Trying to narrow down brake pad selection, but getting mixed signals.

[Wireman1987]

semi metallic would give a bit more bite. how's the brake fluid? i did my brakes and a year later power bled all four calipers and it was a night and day difference. pedal always felt soft and brakes never felt like they had good initial bite until the power bleeding and new fluid.

 

[Dborch41]

Did OP start the thread about this where we wound up discussing booster pushrod length? Have you checked that for your low pedal?

As for pads man, good luck. I've honestly had good luck with most any major brands so I've never fully understood the debates

That's all factory original.
Like I said, I've never been a fan of the brakes on this truck since new, and apparently that's a thing with the Gen 2 Frontiers (along with a turning radius on par with the Titanic). I just want to find pads that won't exacerbate this problem.

 

[RaymondP]

After many years driving higher performance cars on both the road and track have settled in with a couple of options. For regular road use if happy and you are familiar/content with performance replace with manufacturer original. Don't stray; you know what you have. Not the most cost effective but a safe bet if you were originally content.

For me I look for a little more performance and have settled on EBC. Do some research of recommendations and reviews and you will usually find good options for your preferred driving style and vehicle. Red and Yellow, (Blue?) stuff have worked well for me.

Always maintain you brake fluid levels (shouldn't change much) and have the fluid changed every two to three years if only regular driving. If you can't do it yourself without removing 100% of the air, pay a professional. Current vehicles have complex braking systems and may require specialist equipment/software, not just following a YouTube video.

Finally, remember to regard the braking system as a system. Multiple compatible components working together. Often people retain their original rotors well beyond their wear/life to save money. If not badly scored they may be resurfaced for $30-$50. I usually splurge for cryo-treated rotors that will last me the remaining life of the vehicle assuming NOT too many crazy track days . Sources include TireRack if available for your vehicle. Allow several weeks to source for availability/delivery.

Don't scrimp on brakes. Forward motion is one thing, but stopping effectively may be a life saver!

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Wagner ThermoQuiet are a good choice, but don't last. Advics are great, but really dusty, I've found Bosch Quietcast to be good, paired with their rotors and drums. I have so many different brands of shoes and pads under my work bench, I don't even care anymore. Just put them in. Bleeding the system every 2-3 years always makes a huge difference. Get that nasty stuff out of there. I find no difference between slotted rotors or regular rotors. It's all about driving habits. You tailgate, you're gonna warp the rotors. Live in the mountains, you're gonna warp the rotors. Heat kills them. I leave quite a distance between myself and the car in front of me to avoid hard braking. Hence, no warped rotors. Change out brake hoses if more than 10 yrs old also. Properly functioning calipers are a must.

 

[Dborch41]

Well after a little more deep-diving on the interwebs I've decided Akebono is out. The primary complaint from that brand is a spongy pedal which is a deal-breaker. I've seen a lot of good reviews for Advics, often referring to having good pedal feel which moves it up the list. Being a subsidiary of Aisin is also a plus as I've had good luck with that brand.

They aren't cheap, $70 (from Home Depot of all places) with free shipping, which puts them right in line with OEM. I don't mind paying that for good results, but now I'm torn between the Advics or OEM. I don't usually overthink things like this but my wife drives this truck every day and I want the best results possible, not unreasonable for something as important as brakes.

Surprisingly, the rotors are still in excellent shape. No warpage or grooving and almost no ridge. I'll need to mic out the thickness but I'm sure they're well within spec. I'm not a fan of the "pad slap", but why replace perfectly good parts? I don't even see a need to machine them, maybe just break the glaze with an abrasive pad on a drill. The jury is still out on this one.

I'd like to thank everyone for the great replies so far, it really helps with the thought process.

EDIT: I just found the same Advics pads on Rock for $50, even with shipping that's a bit cheaper. If I add a pair of Advics rotors we're looking at a grand total of about $160. I plan on keeping this truck for a few more years but I'm pretty sure this will be its last set of brakes, now I just have to be talked in to (or out of) it. What does the gallery have to say?

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

The only part that stops you from crashing or rear ending someone get the best one end of discussion.
There is lots of things you can save one, the thing that STOPS your car is not one of them.
I would have your rotors lightly machined still because there is different material embedded in them, it is cheap insurance.

 

[dogememe]

I’m not going to read this whole thread but I think any decent or better pad is fine. As long as you don’t buy the cheapest ones you’ll be OK. The biggest issue with cheap ones is dust or squeaks, all reputable brands are safe. So if you don’t care about that stuff just buy any of them from a reputable brand or at a parts store. I would avoid buying online from brands you have never heard of just because brakes are a safety item. But for a typical daily driver car I think it matters little what you get. If you are racing or tracking your car or have a huge truck that you tow heavy stuff with every day, maybe you need to be more discerning.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

I’m not going to read this whole thread but I think any decent or better pad is fine. As long as you don’t buy the cheapest ones you’ll be OK. The biggest issue with cheap ones is dust or squeaks, all reputable brands are safe. So if you don’t care about that stuff just buy any of them from a reputable brand or at a parts store. I would avoid buying online from brands you have never heard of just because brakes are a safety item. But for a typical daily driver car I think it matters little what you get. If you are racing or tracking your car or have a huge truck that you tow heavy stuff with every day, maybe you need to be more discerning.

People in rust belt do much better with certain high end brands because of coating and the resistance of brake material delaminating.
Some people in places in Colorado or Blue ridge mountain range or Appalachia need some heat resistant brakes.

 

[Dborch41]

People in rust belt do much better with certain high end brands because of coating and the resistance of brake material delaminating.
Some people in places in Colorado or Blue ridge mountain range or Appalachia need some heat resistant brakes.

Fortunately I'm no longer in the rust belt, and the truck sees nothing more aggressive than the average daily commute. The heavy lifting has been taken over by its younger big brother, a Silverado.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

For what it's worth, purchased OEM Toyota pads, opened the box, and they had Advics FF stamped on the side of them. Don't know what Nissan is using as OEM.

 

[Dborch41]

For what it's worth, purchased OEM Toyota pads, opened the box, and they had Advics FF stamped on the side of them. Don't know what Nissan is using as OEM.

I know that Aisin makes a lot of OEM parts for Nissan, and Advics is in bed with Aisin so that would make sense.

 

[50yr Street Mech]

Yeh, one big happy family.

 

[t1snwrbrdr12]

If you’ve had oem and not been happy I don’t know why they’re in contention right now. I wouldn’t hesitate to say try advics.

I paired mine with raybestos high carbon rotors as they were the only offering on rock auto that had front and rear high carbon rotors. My car has been prone to developing a pulsation and I’d read that high carbon can help prevent that. So far so good, even though I had a bad experience with raybestos pads, their rotors seem good.

 

[Dborch41]

If you’ve had oem and not been happy I don’t know why they’re in contention right now. I wouldn’t hesitate to say try advics.

I paired mine with raybestos high carbon rotors as they were the only offering on rock auto that had front and rear high carbon rotors. My car has been prone to developing a pulsation and I’d read that high carbon can help prevent that. So far so good, even though I had a bad experience with raybestos pads, their rotors seem good.

Apparently the Advics rotors that Rockauto carries for my truck are high-carbon. That seems like overkill for a daily commuter but they aren't that much more expensive than the other name brands.

 

[Donald]

My go to pad is Akebono ProAct.

I think you have air in the system if you don't feel a firm pedal.

SpeedBleeders.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

My go to pad is Akebono ProAct.

I think you have air in the system if you don't feel a firm pedal.

SpeedBleeders.

If guys go from high initial grab pedals to progressive Japanese pads many get that impression.

 

[Dborch41]

My go to pad is Akebono ProAct.

I think you have air in the system if you don't feel a firm pedal.

SpeedBleeders.

I'm quite certain all the air is out. Again I've never been all that impressed with the pedal feel since new, second gen Frontiers have a bit of a reputation in that department. I'm just trying to find the best pad to not exacerbate the issue.

 

[nthach]

I see Powerstop as marketing hype. I’ve had hit or miss with Wagner. I seem to have good luck with Bosch(PerfectStop or Duralast Elite) or Akebono. DFC seemed decent to me.

 

[nthach]

If guys go from high initial grab pedals to progressive Japanese pads many get that impression.

Yea, there is a difference between OE, “service” pads from the dealer(Toyota TCMC/Nissan Value Advantage) and most aftermarket pads. The current aftermarket I’m running has more of a “positive” feel and bite. Akebono’s aftermarket pad also feels a bit more firm than OEM.

My experience with Chinese/Thai pads(Centric and DFC) is they feel more linear but not on the same degree as Bosch. Wagner seems to bite harder earlier. The Indian-made AZ/O’Reilly pads seemed to be a little hard during braking from my recollection on a neighbor’s car.