Originally Posted By: AntsinmyEyes
wagner thermoquiets squeeked on my saturn and my truck. switched the akebono pro act and both are quiet as a mouse now.
There's a local shop here that refers to Thermoquiets as "Thermosqeaks" and will not install them, period.
I had a set on a previous truck and didn't really have any complaints. No noise or anything, but that truck was very light and I sold it before I had very many miles on the Thermoquiets. I put a set on my 2002 Ranger a while back and burned through them in 27K miles. I was towing a lot then, but it still seemed quick. They just flat wore out...no squeaking until the friction material was about gone. No other issues.
"Ultra-premium/Gold/Platinum" type store brands are usually pretty good in my experience. At work, when buying for the used cars, I go for either NAPA Ultra Premium or Adaptive One because otherwise there is a good chance the car will come back for brake noise or a similar complaint. The return rate for cars with cheapo pads was horrible, and I don't even offer them as an option anymore. I have Adaptive Ones on my 2002 Ranger now and have been happy with them. NO noise, stops as good as it ever has.
I do buy some Akebono pads for Japanese used cars at work and have never had an issue with them.
In short...buy a premium pad, but probably not Thermoquiets.