Best brake pads?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: Austin, TX
St. Jude Donor '08
Best brake pads?
I am in need of brakes soon and though I've always been a huge fan of the way Performance Friction performs it dusts up like crazy. I don't want to have to clean my wheels 24/7. We just put Wagners on our SUV and though they don't dust up they're really squishy, which I don't care much for.
Anyone have some input on brake pads? I'll be doing slotted rotors at a later date, but wanted to pose the question.
Thanks!
Anyone have some input on brake pads? I'll be doing slotted rotors at a later date, but wanted to pose the question.
Thanks!
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 24,652
Likes: 298
From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
performance = dust
less performance = less dust
I never was a fan of ceramic pads and after putting a set on my car recently I have come to change my mind a little. There is less noticeable dust and the car stops ok. Nothing great, but the car does stop.
If I was regularly going to be somewhat aggressive on the street I would opt for something else. I think the Z06 pads are good pads.
If you are doing a brake change you should also do a fluid change.
less performance = less dust
I never was a fan of ceramic pads and after putting a set on my car recently I have come to change my mind a little. There is less noticeable dust and the car stops ok. Nothing great, but the car does stop.
If I was regularly going to be somewhat aggressive on the street I would opt for something else. I think the Z06 pads are good pads.
If you are doing a brake change you should also do a fluid change.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 752
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa OK
I just installed Hawk HPS pads all the way around after having the stock pads on for about 40,000 miles. There is a lot less dusting - hardly any compared to stock and the braking is great.
I was considering ceramic but decided against them because of the possibility of fading and they don't stop like the HPS material.
The Hawk HPS pads are great - hardly any dust. Send me a PM and I will tell you where I found the best deal online - I don't think my source is a forum sponsor.
I was considering ceramic but decided against them because of the possibility of fading and they don't stop like the HPS material.
The Hawk HPS pads are great - hardly any dust. Send me a PM and I will tell you where I found the best deal online - I don't think my source is a forum sponsor.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
I just installed Hawk HPS pads all the way around after having the stock pads on for about 40,000 miles. There is a lot less dusting - hardly any compared to stock and the braking is great.
I was considering ceramic but decided against them because of the possibility of fading and they don't stop like the HPS material.
The Hawk HPS pads are great - hardly any dust. Send me a PM and I will tell you where I found the best deal online - I don't think my source is a forum sponsor.
I was considering ceramic but decided against them because of the possibility of fading and they don't stop like the HPS material.
The Hawk HPS pads are great - hardly any dust. Send me a PM and I will tell you where I found the best deal online - I don't think my source is a forum sponsor.
40k on stock pads? wow...I thought every 12k-15k they are supposed to be changed..am I wrong?
I drive mine as a DD...26miles per day and maybe 20 total on the weekends.
I'm not an aggressive driver either. I do hit mild-to-medium traffic on the way home(I do live iN LA).
What do you think my brake life would be with the conditions and parameters I have listed above?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 24,652
Likes: 298
From: NJ
St. Jude Donor '05-'08
I just installed Hawk HPS pads all the way around after having the stock pads on for about 40,000 miles. There is a lot less dusting - hardly any compared to stock and the braking is great.
I was considering ceramic but decided against them because of the possibility of fading and they don't stop like the HPS material.
The Hawk HPS pads are great - hardly any dust. Send me a PM and I will tell you where I found the best deal online - I don't think my source is a forum sponsor.
I was considering ceramic but decided against them because of the possibility of fading and they don't stop like the HPS material.
The Hawk HPS pads are great - hardly any dust. Send me a PM and I will tell you where I found the best deal online - I don't think my source is a forum sponsor.
HPS and Z06 are very close. I usually tell people find the one with the best deal and get those.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 752
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa OK
40k on stock pads? wow...I thought every 12k-15k they are supposed to be changed..am I wrong?
I drive mine as a DD...26miles per day and maybe 20 total on the weekends.
I'm not an aggressive driver either. I do hit mild-to-medium traffic on the way home(I do live iN LA).
What do you think my brake life would be with the conditions and parameters I have listed above?
I drive mine as a DD...26miles per day and maybe 20 total on the weekends.
I'm not an aggressive driver either. I do hit mild-to-medium traffic on the way home(I do live iN LA).
What do you think my brake life would be with the conditions and parameters I have listed above?
Did you change your own brakes or have somebody do it - I bet at 12 - 15K you probably had plenty of pad left.
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Racer
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
The pads still had quite bit of pad left - probably an 1/8 of an inch before the wear sensor hit the rotor when I pulled them. I'm guessing I could have gone another year or 5,000 miles but the back pads were starting to squeal a little when I braked. The car is a DD for my wife - its an 03 and it had 13,000 miles on it when we bought it in Feb 2005 and was like new. We drive about 9,000 miles a year - some long road trips in that number. On average maybe 125 miles a week. She babies it but I like to have fun when I drive.
Did you change your own brakes or have somebody do it - I bet at 12 - 15K you probably had plenty of pad left.
Did you change your own brakes or have somebody do it - I bet at 12 - 15K you probably had plenty of pad left.
it seems as though we are driving our cars more or less the same amount...125-140 for me. I'm going to go as long as needed and I want to monitor it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 752
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa OK
I havent changed it yet. I was told to change the pads every 12-15k and I replied with "Why not when I hear the first squeal? or when I feel the brakes are just giving away?"
it seems as though we are driving our cars more or less the same amount...125-140 for me. I'm going to go as long as needed and I want to monitor it.
it seems as though we are driving our cars more or less the same amount...125-140 for me. I'm going to go as long as needed and I want to monitor it.
Racer
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 257
Likes: 0
Don't worry about it. As the pads thin out they will get noisy (squeal) when you are just slowly rolling with the brakes on - like the final few feet before the car stops. That what my rear pads were doing so I decided to change them. This is way before the sensors will hit the rotors. You should be able to get 40 - 45K before you need to change them.
Thats seriously incredible. Here I was thinking "sh*t, I wont have time to get the brakes,rotors,calipers on time" lol But I guess I will.
By the way, did you replace the brakes yourself?
