbonded and leave you with just the steel insert and no braking.

So what can we use instead?

I was told about the mechanical disc brake that Zip made a short while ago and they used a quite similar pad. The good news is that these pads are still in stock with selected kart suppliers but the bad news is that they are not a straight swap.

Some fettling is needed. Here are the pads, they are off a Zip cadet mechanical disc brake.

The hole centres are the same but the pads are bigger and thicker.

The smaller pad is the original. The green pad is a new EBC pad and the black one is a used one i picked up for £2 a pair.

[classic Ed]

I then bolted the the original pad to the new ones and scribed round them. Then cut the new pads to shape with a hacksaw and grinder.
Then i just needed to shave them down to the right thickness. As my discs are quite thin i needed to get the thickness down to 10mm from 12mm. For this i made a quick jig that the pads bolt down to and two 10mm guides so i can get the pads nice and even.

I roughed them down with an angle grinder and finished them off with a file.

The dust is quite harmful so wear goggles and a dust mask.

Quickly deburr them and you have a new set of pads.

The new pads retail at £13 a pair from EBC and £35+vat a pair from spellfame. Bit of a no brainer that one.

EBC ref number FA 527S for the green pads and FA 527 for the red. Have no idea which is the better compound.

Hope this has been of some help.

[mickpritchard]

Great article Ed, well done!

Cheers,

Mick

[Justin]

Good stuff! Generally greenstuff green pads are a soft compound, and the reds are hard

[JEB]

Good information on the Zip don't stops................
For the Zip do stops i.e. Girling "Powerstop" disc brakes marketed by Mr Hines as ZIP Powerstop Disc Brakes"......................the system was based on the Triumph Herald later disc brakes and the pads which are freely available new and fit without any modifications. Getting pistons for the caliper is an entirely different matter however