Favorite brand of brake pads?

[GT Mike]

Just curious what everyone here uses. I had some Raybestos SuperStop pads on my Grand Prix that dusted so badly that they actually ruined 2 of the custom wheels on the car by spraying hot dust onto them that literally burned the paint right off! They also squealed like crazy, but noise doesn't bother me when it comes to brakes...I'm more interested in performance than quiet.
I got them replaced with a set of QuietStop ceramic pads, and these did nothing but warp the crap out of the rotors. My rep replaced them once (and the rotors) since there was a "material transfer issue" with the first batch of QS pads. The replacement set wasn't any better, if not slightly worse. They also seemed to make the pedal feel "mushier" than before, and always had the feeling of having to "throw anchor" to stop the car compared to the SuperStops.

Tonight I installed another set of new rotors and some Carquest blue pads that my Carquest rep gave me to try. He assured me I'd like them compared to the QS pads. So far they've been decent, but they're still in the break-in stage, so I haven't been flogging the car too much.
Carquest brakes are made by Raybestos, but my rep told me that they're made to a different specification than the Raybestos branded brakes. Only time will tell, but this is the last chance Raybestos has to redeem itself after the issues I'd been having.

I still don't really like the way a ceramic pad feels compared to a standard semi-metallic. They don't seem to have that initial "bite" that a metallic pad does, and seem to need a bit of a warm-up before they really grab hold.

I used to run Performance Friction pads from AutoZone and they were always great. A little dustier than a ceramic, but very good performance.

Bendix pads have always been decent. Kind of the "old reliable" when it comes to brakes. Never once had a problem with them.

Any favorites/input to add?

[ October 19, 2004, 12:33 AM: Message edited by: GT Mike ]

 

[pitzel]

Just slapped a set of Raybestos Quietstops on my car last weekend and they have been by far the best pads I've used on this car so far. So far, no rotor warping issues. And dust is non-existent with the Quietstops in comparison with the 1992-era pads that GM had installed at the factory on the car.

Running factory rotors, never machined. Its hard to tell, but it would seem to me that a lot of people use substandard rotors, whether they be out-of-the-box cheap rotors, or overly-machined expensive rotors, and this leads to their problems. Its simply too easy to blame the pads, when rotors are often to blame. Also, proper torque on wheel lugs is an absolute must.

 

[Seth_TJ]

PF Carbon Metallic is great... 40 bucks, lifetime warranty. stops awesome, not hard on rotors at all. How can you beat that?


Also though just to let you know Performance Friction just came out with their own CERAMIC blend lineup... Just found out myself. They don't make a set for my Jeep though.

Some of the best you can get though are Praise Dyno cryo treated or EGR but you are looking at like 200+ a set with no replacement warranty. That is why PF is old faithful!

 

[Seth_TJ]

quote:

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Originally posted by pitzel:
Just slapped a set of Raybestos Quietstops on my car last weekend and they have been by far the best pads I've used on this car so far. So far, no rotor warping issues. And dust is non-existent with the Quietstops in comparison with the 1992-era pads that GM had installed at the factory on the car.

Running factory rotors, never machined. Its hard to tell, but it would seem to me that a lot of people use substandard rotors, whether they be out-of-the-box cheap rotors, or overly-machined expensive rotors, and this leads to their problems. Its simply too easy to blame the pads, when rotors are often to blame. Also, proper torque on wheel lugs is an absolute must.

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Agree on the rotors. Best thing to do is just get a high quality solid rotor like a Raybestos PG or Brembo blank.... other good brands out there too. Chinese junk will warp so fast and make your blood boil. Drilled rotors are for race cars

 

[GT Mike]

The rotors were Raybestos premium version which duplicate O.E. specs, but the front brakes have been upgraded to the 12" rotors from a Monte Carlo/Impala from the Grand Prix's stock 11". This is a popular mod amongst the GP folks.

I still can't figure out why the most performance-oriented car in the GM W-body lineup has inferior brakes to the rest of the car line. Even a "rental car-riffic" Buick Century has the 12" front rotors!

[ October 19, 2004, 12:43 AM: Message edited by: GT Mike ]

 

[pitzel]

quote:

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Originally posted by GT Mike:
The rotors were Raybestos premium version which duplicate O.E. specs, but the front brakes have been upgraded to the 12" rotors from a Monte Carlo/Impala from the Grand Prix's stock 11". This is a popular mod amongst the GP folks.

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Hmmm, a W-body, just like mine. I've read about the mod on www.w-body.com, and it would seem that a lot of the problems on those vehicles originate from the rear brakes working incorrectly.

Have you ruled out any issues with your rear brakes? ie: seized pistons, sticky slider pins, etc?

 

[GT Mike]

This is a '97 GP...The newer body style. The issues with the rear calipers apply only to the 88-96 cars, as they completely redid the braking system in '97. Mine work perfect too. No issues at all in the rear.

 

[Ironduke4]

I happen to be a PFC carbon metallic pad fan also they are great pads. I am installing PFC carbon metallic pads on my 1989 grand am i just turned the old raybestos rotors on the brake lathe today and i will be installing them tomorrow. I have also used raybestos,bendix,albany and wagner pads with no problems. As far as chinese rotors go i have used them on several of my cars and on brake jobs i have done with no problems at all. I have never had a chinese rotor warp on me yet. I perfer rotors made in u.s.a. or canada but i have no problems with the performance of the chinese rotors as they have always worked great for me.

 

[shortyb]

I've used alot of different pads but the ones that have given me the most consistant performance are (in no particular order): Hawk, Porterfield, PF Carbon Metallic, Akebono ACTs, Axxis Metal Masters and Ultimates, and CarboTechs. I use the ACTs on the "family" cars and Hawks most recently on my "performance" cars.

 

[mountravlr]

I changed out the OEM F150 pads for some called 911 Extreme Performance by Autospecialty. I heard about them in Trailer Life, and they are great. I kept the old pads, they seem to have about half of the lining left even after 87,000 miles, but the front rotors needed turning, so I changed out the pads too.

 

[vvk]

I've always had good results with PBR/Axxiss brand. MetalMaster or Deluxe.

 

[Jimbo]

EBC Greenstuff pads are working well in the BMW. Half the dust and extremely good bite and modulation.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Wagner Therma Quiet

 

[TomH]

I've used both PFC and Axxis Metalmasters, no comparison. The Axxis pads are IMHO, so much better than the PFCs as to be in a different class of pad. The last set of Metalmasters that I replaced on my truck went almost 6 years before I had to replace them (Axxis was known as Repco back then), they are very quiet pads that bite like crazy, are "rotor friendly", and produce very little brake dust. The PFC pads are just as quiet, but they don't stop as well as the MMs, produce copious amounts of brake dust, and generally cost more than the MMs.

 

[GT Mike]

The better majority of the 97-03 Grand Prix guys are running the Morse ceramic pads from AutoZone. They've been determined to be the best "bang for the buck" brake pad for this application.

 

[ekpolk]

Great thread, and one in which I take great interest. I've got an 04 Inf G35. It's a great car so far (it's essentially a sedan built up off the Nissan 350Z platform). The only thing I really dislike is the amazing ability of the stock brakes to blacken the front wheels with dust. Literally all it takes is 15-20 miles of city driving, and clean wheels will start looking noticeably dusty. A week and they're near-black.

Even worse, the stock pads have a reputation for wearing out very, very quickly. Some folks have had them go in as little as 7000 miles of street use. There were so many complaints about this that Nissan/Infiniti has instituted a warranty replacement policy for brake pads, up to 36k miles on the car.

In fairness, the stock pads perform superbly. A hard stop feels almost like an arrested landing on an aircraft carrier (yes, I've done that many times...). Well, almost. . . Anyway, these are powerful brakes!

My plan is to use the free wty pads, sooty as they are until the 36k has passed, and then convert to aftermarket. I've heard several favorable comments about the Greenstuff pads, including the above post. Anyone out there have any thoughts about good replacements for this car? Thanks.

 

[XS650]

quote:

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Originally posted by ekpolk:


My plan is to use the free wty pads, sooty as they are until the 36k has passed, and then convert to aftermarket. I've heard several favorable comments about the Greenstuff pads, including the above post. Anyone out there have any thoughts about good replacements for this car? Thanks.

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EK, I put EBC Greenstuff pads on my Corvette. They work better than the stock pads, which were good. They are rotor friendly and quiet. They have a high coefficent of friction, but aren't grabby. They feel real good.

They are anything but dust free. They make more dust than the stock Chebby pads, but not as bad as some pads.

The -good- news is that their dust rinses off a lot easier than most brake dust. It's no harder to clean off than ordinary everyday dust.

I have also used EBC Green an a motorcycle. Same results. I will live with the dust because they work well and are rotor friendly.

They work good cold or hot and their braking power feels very linearly related to pedal pressure. Not grappy at all and not dead with light pressures.

 

[Matt_S]

Has anyone here used Bosch ceramic pads? I just got these and have yet to install them (I have to find a good deal on rotors first).

 

[JeepZJ4.0]

Well, I have Performance Friction pads in the rear and Wagner Therma Quiet in the front. I also use full steel rotors, not composite rotors (aka, Chinese ones) and it stops great. When I had Performance Friction at all four corners, it bit better and that was on my old Grand Cherokee with drums in the rear opposed to my current one with disks. The Wagners are ok but Performance Friction... can't beat them.