Brake pads EBC or OEM Mazda
Reviewing the Carfax, it was a rental car for about 50k and then it was a personal car for the next 53k. Both seem to have kept up with maintenance decently as far as oil and filter changes go, but not much else. I didn't see any rust on the bottom, it drives smooth, suspension still seems good, and the dealership replaced the brakes (and put nitrogen in tires so the car goes 1000000x faster).
I do my own work at times and replaced brakes and rotors on my car for less than $200 in parts in about three hours of work. if I’d worked smarter it would’ve been two.
I love my 2017 Yaris IA, really a Mazda 2 made in Mexico, now at 180k miles and still purring like a kitten. No part failures, just front brake pads
I'm waiting for EBC brakes to come out with yellowstuff pads for the CX70/90; then I will get those!
A friend had a Cadillac ATS-V and putting EBC pads on it was a whole different thing, even on the Brembo 6 pot calipers.
The OE Brembo pads are "okay" and the EBC Blue Stuff will give you better bite though they're still dusty. I went with 2-piece rotors and Endless MX72+ pads.
I bought my car in 2020, its a 2015 Mazda. Bought it with 92,000 miles currently has 118,000. At this point I have had break pads replaced twice [last time in the beginning of 2024] and rotors replaced once [in 2022]. I took my car to a mechanic in December 2024 and he said breaks looked fine [took it in for another issue]. In May 2025 the car started making a squeaking noise when breaking. I know I should have brought it in then but I am flat broke, I had no money to spend. I have been driving it like that since then. The car runs fine otherwise, I have no problem with breaking [no input lag] and no vibrations on the break pedal.
Could be the brakes. My wife's CX-5 smells like that, too. I think one of her slide pins probably seized and needs to be lubricated. Full brake job will be done in the spring. 35K miles or so. I've found that the road salt here just murders Mazda OEM brakes. We've had the same experience with Honda, as well.
EBC is known as the Exploding Brake Company and they still live up to that name...
EBC yellow. And I WILL go back to OEM next. These are not that good tbh. I don't really care about the dust btw.
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Which brake pads to choose — EBC or OEM Mazda?
If choosing brake pads across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare brake pads across these categories:
- PR Score.
- Overall ranking.
- Vote balance.
- Average rating.
- Number of reviews.
- Feature ratings.
- Car owners’ choice.
Which brake pads are better — OEM Mazda or EBC?
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake pads EBC were overall better than OEM Mazda.
- EBC received a PR Score of 77 out of 100, and OEM Mazda scored 64 points.
- EBC ranked 2 in the overall ranking, and OEM Mazda ranked 29.
- The average rating is higher for EBC (3.8) than for OEM Mazda (3.4).
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Brake pads EBC have better feature ratings than OEM Mazda:
- Noise - owners believe, that this property for EBC is better than OEM Mazda.
- Braking - drivers claim, that this property for EBC is outperforms OEM Mazda.
- Dust - reviews suggest, that this property for EBC is preferred to OEM Mazda.
Which brake pads are more popular — EBC or OEM Mazda?
In March 2026 on PartReview, brake pads EBC were overall more popular than OEM Mazda.
By vote balance, brake pads EBC surpassed OEM Mazda:
- For EBC, the ratio of positive (1665) to negative (471) votes is 1194 votes.
- For OEM Mazda, the ratio of positive (124) to negative (67) votes is 57 votes.
By number of reviews, brake pads EBC surpassed OEM Mazda:
- For brake pads EBC there are 687 reviews: 504 positive, 78 neutral, 105 negative.
- For brake pads OEM Mazda there are 59 reviews: 32 positive, 14 neutral, 13 negative.
Which brake pads do car owners prefer — EBC or OEM Mazda?
In March 2026, according to PartReview, brake pads EBC led more car-specific ratings than OEM Mazda:
EBC are chosen by owners of cars such as: Alfa Romeo Giulia, Subaru BRZ, Volkswagen Gol, Audi A3, Audi S3, Audi S5, Audi SQ5, Audi TT RS, BMW Z4, Subaru Legacy, Toyota MR2, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Jetta, Volkswagen Tiguan, and others.
OEM Mazda are chosen by owners of cars such as: Mazda 2, and others.
Other comparisons of brake pads
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of brake pads EBC with: POWER STOP, Akebono, Hawk Performance, Brembo, Ferodo, OEM Volkswagen, Bosch, STOPTECH, Carbotech, Mintex.
Also available: comparisons of brake pads OEM Mazda with: POWER STOP, Akebono, Hawk Performance, Brembo, Ferodo, OEM Volkswagen, Bosch, STOPTECH, Carbotech, Mintex.
You can also see who is better among other brake pads manufacturers: EBC or POWER STOP, EBC or Akebono, EBC or Hawk Performance, Brembo or EBC, Akebono or POWER STOP.