Pickup truck brake pads

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JHZR2

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Hello, I am looking to do all four rotors and pad sets on my truck - a 98 Chevy S10 ZR2. It has OE brake parts all around, and want a bit more bite, as the large tires are a bit much for the OE brakes. What thoughts on the pads?

It is a pickup truck, but I do not tow. I do drive heavily loaded quite often though, but the heavy loads are transferred around town or on low speed highways, where Im not going more than 55, and usually not more than 35-40.

Would Napa Advanced One be the best bet, or Raybestos Advanced, Bendix titanium metallic II, or a Hawk pad, say HPS or the truck and SUV one? I would prefer the low dusting of the OE ceramics, but I want a bit more bite.

Ill likely use Napa Ultra Premium rotors, if I can verify that they are US-made. Otherwise, Ill find an equivalent if I can. I'd like a coated rotor, as the truck sits a lot, gets rained on sometimes (spends some time out of the garage, but is only a weekend hauler, so often is in the garage), and rotor rust is an issue - I wont use another set of brakes/rotors for probably 10-15 years, so Id like to keep them in good shape.

Thoughts and suggestions?
 
I've found NAPA Application Engineered "AE" pads to be very good semimetallics but you will still get dust. They are certainly heavy duty enough for your application.
The last time I bought new front pads they were Wagner ThermoQuiet for $20 after a rebate. They stop as good as OEM but they've only been in service for 10k miles so I can't comment on longevity.
 
The NAPA Adaptive One pads on my Saturn squeak a little when I back up right now. I haven't figured out why yet. The design of those pads is certainly very odd.

Hawk HPS is probably the only pad that would give you more bite. The others are just "OE replacement."
 
Hawks are great.
But they are twice the price of an auto parts store premium type, and online only.
Look at he actual pad and see what letters are on it - the ones that are like a motor oil's multi viscosity.
DD,EE,FF,GG,HH are what you will see, Or a combination like EF.
For better bite, get at least FF. GG will be even better for friction.
http://www.joeou.com/News/20071114162913.html
Here is a nice link with a great description.
For rotors, I like a plain faced type without grooves or holes.
Premium $ does not guaranty better. Consider the cheap Chinese rotors. I just got new rotors, and the cheap ones were a pound heavier! - more metal to dissipate heat.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Hawks are great.
But they are twice the price of an auto parts store premium type, and online only.
Look at he actual pad and see what letters are on it - the ones that are like a motor oil's multi viscosity.
DD,EE,FF,GG,HH are what you will see, Or a combination like EF.
For better bite, get at least FF. GG will be even better for friction.
http://www.joeou.com/News/20071114162913.html
Here is a nice link with a great description.
For rotors, I like a plain faced type without grooves or holes.
Premium $ does not guaranty better. Consider the cheap Chinese rotors. I just got new rotors, and the cheap ones were a pound heavier! - more metal to dissipate heat.

Yeah, but many brake pads are rated FF. How are you suppose to compare them?

Shopping for brake pads by those ratings is like shopping for tires by the "A" and "AA" ratings for traction, temperature, etc-- definitely not the best way.
 
so what is? Given that each pad suggests they have manufacturer and application specific friction compounds, rating even two pads from the same manufacturer can be a tough thing.

SO what is your recommendation? Bendix CT-3, Duralast gold, wagner thermoquiet, or rabestos advanced technology? I ask this in the context of you seeing a lot of different pads and doing a lot of research on them.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Hawks are great.
But they are twice the price of an auto parts store premium type, and online only.


I dont mind paying twice if it means a superior product. THe thing Ive heard about hawks is that they arent that good when cold... Which hawks do you recommend? The HPS or some others?
 
If you're going with Hawk HPSs then check Amazon to see if they have it for your car. The prices seem reasonable and shipping is free over $25.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
so what is? Given that each pad suggests they have manufacturer and application specific friction compounds, rating even two pads from the same manufacturer can be a tough thing.

SO what is your recommendation? Bendix CT-3, Duralast gold, wagner thermoquiet, or rabestos advanced technology? I ask this in the context of you seeing a lot of different pads and doing a lot of research on them.

I've used Duralast Gold and NAPA Adaptive one on my Saturn. Neither of them have been impressive in terms of stopping power. Raybestos Advanced Technology pads feel a bit better than the original Toyota pads (when installed onto a Corolla), but I can't say that it's a significant improvement.

So, I would say Hawk HPS? I haven't used them myself, but a lot of people are happy with them.

Also, a lot people report better braking performance after a brake job, regardless of what's used. This may be because their old brake pads were heavily glazed and the new ones are not.
 
Having brake pad contact as far to the outer edge of the rotor as possible is good, too. Rust-belt drivers will know the feeling of almost no brakes, after several years, as the contact area gets narrower and narrower.
 
Compared to most stock pads, the Hawks[HPS] work great cold as well as hot.
Brake pad ratings have a range, like viscosities of oil have a range.
Those ratings are helpful and should be utilized. Another bullet in the chamber, so to speak.
 
I too have been struggling with the same question. The duralast brakes/rotors did not last as long as I thought on my Saturn, my other Saturn is on a brembo rotor/ aekbono pad combination which stops OK but nothing major. To my surprise when the duralasts were gone, I replaced them with raybestos premiums from kragen, I believe these were the ceramic pads and they performed really well.

Seems to me like this whole brake setup is a measure of hit and miss for the most part. A setup that works fine for one person, does not work for someone else, whether it is due to manufacturing variances or some other factors, I have no idea.

One would think that a good quality line of brake manufacturers would produce consistent results, does not seem to be my opinion when reading these boards.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Compared to most stock pads, the Hawks[HPS] work great cold as well as hot.
Brake pad ratings have a range, like viscosities of oil have a range.
Those ratings are helpful and should be utilized. Another bullet in the chamber, so to speak.


but brake pads have a range rated at 200F and 600F. I think the concern is after a long winter highway cruise or tooling around cold in the morning... the very first bite that you need, needs to be consistent and strong. It seems that this may not be the case with the hawks... I don't know though.

Ive heard that the Bendix CT-3 pads are designed with friction characteristics rivaling the hawk hps, but without the dust, noise and cold bite issues. This may be true, may not be...
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Ive heard that the Bendix CT-3 pads are designed with friction characteristics rivaling the hawk hps, but without the dust, noise and cold bite issues. This may be true, may not be...

Yes, that statement was made by a Bendix engineer who used to post on a Dodge Intrepid forum.
 
I've driven with my hawk HPS pads in the winter time, and never had an issue with initial bite. You want bite issues, some of the early GM ceramic pads SUCKED. My moms 04 g6 had ceramic pads on it. When they were cold, even in 40* weeather they SUCKED.

Noise on my HPS pads on powerslot (slotted rotors) is a nonissue. It takes me A Lot of heavy braking to begin to even dust. It's light dust also, not black [censored].
 
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