Brake Pads

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Jonny Z

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I am shopping for brake pads for my 02 Camry SE. I do not know what pads it came with from the factory, but by far this is one vehicle I ever had that had the least amount of brake dust - it is almost non-existing.

I see replacements in metallic, semi-metallic, ceramic, organic
dunno.gif
. What are the pros and cons of these different materials?
 
Akebono ProACT ceramic pads.

Resurface the rotors with a non-directional finish, or replace the rotors. This is very important. If you do not do this, there's a good chance that you'll experience noise problems.
 
Not entirely accurate. You can have ceramic materials that are formulated for different purposes.

You cannot categorize pads solely by material.
 
Is Akebono Toyota's OEM supplier?
Can I assume that the OEM pads are ceramic, because of the lack of dust present?
 
Don't know. It changes on a regular basis.

No, although I suspect that they are. You can have a very low dusting organic pad (such as PBR/Axxis Deluxe Plus) or even a very low dusting semi-metallic pad.
 
Stay away from anything with "value" in the name or store brands. I really like Wagner Thermo-Quiet pads and you can find them online pretty cheap. I think I spent about $35 on a set for my Ranger. No noise or anything in a year and a half and 20K miles. A lot of my friends have just turned to whatever is cheap, only to end up replacing the pads again a short time later. You get what you pay for.
 
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Stay away from anything with "value" in the name or store brands. I really like Wagner Thermo-Quiet pads and you can find them online pretty cheap. I think I spent about $35 on a set for my Ranger. No noise or anything in a year and a half and 20K miles. A lot of my friends have just turned to whatever is cheap, only to end up replacing the pads again a short time later. You get what you pay for.

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Although I'm a huge fan of premium pads and think very highly of ThermoQuiet pads, I do want people to understand that many noise issues are caused by the installer, not the pad.

Improper lubrication, failure to resurface the rotors with a non-directional finish or replacing the rotors, and improper burnishing can cause noise.

Sometimes, the OE rotor metallurgy may not be compatible with certain semi-metallic or ceramic pads. This was the cause with my Saturn, which is why I have constant squealing with Duralast ceramics. A TSB search on AllData revealed that Saturn had noise issues with the OE rotor and semi-metallic pads, and the TSB recommended a change to organic pads.
 
Meh. My experience has shown that generally OEM pads are the quietest, least dusting, and longest lasting for a decent price. If you do get OEM, make sure to buy the shims as well. Honda includes shims with the pads, but Toyota is sneaky and sells them separately. Shims are mandatory for me, because they effectively kill brake squeal. You can play around with aftermarket pads, and some are great, but to me OEM equals least amount of headaches.
 
I do not have the ability to resurface the rotors.
Are the Brake Chain stores to be trusted? Like Brake Check, Brake Specialist, Just Brakes, etc. I am sure they use cheap pads, like Jiffy Lube uses cheap filter and oil. What if I bring in my own Akebono pads? Well if I go through that trouble am I better off just let the dealer install OEM pads?
 
If my rotors are not groved, I sand them with a sanding disk to remove the glaze. If you don't try to get the last 10% out of your pads and change early, you will probably never need to get new rotors or have them turned. This of course assumes the brakes are not pulsating or pulling when you removed the old pads. JME. Ed
 
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I do not have the ability to resurface the rotors.
Are the Brake Chain stores to be trusted? Like Brake Check, Brake Specialist, Just Brakes, etc. I am sure they use cheap pads, like Jiffy Lube uses cheap filter and oil. What if I bring in my own Akebono pads? Well if I go through that trouble am I better off just let the dealer install OEM pads?

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I would consider purchasing new rotors. New white box Chinese rotors run about $30/rotor. Resurfacing the rotor usually costs about $15/each.

Another option that you may want to consider is Sears. They are one of the few chains that use an OCL to resurface rotors which is the preferred method for hubless rotors. Although Sears may not stock the Akebonos (they use Wagner ThermoQuiets), they can usually obtain the Akebonos from a local supplier or let you bring your own.
 
I don't trust the Brake specialty stores nor other chains like Firestone and Goodyear. I had too many experiences in my youth where they tried to "milk me" for more parts and services. Ie. - a rear wheel cylinder blew out during a vacation. The brake store offered to rebuild the cylinder for $90 when I knew that a new or rebuilt unit could be purchased for about $18 at the time.

Rotors lasting forever!!!! Not in the rust belt! You should see the interior vane area corrode away after 3 or 4 years.
 
I agree that OCL (On-car lathe) is the best way to resurface rotors. By resurfacing the rotors on the car, you are assured of a straight cut. If this isn't an option (it often isn't) you may want to consider buying new rotors. Like The Critic said, generic brand can be found for 20 to 30 dollars a piece, and the quality is comparable to name brand. By resurfacing or replacing rotors, you are assured of proper pad break-in. (Which is a whole other animal, and has been discussed at length here.)
 
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I would consider purchasing new rotors. New white box Chinese rotors run about $30/rotor. Resurfacing the rotor usually costs about $15/each.

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A couple comments. Some manufacturers (Volvo for example) do not recommend resurfacing rotors – in particular if/because it takes the rotor close to the min. thickness.

Second – I do NOT recommend low cost Chinese rotors. The metallurgy of these are garbage. Not only is the alloy trash, they are not properly treated. There can be soft and brittle areas throughout – leading to noise, pulsating, warping, and all manner of strange behavior as the rotor heats and cools.
 
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A couple comments. Some manufacturers (Volvo for example) do not recommend resurfacing rotors – in particular if/because it takes the rotor close to the min. thickness.

Click to expand...

True. Most manufacturers do not require rotor resurfacing at every brake job; most only require resurfacing if the TLR or DTV exceeds specifications. However, unless you are replacing the pads with the same pads that were previously used, not replacing the rotors or resurfacing them (if allowed) puts you at a huge risk for a noise comeback.

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Second – I do NOT recommend low cost Chinese rotors. The metallurgy of these are garbage. Not only is the alloy trash, they are not properly treated. There can be soft and brittle areas throughout – leading to noise, pulsating, warping, and all manner of strange behavior as the rotor heats and cools.

Click to expand...

Chinese rotors are great in many applications. In fact, in many domestics where the OE rotors are problematic (GM vehicles in particular), the aftermarket Chinese rotors are actually far superior to the OE ones. Most of us over on Saturnfans have been using Chinese rotors for years we equal or better (often better) results than the OE ones.
 
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