My brake pad experience...

[Navi]

Basically I have tried a lot of different brake pads. The more aggressive, the more bite a pad has the less life and the more stress it puts on the rotors. The very best sport pads are semi-metallic variety with a lot of bite and stopping power. However, I never get those pads to truly last and they most always warp the rotors. On the other end of the brake pad spectrum is the ceramics which last a long time. Akebono is the king of ceramic pads and most vehicles from the factory come with Akebono ceramic pads. The Chevrolet Suburban, Toyota Camry and many others come from the factory with Akebono pads. The Akebonos last a long time and dont warp the rotors...however they feel like sponges and overall braking feel/power is not desirable.

Wagner came out with a pad called OEX which I have determined to be the best pad for my personal preference. They last a lot longer than semi-metallic pads, but have a bit more bite than Akebono OEM ceramics. They are basically a compromise pad.

If your front brake pads wear out first than you will want to put semi-metallic on the rear and Wagner OEX on the front. The proportioning system on a vehicle of that type uses the front brakes most and thus to get more power out of the rear brakes you go more aggressive with the pad. However, if your rear brake pads tend to wear out first than you want to put Akebono standard ceramic on the back and Wagner OEX on the front. The proportioning system on that type of vehicle equalizes braking power front/rear and thus tends to wear out the back pads first. Thus its more appropriate to put ceramics on the back for a satisfactory rear pad life.

 

[Rand]

Have I been doing it wrong my whole life by using matching pads on front and rear?

 

[E150GT]

I prefer to use OE pads which in the case of my buick and my Mazda have been organic. I'll probably put semi metallics on the truck

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted by Rand
Have I been doing it wrong my whole life by using matching pads on front and rear?

Not really. I remember years ago when rear pads would last 2x or even 3x longer than the fronts. I mean, if you want to change all (4) at the same time you might want to figure out this system.

 

[cronk]

Originally Posted by E150GT
I prefer to use OE pads which in the case of my buick and my Mazda have been organic. I'll probably put semi metallics on the truck


Your Mazda and Buick both had ceramic for the OE pad.

 

[E150GT]

Originally Posted by cronk
Originally Posted by E150GT
I prefer to use OE pads which in the case of my buick and my Mazda have been organic. I'll probably put semi metallics on the truck


Your Mazda and Buick both had ceramic for the OE pad.

No I do not believe they did. I bought OE pads from the GM dealership I worked at and they are not listed as ceramic. They're black and they dust. The lower line Delco pads GM makes are ceramic but they're not the OE pads. They have a different appearance as well. The Mazda pads I got from the dealer as well and they are similar to the OE Delco pads. They also dust all over.

 

[newtoncd8]

Originally Posted by Navi
Basically I have tried a lot of different brake pads. The more aggressive, the more bite a pad has the less life and the more stress it puts on the rotors. The very best sport pads are semi-metallic variety with a lot of bite and stopping power. However, I never get those pads to truly last and they most always warp the rotors. On the other end of the brake pad spectrum is the ceramics which last a long time. Akebono is the king of ceramic pads and most vehicles from the factory come with Akebono ceramic pads. The Chevrolet Suburban, Toyota Camry and many others come from the factory with Akebono pads. The Akebonos last a long time and dont warp the rotors...however they feel like sponges and overall braking feel/power is not desirable.


I would also consider ADVICS as an option -- standard on many Toyota/Lexus automobiles (ADVICS is a subsidiary of Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd., a company which is partly owned by the Toyota Group).

 

[KJSmith]

I like the Wagner OEX very much.
Had them on my '13 F150 when I traded.
Very nice and maybe the least dust of any pad I can remember.

Currently have a set on the wife's Edge.

 

[92saturnsl2]

Raybestos EHT (Element 3) pads are another hybrid semi-metallic/ceramic type, that supposedly give performance of semi-metallics, but with some of the desirable attributes of ceramic pads (low dust for example.)
I bought a set of these for my Pacifica but have not installed them yet.

I first bought Akebono ProACT pads, but when I received them I was disappointed in the "FF" friction rating, given that the OE pads are rated GG, so I decided not to use them. Instead I bought a set of the Raybestos EHT on a hunch, and they are indeed rated "GG" just like the ones I'll be replacing. The Pacifica has about the best braking/pedal feel I've ever had in a car, and I did not want to go backward in that regard.

I still have the Akebonos which I'll either resell, or I might use them when the Raybestos wear out to do a comparison.

 

[Dave9]

It's far simpler than you're making it out to be. Buy the pad type appropriate for your driving. There is no such thing as one best pad type, let alone brand.

If you use a vehicle beyond what its stock braking system can sustain, you're going to have problems whether it be insufficient braking power or tearing up rotors.

Your front brakes are SUPPOSED to wear out faster because you're supposed to have more braking power in the front. The last thing you want to do is try to mess with that by putting lesser bite pads on the front trying to get them to last as long as the rear. This ruins the braking balance to any extent it is effective towards your goal, and if pushing the braking system till you find this "bite" makes much difference, can result in a dangerous setup but at least you probably have ABS to save you from yourself.

Do not do this.

 

[CharBaby]

Every 4 wheel disk brake vehicle(car or suv) that I have ever owned or family/friend vehicle that I have ever worked on, the rear pads wore out first. These are all mainstream vehicles.

 

[Navi]

There are two types of brake proportioning which are electronic brake distribution or electronic brake proportioning and mechanical brake proportioning.

On electronic brake distribution the system will attempt to send equal amounts of braking power to all four wheels thus the rear brake pads tend to wear faster. On this type of car I use ceramics on the rear to even out the wear and prevent the car from needing two seperate brake jobs.

On mechanical brake proportioning systems the front brakes wear out faster as less force is sent to the rear. On this type of system I use semi-metallics on the rear and a less aggressive pad on the front. The idea is to even out wear to prevent an additional mechanic visit and to maximize the braking power of the rear wheels. There are some cars that come like this from the factory...ceramics up front and metallic in the rear.

Keep in mind I drive 7 days a week, 70000 miles a year. My car hasnt spun out or gone out of control. The brakes seem to west very well.

In any case I always use Wagner OEX in the front. Its not the longest lasting pad or the sportiest pad but a compromise between both worlds. If I lived in a remote place or an island.I would run Akebono ceramics all 4 wheels.

I actually just learned about EBD the last few years when the rear brakes wore out faster...

 

[Rob_Roy]

Originally Posted by 92saturnsl2
Raybestos EHT (Element 3) pads are another hybrid semi-metallic/ceramic type, that supposedly give performance of semi-metallics, but with some of the desirable attributes of ceramic pads (low dust for example.)
I bought a set of these for my Pacifica but have not installed them yet.

I first bought Akebono ProACT pads, but when I received them I was disappointed in the "FF" friction rating, given that the OE pads are rated GG, so I decided not to use them. Instead I bought a set of the Raybestos EHT on a hunch, and they are indeed rated "GG" just like the ones I'll be replacing. The Pacifica has about the best braking/pedal feel I've ever had in a car, and I did not want to go backward in that regard.

I still have the Akebonos which I'll either resell, or I might use them when the Raybestos wear out to do a comparison.


I just bought a set of the Raybestos Element 3 pads and Rotors for our Expedition Max. I am hoping for less fade when hot and the same or better performance when cold (as OEM).

I have Motorcraft Super Duty semi metallics on the other Expedition. More dust than OEM, and a bit soft when cold...but at operating temperature they bite hard

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted by 92saturnsl2
Raybestos EHT (Element 3) pads are another hybrid semi-metallic/ceramic type, that supposedly give performance of semi-metallics, but with some of the desirable attributes of ceramic pads (low dust for example.)
I bought a set of these for my Pacifica but have not installed them yet.

I first bought Akebono ProACT pads, but when I received them I was disappointed in the "FF" friction rating, given that the OE pads are rated GG, so I decided not to use them. Instead I bought a set of the Raybestos EHT on a hunch, and they are indeed rated "GG" just like the ones I'll be replacing. The Pacifica has about the best braking/pedal feel I've ever had in a car, and I did not want to go backward in that regard.

I still have the Akebonos which I'll either resell, or I might use them when the Raybestos wear out to do a comparison.


I just put Element 3 calipers, rotors and pads on the rear of a Mk IV, they were noisy for the first couple of miles until the coating wore off then silent. The seem to work well but time will tell. The calipers are excellent.

 

[Navi]

I did use the Raybestos Element 3 Hybrid pad for the fronts on a Chevy Suburban but it warped the rotors and didnt have the pad life I hoped for. However, they did work very well braking and performance wise. Stopping was not an issue and the pedal was very firm...no sponges here.

On my MKT which uses a mechanical proportioning system I use Raybestos Police Semi-Metallic for the rear. Im not certain if the Hybrid Element 3 pad is as good or better at stopping than a straight up semi metallic. I do know that when I used Element 3 good clean short stops were not an issue.

 

[Navi]

I was just on the Raybestos website and they have a semi-metallic Element 3 and a hybrid ceramic/metallic. When I looked at these a while back they just had hybrid.

I know on the Raybestos Police Semi Metallics friction code is FF but on the Element 3 its GG.

 

[krismoriah72]

My Suburban is only used for towing. When i first bought it, it had cheap advance pads all the way around. Stopping was horrible.. and sketchy. So i ordered Raybestos EHT pads and replaced rotors and pads all the way around with the EHT line. Very no nonsense braking and i felt safe. No noises and they did what they were told.

Then my caliper and or hose on the front became sticky and i ended up destroying the EHT front pads..heat cracked them just to get myself home.

I did not have time to order another set of EHT pads (i dont think any brick and mortar carries them). So i went brick and mortar shopping and wasnt happy with the prices or looks of any of the pads until i found StopRite pads at NAPA. $25 got me GG friction (same as my EHT). the pads looked well made and the price was right. I figured if I didnt like them i could order me a set of pads online later.

The StopRIte pads have impressed me. I had to do 2 full lockdowns due to deer while towing.. i will pull them and inspect this spring but i am very happy with them. I would use them on any vehicle that i own.


I did find a set of Wagner Thermoquiets on Ebay.. open box and bought them just in case on my inspection they have issues. also GG and i only paid $20 for the set.

 

[Trav]

These were the GG rated hybrids. They look well made, nicely finished and fit perfectly.

 

[willbur]

Navi-
my experience exactly the same as yours regarding Akebono. Mediocre braking and feel from their top performance pads. But they are quiet and smooth.

I don't understand all the love for them here on BITOG.

IMO, best braking is high carbon rotors with semi-met pads. The high carbon rotors hold up well under the more aggressive stopping power of the semi-mets.

 

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by Navi
There are two types of brake proportioning which are electronic brake distribution or electronic brake proportioning and mechanical brake proportioning.

On electronic brake distribution the system will attempt to send equal amounts of braking power to all four wheels thus the rear brake pads tend to wear faster. On this type of car I use ceramics on the rear to even out the wear and prevent the car from needing two seperate brake jobs.

On mechanical brake proportioning systems the front brakes wear out faster as less force is sent to the rear. On this type of system I use semi-metallics on the rear and a less aggressive pad on the front. The idea is to even out wear to prevent an additional mechanic visit and to maximize the braking power of the rear wheels. There are some cars that come like this from the factory...ceramics up front and metallic in the rear.

I actually just learned about EBD the last few years when the rear brakes wore out faster...


Been owning cars since the 70s. Until recently the front pads always wore quicker as the rears were dialed back to prevent lockup (as mentioned). So I have been mystified as to why my 2012 Mazda3 with 68k on it still has the factory pads and the front + rear pads are evenly worn with more than 50% still on them (easy suburban type driving). So the electronic proportioning is the most likely reason (can anybody confirm for 2012 Mazda3?).

Ceramic vs Semi-metallic: I lived in the salt belt since the 70s. The vehicles I bought starting around '2000 would develop rust bands on the pad contact surfaces of the rotors that grew and grew. Pretty soon you would have less than 50% of the pad contact surface for braking. Not good. Semi-metallics were the norm well before so I figured a change in the rotor materials the industry was using was the cause. Nothing I can do about that but what is the fix? Ended up noticing that ceramic pads kept the rust away. So ceramics are a must for me.

Fast forward to today - The Raybestos EHTs (combo ceramic/semi?) on the front of my truck (08 Nissan Xterra) do keep the rust away and have decent grip at a reasonable price, so great! The Powerstop Z16s on the rear are MEH, they cheaped out so the pads don't get near the outer edge of the rotors as shown by a 3/8 inch rust band on both rear rotors. That is significant/hi-performing brake surface that is not being used.

Hi-performance brakes - The factory pads on my 09 Pontiac G8 GT (6 liter sport sedan) were fine until I drove the Blue Ridge Mts with the miles and miles of hair pin turns. The pad transfer to the rotors was horrendous. Was able to clean them off with medium brake dragging on straight sections until the next set of twisties. Obviously GM cheaped out on the pads (the struts and shocks too but I took care of that years ago and is another story). The replacement pads high on the forum lists were Carbotech 1521s (~$350 for a set). I cheaped out and went with PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle) pads for half that. Haven't had the opportunity to really test them, maybe this spring.