brake pads and rotors?

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What brands and type does everybody like? The more I look at them the more confused I get between slotted, drilled and slotted, or plain rotors. What pads does everybody like? Semi metallic or ceramic? Vehicle is an 08 F150. I'd prefer to not have the most expensive out there, but don't want the cheapest either. Thanks
 
Plain rotors have more surface area and generally brake better. I have noticed a slight, and I mean slight improvement in wet braking with drilled rotors.

I like hawk pads, but they are not cheap. I have also used performance friction carbon metallic, but they don't always work well cold.
 
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Wagner pads and rotors are great. Raybestos as well.
As far as slotted or drilled.....don't need them unless your car came with it. Not a lot of benefit unless you have a brake upgrade or performance application
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I like hawk pads, but they are not cheap.


+1 for the Hawk pads
 
Originally Posted By: lubedude13
Wagner pads and rotors are great. Raybestos as well.
As far as slotted or drilled.....don't need them unless your car came with it. Not a lot of benefit unless you have a brake upgrade or performance application


This! I have had the best luck so far with Raybestos pro grade pads but Wagner Thermoquiet and Akebono are good too. You can can get raybestos pro grade from Napa as the Napa premium brake pads. Wagner and Akebono come from rockauto.com or advance auto if you don't want to order it. Always stick with ceramic pad material.
As far as rotors, I would stick with standard rotors. They all seem about the same to me, so I would buy whatever you can get cheapest.
 
I have autozone cmax pads... the warranty cannot be beat, I also have autozone rotors... which I haven't had long enough to.comment on, 2 yr warranty on the rotors,llife time on the pads
 
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
I have autozone cmax pads... the warranty cannot be beat


I would avoid those; I had the pad separate from the backing and get lodged between the caliper and rim. But, yes, they did replace the pads with very little hassle.
 
The best rotors are Centric Premium. They have a black coating to stop the rust.

Good pads include Axxis Deluxe, Wagner Thermoquiet, and Akebono ProACT. For your truck you might also want to consider Wagner Severe Duty.
 
The warranty at auto zone is something. Wear your pads out and they will warranty that! Tell them you just weren't happy with them after 30,000 miles and get a store credit. Just crazy IMOP.

Specifically, stick with what came on your vehicle originally. Semi-metallic for semi-metallic; ceramic for ceramic. Generally, semi-metallic will give more stopping power and wear your rotors faster; ceramic are easy on rotors and make less dust. The former is generally specified for the sporty rides and the latter is spec for the grocery getter/ daily drive. Do check with your dealer and get the price on original pads and rotors before shopping in the aftermarket. There is a LOT of junk out there. Many dealers (dodge, ford and Honda in my experience) price these to be competitive with the aftermarket. Did you know that Fed safety testing is only done on original equipment parts? Makes me think....

The notion that rotors are pretty much the same does not hold with my experience. Cheap rotors won't last the lifetime of even a cheap set of pads. That's frustrating! Get some decent rotors and they will likely last for 2 sets of pads. Slotted/drilled cannot be resurfaced on the brake lathe so besides being more expensive when you buy them their usefulness is limited to one set of pads. They are for bling (and may be marginally better in a rain storm when you are exercising caution anyway. They aren't used for racing that doesn't happen in the rain.)
 
Advance Auto Wearever Platinum pads and rotors. Use online coupon to purchase and pick up in store. The value cannot be beat, and the rotors are excellent quality, heavy and seem resistant to warping on my personal vehicle.
 
Originally Posted By: Gabe
Originally Posted By: spasm3
I like hawk pads, but they are not cheap.


+1 for the Hawk pads


+2 for the Hawk pads, I use HPS. The number one characteristic for a brake pad should be stopping, not "not dusting", hence I do not like ceramic pads, unless OEM on your car.
 
Stick with plain rotors. You don't need to spend a fortune to get good pads and rotors. Don't buy the cheapest option either. Napa as mentioned is a good start., also look at EBC for pads.
 
Good to hear that I may have done OK. The Big Brown truck is bringing me a set of Wagner Thermoquiets, a pair of Raybestos front rotors, and a pair of Timken front hub assemblies to install on GF's daughter's Saturn Vue this weekend. All from Amazon.
 
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