Everything Your Abarth 500 or 595 Needs to Stop Properly: Inside Our Brake Discs & Pads Collection
If there's one upgrade every Abarth 500 and 595 owner eventually chases, it's brakes. These little Italian hot hatches love to be driven hard, and hard driving means heat, fade, and worn-out OE components faster than you'd expect. Whether you're doing the school run in a 595 Competizione or chasing lap times on track days, having the right braking setup makes all the difference.
Our Abarth 500 595 Brake Discs & Pads collection has grown into a genuinely complete braking resource for these cars — not just discs and pads, but the hoses, calipers, carriers, and small hardware that make up a proper brake job. Here's a full tour of what's in there and how to build the right setup for how you actually drive.
Step one: know your caliper
Before choosing discs or pads, check which calipers your car has fitted:
- Bosch caliper fitment — the standard setup on most 500 and 595 models, using 284mm front discs.
- Brembo caliper fitment — found on higher-spec Competizione, Tributo, and Biposto models, using larger 305mm front discs for extra stopping power.
Discs and pads are not interchangeable between the two caliper types, so confirm your fitment before ordering anything.
Front brake discs: plain to race-spec
For Bosch fitment (284mm):
- Plain, Drilled, Grooved, C-Hook, and EBC Grooved discs cover the full range from a simple OE-style replacement up to a genuine performance upgrade, with EBC's own grooved disc sitting at the top for those who want a trusted third-party name behind the fitment.
For Brembo fitment (305mm):
- Plain Front Brake Discs are the straightforward, cost-effective OE replacement.
- Grooved and C-Hook Competizione discs (180 BHP spec) are engineered specifically for Competizione, Tributo, and Biposto models, with the C-Hook pattern combining drilled and grooved surfaces for extra bite and heat dissipation.
- EBC Slotted Front Brake Discs (305mm) are the most track-focused option in the one-piece disc range, built for serious performance driving.
- EBC Racing Fully-Floating Two-Piece Discs (305mm) are the flagship 305mm option — genuine race-grade discs that still bolt straight onto your standard Brembo calipers. The outer ring floats on stainless bobbins so it can expand freely as it heats, which reduces cracking and warping under sustained hard braking, while the two-piece construction cuts rotating (unsprung) weight for sharper response. Supplied as front discs and bells only, with your choice of EBC pad compound selected separately — making this the biggest front-disc upgrade you can make without stepping up to a full big brake kit and new calipers.
Where the floating discs fit: if you've reached the limit of what a one-piece slotted disc can take but you want to keep your original Brembo calipers, the fully-floating two-piece 305mm discs are the natural next step. If you're ready to replace the calipers entirely for the maximum jump in stopping power, that's where the big brake kit comes in (below).
Rear brake discs: don't neglect the back end
The rear disc range (all 240mm) mirrors the front lineup: Plain, Drilled, Grooved, C-Hook, and EBC Slotted options, so you can match your rear setup to whatever level of front upgrade you've gone with — from a simple like-for-like swap right through to a genuine EBC performance upgrade.
Brake pads: matched to how you drive
Pad choice makes just as much difference as the discs, and the right compound depends heavily on your driving style:
Daily driving:
- EBC Ultimax OEM Brake Pads offer OE-like feel with EBC's manufacturing quality — front pads in Bosch (284mm) and Competizione Brembo fitments, plus matching rear pads.
- Road Use Brake Pads are built for consistent, reliable everyday braking — front and rear sets available.
Spirited road and track days:
- EBC Yellowstuff Brake Pads — EBC's flagship performance pad, delivering instant bite with consistent performance: front in Bosch (284mm) and Competizione Brembo fitments, plus rear pads.
- EBC Bluestuff Front Brake Pads (Brembo fitment) — a genuine track day favourite, the same spec pad used in BMW 3-series race series.
Serious track and race use:
- EBC Racing RP-1 and RP-X Track and Race Brake Pads (Competizione, Brembo fitment) — the most aggressive pads in the range, with RP-X sitting at the top for dedicated race applications. These are also the ideal partner for the fully-floating two-piece discs on a dedicated track car.
Going all-in: the EBC Big Brake Kit
If the fully-floating 305mm discs above are the ceiling for your standard Brembo calipers, the EBC Big Brake Kit (330mm) is the next step up — and it replaces the calipers entirely. Using EBC Racing's Apollo four-piston big brake calipers and 330mm fully-floating discs, it's a serious leap in stopping power for owners chasing genuine track-day capability, and it's supplied complete with braided lines and high-performance fluid. The collection includes everything needed to run and maintain it:
- EBC Big Brake Kit Pads — stainless steel plate Yellowstuff-compound pads for the kit's calipers.
- EBC 330mm Replacement Race Rotor — a motorsport-grade floating rotor with curved vanes for exceptional heat management.
- EBC Stainless Steel Bobbins Kit — for servicing the kit's two-piece fully-floating rotors.
- EBC Hardwear Kit — replacement hardware for the disc rotor ring.
Calipers, carriers, and the hardware that ties it together
A brake job is only as good as the hardware holding it together, and this collection covers that too:
- Rear Brake Calipers with integrated parking brake — direct replacements in standard finish (left / right) or red (left / right).
- Rear Brake Caliper Carriers in standard or red finish, and the Rear Caliper Carrier Clips — the brackets and often-overlooked clips that locate the caliper correctly.
- Rear Caliper Carrier Bolts and Rear Hub Bolts — small hex-head upgrades that make disassembly and reassembly far easier next time.
- Rear Caliper Slider Pin Kit and Front Brembo Brake Caliper Spring & Pin Kit — essential maintenance items so your calipers keep sliding and retracting properly.
- Brake Disc & Wheel Locating Bolt — the genuine Fiat part that keeps disc and wheel correctly located on the hub.
Braided hoses: the flexible line upgrade
Stainless steel braided hoses give a firmer, more consistent pedal feel over factory rubber hoses, and the collection covers the whole car:
- Front Braided Brake Hoses (284mm Bosch fitment) and Competizione/Tributo/Biposto Front Braided Brake Hoses (Brembo fitment), including a Banjo End variant for Brembo setups.
- Middle Braided Brake Hose — connects the rear axle flexible hose to the chassis hard line.
- Rear Braided Brake Hoses.
- Rear Axle Hard Line Replacement Hoses and Rear Caliper & Axle Hard Line Replacement Hoses — purpose-built to solve one of the most common and frustrating issues on older 500 and 595 models: corroded rear hard lines.
Sensors and cables
Rounding out the collection are a few components that keep everything else working correctly:
- Front & Rear ABS Speed Sensors — direct OE-spec replacements for the 500, 595, and 695.
- Left & Right Handbrake Cables — OE-specification replacements for either side.
Putting it all together
If you're planning a full brake refresh, a sensible approach is:
- Confirm your caliper fitment (Bosch or Brembo) before ordering discs or pads.
- Pick your disc type based on use — plain for daily driving, drilled or grooved for a step up, C-Hook or EBC slotted discs for serious performance, and the EBC Racing fully-floating two-piece 305mm discs at the top of the range if you want race-grade discs on your standard Brembo calipers.
- Match your pad compound to your driving — Ultimax OEM or Road Use for the daily commute, Yellowstuff or Bluestuff for spirited road and track use, RP-1 or RP-X for dedicated racing.
- Check your hoses and hard lines, especially on older cars — corroded rear lines are a known issue, and braided hoses give a noticeably firmer pedal.
- Don't skip the small hardware — locating bolts, caliper pins, carrier clips, and hardwear kits complete the job properly and save you a comeback visit.
Browse the full Abarth 500 & 595 Brake Discs & Pads collection on our store to find the right combination for your car, and get in touch at sales@brtmotorsport.co.uk if you're not sure which fitment or compound is right for you.