Hope's Tech 3 E4 and M4 calipers are the British brand's most widely-installed four-piston MTB platform; Tech 3 generation calipers across Stealth, Race E4, Mono M4, Tech M4, and the OE-supplied Shimano RX4 four-piston variant that Hope manufactures for select Shimano partnerships. The Sinter Model 016 is the organic-compound pad for that platform. One pad shape across the Tech 3 four-piston catalog plus the RX4. What's in the kit One caliper's worth of pads (2 pads, left and right) for the Hope Tech 3 E4 / M4 / RX4 pad pocket. The kit ships with the spring, pin, and bedding-in instructions. Order two kits if you're replacing front and rear pads on the same service. Fits Hope Tech 3 E4 / M4 / RX4 pad shape: Hope Tech 3 E4 Hope Stealth Race E4 Hope Mono M4 Hope Tech M4 Hope-made Shimano RX4 (the four-piston flat-mount Hope manufactures under a Shimano partnership) If your Hope brake is the newer Tech V4, the Model 020 is the correct fitment; for the road-targeted Hope RX2, the Model 043 is the right pad. The Tech 3 generation specifically; identifiable by the Tech 3 lever body and the matching E4 or M4 caliper; takes the Model 016. Compound and feel Hope brakes have a deserved reputation for precise lever feel and machined-aluminum caliper quality; the Tech 3 platform is the brand's most refined four-piston design. Sinter's organic ceramic-loaded compound preserves the lever feel Hope engineered for and adds wider thermal range than the typical Hope replacement pad delivers. The resin matrix bites cleanly off the Tech 3's progressive-rate lever, modulates linearly across the lever pull, and stays quiet on dry rotors. The Hope-specific build crowd; riders who chose Hope for its workshop-grade machining and lever feel; usually appreciate the Sinter compound's similar attention to consistency. Specs Compound: organic (ceramic-loaded, resin-bound) Backing plate: steel Pad shape: Hope Tech 3 E4 / M4 / RX4 four-piston Pads per package: 2 (one caliper) Includes spring and pin Includes: 2 pads (left and right), spring, pin, bedding-in instructions. Sinter Ljubljana, Unior Zreče Sinter has been making friction materials in Ljubljana since 1969, and developed the first disc brake pads in the former Yugoslavia in 1972. Unior has been forging hand tools in Zreče since 1919, and sponsors professional road and mountain-bike race teams. The two brands are ninety kilometers apart on the Slovenian map and share a North American importer in Euro Toolworks. The Model 016 lands on bikes where the rider chose Hope for the same reasons we work with Unior; precision over volume, machined quality over mass-market price. Pro tip from our mechanics Hope four-piston calipers run cleaner with fresh pads installed against a deglazed rotor. The Tech 3's larger piston area produces more aggressive transfer-film deposition than smaller calipers, and a worn pad-and-rotor pair often leaves a thick transfer layer that the new Sinter pad won't initially seat against cleanly. A quick wipe with isopropyl alcohol on the rotor surface before pad install removes the old transfer film and lets the Sinter compound build its own film during bedding. Which compound suits your riding and which Sinter model fits your brake is covered in How to choose Sinter brake pads →. FAQ Which brakes does the Sinter Model 016 fit? The Model 016 pad is made for the Hope calipers that use this shape. Because Hope has produced multiple caliper generations with different pad pockets, the reliable way to order right is to pull a worn pad and compare the backing-plate outline, the tab, and the pin hole with this one, or read any model number stamped on the back. The physical match matters more than the brand name. If you are not certain, send us a photo of the worn pad and we'll confirm the fit for you. Sinter is in the name, so are these sintered metal pads? No. Despite the name, Sinter only makes organic pads, not sintered-metal ones. Every compound here, including the Model 016, is an organic (resin) pad. That is what gives them cooler running at the caliper, more lever feel, finer modulation, quiet operation, and less rotor wear than metallic pads. Do I need to bed in the new pads? Yes. New organic pads need bedding in so the pad material transfers evenly onto the rotor. After fitting, ride up to a moderate speed on flat, safe ground and drag the brake firmly to slow down without locking the wheel, then repeat several times. Expect grabby or weak braking until this is done, and let the brakes cool between runs. Why won't the new pads fit back into the caliper? As your old pads wore down, the caliper pistons crept outward to take up the gap, so there is no longer room for full-thickness pads. Before fitting the Model 016, push the pistons back into the caliper to spread them apart. Use a clean plastic tire lever or a dedicated piston-press, work gently and evenly so you don't damage the piston seals, then slot the new pads in.
