TPC Semi-Metallic Disc Brake Pads – Shimano XT BR-M785, SLX BR-M666, XTR BR-M985

The 2011 to 2015 generation of Shimano's better brakes — XT M785, SLX M666 and the XTR M985 — took a pad shape of their own, and a lot of those brakes are still in daily use. If yours is one of them, these are the replacements.

What fits

Shimano Deore XT BR-M785, SLX BR-M666 and XTR 2011 BR-M985. These are the two-piston callipers from that era. If your brake is a four-piston Saint or Zee, or a newer M8120 or M7120, you need our four-piston pads instead, which are a different and larger shape.

Not sure which pads your brake takes? Read our disc brake pad fitment guide.

What they're made of

Semi-metallic friction material bonded to a steel backing plate, with Kevlar and copper fibre through a wear-resistant resin. Rated for middle and high temperatures. The copper content is doing the useful work here, moving heat out of the pad so the lever feel stays the same on the tenth corner as it did on the first.

Worth knowing

Brakes of this vintage are often overdue a bleed as well as pads. If the lever pulls closer to the bar than it used to, new pads alone won't fix it. It's worth doing both at once rather than replacing pads, finding the feel unchanged, and assuming the pads are at fault.

Fitting

Supplied as one pair, enough for a single calliper. Order two for a full bike. Bed them in before you need them: around ten firm stops from moderate speed, easing off before standstill each time, so the pad material transfers evenly across the rotor.