Brake Pads and Rotors Recommendation - Confusing

[joeyjoey]

Well I'm happy with the fluids I've purchased as a result of visiting this site, but now I'm going to see if I can go a bit off-topic, because I'm having a heck of a time trying to figure out what brake pads and rotors to get for my wife's '98 Mustang. Haven't come across a site similar to bobistheoilguy for brakes yet... but I'm really hoping some knowledgeable and experienced users here can guide me in the right direction. This seems to be the place to find the right advice.

Use is just daily driver/commuter vehicle. No slotted or drilled rotors are needed, just plain, smooth rotors will suffice. The most important qualities for me are probably similar to those of the average driver: 1)safety and oem-like deceleration, particularly in emergency situations; 2)noise; and 3)durability. Low dust is a nice-to-have. Squealing would be a deal-breaker, as my wife had some intolerably noisy pads put on once at a place like Meineke; and I'd prefer to replace these items on a schedule similar to oem or better, not 2-3 times more often.

I have almost given up trying to figure out which after market brands would be suitable or better replacements than the OEM parts. There are just way too many names, even more opinions, and I just haven't come across a single website that offered what seemed like reputable, well-informed and unbiased information on this topic. I've become familiar with dozens of name brands I'd never heard of last week such as Wagner, Centric, Pro Stop, Baer, Stop Tech, EBC, Akebono, Bendix, Power Stop, Raybestos, Duralast, Stillen, Brembo, Bosch and all the different store-brands, etc etc etc - but for every person who claims "almost no dust", "zero noise", "100k miles" the next claims "excessive dust", "horrible squealing", and "warping after 1 month" for the exact same braking system - IT IS WAY TOO CONFUSING, and the dearth of technical testing or materials data is baffling.

So I could just buy OEM parts... but is that just wasting money on highly marked-up items of lesser quality?

That said, while I'm open to any and all advice regarding the different brands and types of rotors and pads, I thought I'd start with some choices I had narrowed down in my search (from what I've gathered, Napa may be the best of the store brands):

1) NAPA: Brake Kit - Front - TS-X OE Ceramic for $99.97; Part Numbers: NBK 7478XTSK2; TSTS-7478-X(pads), NB4886443(rotors)

2) Genuine Ford Motor Parts rotors and pads for $187 from my local dealership. Parts numbers 2001 and 1125 (or BRR-54 and BR-36B Motorcraft)

3) Napa Ultra Premium Rotors ($65 ea) and NAPA Adaptive One Pads ($72) for $202 total. Part Number: UP 86443 Part Number: ADO AD7478

4) PADS: WAGNER Part # QC600 (#PD600) ThermoQuiet. Front; Optional Ceramic C ; ROTORS: RAYBESTOS Part # 66443R {#1066443} 5 Bolt Holes Professional Grade. Front. 2 Rotors and pads for about $75 total.

For all I know option #4 above may be the best quality rotors and pads I've listed, at the cheapest price, since it's an online retailer. I am just at a complete loss trying to figure this out. The OEM/Motorcraft parts may be the best, or the worst, for all I can tell (OEM quality and performance is definitely good enough though).

I tried asking a similar question at a Mustang forum, and I think the only real piece of advice I've gotten so far has been "Napa sucks".

Thanks everyone.

 

[brandini]

I love my NAPA Ultra Premium rotors, it's my 2nd car with them, never a problem or a warp and they held up to autocross and quite a few long spirited drives.

 

[RF Overlord]

Not a Mustang, but the xwife's 2003 Mercury Marauder has Raybestos Police series pads, calipers, and rotors and she loves them. I don't know if they make a Police version for the Mustang, but Raybestos has always had an excellent reputation.

You also really can't go wrong with genuine Motorcraft parts, just don't buy them from a dealer or you get screwed. www.tascaparts.com or Rock Auto will have way better prices.

 

[GutsyGecko]

Order something from summits website. Pick a smooth EBC, Brembo (powerstop are brembo blanks). Either will be better than oem quality rotor wise. You're on your own for pads.

 

[Blaze]

With brake components I stick with Ford OME parts from Rock Auto....the reason why?...I don't want to enter the brake parts rabbit hole either...gosh there are so many of them!!

 

[Astro14]

Akebono ceramic pads are on 3 of my 7 vehicles (the two Volvos and the older MB) and they are great. Volvos are known for squeaky brakes, but with the Akebonos, there is no noise, no dust, and exceptional wear. I've got 70K on one set of pads/rotors (Brembo plain) and there is still about 50% of the pad left...on the front!

Upgraded pads, particularly ceramic pads, are absolutely worth the few extra $$ that you spend. For the record, I've got Akebono Euro ceramic pads for the S600, along with OE rotors (drilled), just waiting for some nice weather to put them on.

 

[Donald]

I would look first for Akebono Pro-Act Ceramic pads. If you cannot find them, my second choice is Wagner TQ Ceramic. Check RockAuto.

Rotors are less important than pads. With respect to top quality. Forget drilled or slotted. The ones at NAPA in the $30-$40 range are fine. Centric makes some with an e-coating so they rust less. I have them on my Jeep front. You might be able to turn your old rotors. Rotors are hard to buy by mail because of the high shipping unless you get free shipping at Amazon.

 

[JDW]

Originally Posted By: brandini
I love my NAPA Ultra Premium rotors, it's my 2nd car with them, never a problem or a warp and they held up to autocross and quite a few long spirited drives.


Same here 13 inch Ultra Premium drilled and slotted on the front , Stops great on the track & street

Granted they are made in china.

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Donald
I would look first for Akebono Pro-Act Ceramic pads. If you cannot find them, my second choice is Wagner TQ Ceramic. Check RockAuto.


I second Akebono pads. They are pretty good.

For rotors I highly recommend Raybestos Advanced Technology ones. When we had our Vibe we tried three or four different kinds of rotors, and all would start pulsating within 10,000 miles. The Raybestos lasted 30,000 without a problem (we then traded it in). For most vehicles rotors aren't a big consideration, but with smaller cars where they cut corners for weight quality rotors are important.

 

[EdwardC]

There's an rebate on the Wagner Thermoquiets going on now as well: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3296744/Wagner_Thermoquiet_$30_Rebate#Post3296744

 

[Cardenio327]

Sounds like you're on the right path, plus lots of good advice in the responses.

The complaints you've seen on the forums you've been frequenting are mostly due to sloppy incomplete installation jobs of high quality parts. Just stick to the higher end offerings of the better brands and you'll be fine.

Installation check list:

**Lightly grease face of hub and any sliding contact points with high temperature brake specific grease. If your new pads don't have shims, it is also a good idea to lightly grease the faces of the pistons and area where the calipers contact the back of the pads.

**Replace any hardware that is bent, worn or rusty. Clean out the pin bores by hand with an old drill bit. Liberally grease the pins as above.

**Avoid having your rotors turned. If you feel you cannot reuse your rotors without having them turned, replace them in pairs with new ones of decent quality.

**Do not glue brake parts with silicone RTV or use snake oil products such as "Silence is Golden".

**Do not allow brake cleaner to come in contact with the friction material. Brake cleaner is for reducing the amount of dust before doing brake work, for cleaning metal parts, for removing cosmoline from the new rotors, and for removing greasy fingerprints from the rotors when you are done. It is not for cleaning brake pads or removing fingerprints from brake pads.

**Wash the entire brake assembly with warm soapy water and a sponge when you are done.

**Evenly torque your lugs to spec afterwards and perform the brake pad manufacturer's bedding in process.

Most of the problems you read about in forums were most likely due to shortcuts, lack of cleanliness, reusing worn parts, &c.

 

[dparm]

I would try to compare the rotor cooling design with the factory one. The biggest corner-cutting is usually with regard to proper cooling vane spacing and thickness. While this won't make a huge difference in day-to-day stuff, the instant you need to stop quickly at a higher-speed, those cheap ones will struggle to shed the heat.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: dparm
I would try to compare the rotor cooling design with the factory one. The biggest corner-cutting is usually with regard to proper cooling vane spacing and thickness. While this won't make a huge difference in day-to-day stuff, the instant you need to stop quickly at a higher-speed, those cheap ones will struggle to shed the heat.


Yeah, but I would think that even cheapo rotors would be able to handle one or two high speed stops on street tires (most likely relatively ungrippy ones) and OEMish pads.

When you need cooling efficiency you're usually talking about many repeated hard braking events from high speed, like on a race track.

But then again, some people still seem to figure out how to consistently leave uneven pad deposits (warped) on their rotors in typically pedestrian vehicles...

 

[Sayjac]

Agree there are lots of choices. I just installed Wagner TQ Ceramic front pads(with a rebate) and AAP Wearever rotors on a 01 Tacoma. Price was a prime consideration for me. Rotors were purchased online using an Advance online code, and the Wagner TQ's at Amazon. Haven't been on very long, but both seem to be working out great.

Akebono ProAct's are excellent too, and have them installed on a Civic. But this time around for me they weren't worth the substantial price premium over the Wagners. With the current rebate $15-30 rebate the Wagner TQ's are a solid value imo.

 

[joeyjoey]

Well since I started the thread I thought I should update everyone on what I purchased. I really appreciate all of the advice - it's still incredibly confusing, too many options with not enough info is one of my biggest nightmares.

It came down to two options at nearly identical prices 1) All Motorcraft Rotors and Pads for $135 on Amazon which seemed like a steal, or 2) Raybestos Advanced Tech Rotors and Wagner Thermoquiet pads for nearly the same price with the rebate. After way too much back and forth, I finally just bought the Raybestos/Wagner combo. Plus I got some rear pads to match. (This whole thing started because a front rotor has warped.)

I might have sprung for the Akebono ProAct pads were it not for the rebate - worst case I wasted $12 after rebate on front pads and can get the Akebono's later if need be.

I thought Motorcraft was identical to Ford Parts, but then right before ordering I saw some suggestions online that they were in fact different, and motorcraft was lesser made-in-china quality - who knows if that's true but it gave me pause. Of course, I then read a post someone made somewhere where they had the same Raybestos/Wager combo and were complaining of squealing a few months into their purchase. I did want to try cermaic pads though vs the oem organic ones. I guess we'll see... If my wife hadn't demanded help with the kids I'd probably still be agonizing over this.

 

[artificialist]

Raybestos Advanced is an excellent choice. When I used them on mom's 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, they never warped, unlike the OEM units.

Where the rotor is made doesn't always make a big difference. The worst OEM rotors I work with are from the Chrysler group, and made in Canada. Mid grade rotors from China are actually better!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: dparm
I would try to compare the rotor cooling design with the factory one. The biggest corner-cutting is usually with regard to proper cooling vane spacing and thickness. While this won't make a huge difference in day-to-day stuff, the instant you need to stop quickly at a higher-speed, those cheap ones will struggle to shed the heat.


Yeah, but I would think that even cheapo rotors would be able to handle one or two high speed stops on street tires (most likely relatively ungrippy ones) and OEMish pads.

When you need cooling efficiency you're usually talking about many repeated hard braking events from high speed, like on a race track.

But then again, some people still seem to figure out how to consistently leave uneven pad deposits (warped) on their rotors in typically pedestrian vehicles...


Indeed. The variance in higher performance rotors is astounding. Weight is yet another factor.

I also find it humorous that many folks still confuse a rotor issue with a pad issue...

 

[spasm3]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: Mykl
Originally Posted By: dparm
I would try to compare the rotor cooling design with the factory one. The biggest corner-cutting is usually with regard to proper cooling vane spacing and thickness. While this won't make a huge difference in day-to-day stuff, the instant you need to stop quickly at a higher-speed, those cheap ones will struggle to shed the heat.


Yeah, but I would think that even cheapo rotors would be able to handle one or two high speed stops on street tires (most likely relatively ungrippy ones) and OEMish pads.

When you need cooling efficiency you're usually talking about many repeated hard braking events from high speed, like on a race track.

But then again, some people still seem to figure out how to consistently leave uneven pad deposits (warped) on their rotors in typically pedestrian vehicles...


Indeed. The variance in higher performance rotors is astounding. Weight is yet another factor.

I also find it humorous that many folks still confuse a rotor issue with a pad issue...


I find that lower end aftermarket pads leave deposits . I have not had this happen with oem or premium pads, never had it happen with FF rated pads. I use the cheaper autostore rotors with premium pads.

 

[meep]

I am hard-sold on akebono pads first choice, wagner thermoquiet second. both have been great. raybestos AT (advanced tech) rotors are my go-to also, no warping or troubles (yet) in me experience. I actually like the wagner with the pseudo-slots, which seem to be a little more willing to bite when the braking goes beyond moderate.

I have also learned to always scuff the rotors a little if they are being reused. otherwise it can take a very long time for new pads to bed and reach full potential. favorite method is the let the rotor spin mounted on the hub while being lightly motivated by a belt sander doing its thing with consistent light pressure.

plenty of other options out there.... and probably better--- but the akebonos and TQs seem to be well-balanced pads/shoes for regular road use.

be wary of centric/power stop. a lot of hype. and at one point i believe a very good product. there are either counterfits out there now, or the buying/selling/merger/whatever or changes in business have more complaints on their products now than before.