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[Curt]

At 8200 miles, my FX front brake pads are toast. Another 1/32 inch and they would be down to metal. The rotor is also worn from 4.5mm down to 4.0mm with a deep lip on it, and will probably also need to be replaced. I believe it actually costs less than the OEM pad set.

Going from posts on here and the unofficial manual, I obtained a set of EBC FA181R pads and tried to install them. They are clearly not the correct pads. On the edge facing the anti-rattle clip, they have a smaller profile, as easily seen by stacking them with the OEM pads. As a result, the anti-rattle clip is not sufficiently expanded and its ends rub on the rotor edge. Since it's a wave rotor, I can see/hear the loose clip bouncing up and down and catching on the rotor.

Other notes: the brake pin on the 2016 FX is T25 Torx, as opposed to 4mm hex. I replaced the rear pads with FA 213 and those so far seem to be OK.

[Curt]

More information to share:

I ordered the OEM front brake pad set 25-08027 from the dealer. I received ones that are the same size as the FA181, which is to say, too small, and the problem is not resolved. The dealer took photos of the caliper and is working with Zero to determine a course of action. In the mean time, I'm riding around with a buzz as the rotor waves contact the spring until it wears a slot in the spring. I can probably use a dremel to make the slot myself. This would be much preferable to getting a new caliper, although the spring is a bit loose.

It turns out the spring PA-135 can't be ordered separately from the caliper.

I've also installed a new rotor 240mm XMX front, 25-08063. It's a good fit, but the squeal is louder than ever. I'll find out tomorrow if my douse-rotor-in-water trick still eliminates the squeal.

[Say10 15FX 16FXS]

What year FX? 2014 and earlier are different! I used the EBC FA181 on my ‘15 with the JJUAN caliper. Worked and fit perfectly. Would recommend EBC for all models. My FXS had a noisy and pulsating front brake and those pads eliminated the problem. The rear was also squeaking like a hamster wheel while coasting. A light tap of the pedal would stop it but it would happen again. Switched to EBC semi sintered and the rear is silent and has an improved feel. The stock pads (SBS) are very metallic and are going to be noisy no matter what IMO.

[Curt]

What year FX?

It's a 16FX. Does that have the exact same caliper as either of yours? I'm curious what happens when another 16FX owner replaces the pads with FA181 or with pads ordered from Zero, which are both 1 or 2 mm less deep than my original pads, which I've since thrown out.

When I spin the wheel, the spring makes intermittent contact with the rotor waves. The sound is loud enough but still difficult to hear if riding with helmet on.

The mechanic's recommendation was to wear earplugs and ride 50 miles until the spring wears through -- which I did find amusing. It's just that the (apparently irreplaceable) spring is under reduced tension and might one day catch on something and get mangled.

[Say10 15FX 16FXS]

2015 and up FX should all be the same. I'll try and look this weekend at my old pads and the FA181 to see what I can determine. I have since converted my FX to FXS forks, brakes, and wheels.

[Say10 15FX 16FXS]

Here’s a picture of the stock 2015 FX front pads on top of the EBC FA181R packaging. Exact match as far as I can tell.

[Curt]

One would have to stack the pads back-to-back to see what I found. Here is your picture with an arrow showing the "spine" which sticks out 1-2mm more on the original pads than on the FA181. The replacement pads from Zero are identical with the FA181 (also not correct fit).

I've ridden around quite a bit and need to open it up again to see if the spring has ground down. I wonder if people who replaced their pads only test-rode with their helmets on and just never noticed the ticky-tick noise.

To those who are approaching 8000 miles and haven't done it yet, I'd recommend checking your pads and rotor. That's how long it took for mine to be toast.

[Say10 15FX 16FXS]

Here is what I found.
FA181R and stock ‘15 FX pads side by side, stacked and measured. Stacked they look identical and they measure so close it should not make a difference. I ran the EBC FA181R in mine for miles and it was excellent. Not sure why you are having issues, wrong pads or spring upside down?? Hope this is of some help.
Say10

[Curt]

Say10, thanks for the detailed measurements. It looks like you got 0.372mm difference. I'm sure mine was somewhere above 1mm. Unfortunately, I've thrown out the original pads. They were so ground down and dirty with caliper grease (which is completely useless, so I won't be applying that again).

I installed the spring with the arrow pointing up. After persistent problems, I tried it pointing down just for grins, but it was the same. The dealer also could not solve it, and they came to the same conclusion that the spring is not sufficiently expanded by the new pads.

So the update after a 150 miles is that the loud clicking seems to have stopped, so perhaps the spring wore down or otherwise settled in. I'll open it up and have a look once I muster the motivation.

Also, I successfully stopped the squeal again using my water technique. That is, once a week, after returning home from a ride I douse the rotor and pads with water. It took a few dousings before it was silent.

Cheers.

[Say10 15FX 16FXS]

I checked the part #s and the calipers and pads should be identical for ‘15 and ‘16. I’ll send you my stock pads, 500 miles, if it’ll help you out. Others have reported noisy brakes but mine were nice and quiet. I only changed them because the EBCs were so good on my FXS. PM me if interested.

[Curt]

Say10, thank you. That's very generous. I can definitely use the pads and will PM you.

I took it apart to day to check on the spring. It's wearing pretty much as expected, so the noise should stop once it wears through.