Which pads for new rotors?

[Fabmanrich]

The rear rotors on my truck are shot (2000 Ford F150), and the fronts don't look all that great. Can get cross-drilled/slotted online for about the same price as original replacements locally. If I went with the CD/S rotors, what kind of pads should I use? Anything special or whatever I can get local? Truck is a daily driver but don't do a lot of pulling or hauling.
Thanks,
Richie

 

[ChrisW]

Cross drilled and slotted would be more prone to cracking then just plain 'ol solid rotors. Think of it as the solid rotors have more mass to act as a heatsink than the slotted and drilled rotors.

Get balnk/solid rotors and some good upgraded/aftermarket pads from Hawk, flush the fluid with some valvoline synpower and you'll be set. I've heard great things about Hawk pads on trucks/suvs as well as in my own cars that i use them on.

 

[Willy_G]

Ditto on the cross-drilling. Slotting is OK, as it reduces much less material and helps fade by letting gases vent.

I used to go exotic, with drilled/slotted rotors, Carbon Metallics, MetalMaster or other fancy/pricy pad…and all I noticed was that I spent more money and the drilling caused a hum on braking. People say drilling runs cooler so pads last long…this is hogwash. Even with chamfered holes, the rotors act like cheese graters…I noticed about a 50% reduction in pad life.

The last few brake jobs I have done with the cheapest rotor (usually Chinese), and house brand pads, usually under $20. Advanced Silver Line are a good compromise, but have used AZ’s Value Craft in a pinch. Day-to-day the inexpensive set-up works better, as the pads don’t need to heat up for good bite. And for some reason, I have noticed the Chinese rotors corrode less, when not driven for several days…I cannot explain this(?).

 

[mechtech]

Exactly as ChrisW said.
Get aftermarket plain rotors, and save a bundle of money .
Take that money and get the Hawk HPS pads. It will feel like you just put bigger brakes on the car.

 

[jsharp]

Iv'e not used any aftermarket rotors recently but it was noted that there are some differences between brands in this thread -

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=24;t=002378

It might be a good idea to compare before you buy. I agree with eveyone else though. I think plain rotors are the way to go for a street vehicle.

For aftermarket pads, the Hawk sets are known to be good along with EBC, Raybestos, Bendix, and lots of others I'm sure. I've also used a couple of sets of the Duralast lifetime warranty pads from Autozone and been very happy with them. They're soft so you get good braking when they're cold. One other good point about them is they are very easy on rotors. We replaced a worn out set with the free warranty replacements and the rotors looked almost like new. I was amazed at how good they looked in fact.

 

[shortyb]

I'll add my .02 Plain solid rotors should be fine. X-drilling is cosmetic and unless you're racing, pass on the slotted. As said, more mass for heatsink. Contrary to what is advertised, x-drilled rotors can actually SLOW DOWN heat transfer. What happens is the air flows out of the holes as opposed to creating a proper convective flow from the rotor hub, up the internal vanes. It essentially bypasses alot of the metal mass that it would otherwise contact if there were no holes.

As far as pads go, you may want to look for some in the newer ceramic compounds. They are quiet, easy on the rotors, last a long time and have a very broad working temperature range. In other words, they have linear performance whether hot or cold.

Don't forget to bleed the fluid. It has a profound effect on pedal feel, especially if the old fluid has been in service for a few years.

 

[Schmoe]

I got a 01 Supercrew that needs some new pads. I agree with the others and from what I researched on the 'net. Stick with solid rotors. The pads I'm going to buy just came out by Hawk Performance, the LTS line. They run about 70 bucks at www.tirerack.com
I've been searching other internet sites to find out if I can get these pads cheaper, but I guess they are so new that not everyone carries them. I've only been able to find them at tirerack.

 

[04SpecV]

quote:

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Originally posted by Schmoe:
I got a 01 Supercrew that needs some new pads. I agree with the others and from what I researched on the 'net. Stick with solid rotors. The pads I'm going to buy just came out by Hawk Performance, the LTS line. They run about 70 bucks at www.tirerack.com
I've been searching other internet sites to find out if I can get these pads cheaper, but I guess they are so new that not everyone carries them. I've only been able to find them at tirerack.

---

I put those pads on my Chevy, they stop wayyy better than what it I had. I did notice a few squeels sometimes, I think mostly at low speed. It could be installer error. I got new Calipers, rotors everything

Only have about 700 miles on them, maybe it'll stop

 

[ChrisW]

Performance Peddler this is about the cheapest place I've found to buy Hawk brake pads from. Free shipping too. I've bought from them before and am satisfied. The HPS pads i have on my civic right now work really well with the autozone rotors i have, little bit of squeal at low speed/light pressure, but its still breaking in and I have not done a 'proper' bed in.

I'm not sure if they carry the full Hawk products in their online catalog, but I'm sure you could give them a call and find out.

 

[Ironduke4]

I just recently replaced the front brakes on my 1996 ford taurus.
I used napa trustop rotors and performance friction carbon metallic pads from autozone.
What a difference from the old brakes the car stops much faster and the brakes don't even make a sound they are ultra quiet.
I have used the pfc carbon metallic pads on a couple of cars and they work great and they don't cost a fortune.
So i recommend the pfc carbon metallic pads try them i know that you will like them.

 

[road_rascal]

When I replaced the pads and rotors on my '01 Windstar the rotors warped with only 30,000 miles on them (Raybestos PG Plus). The pads looked new. The manager at Checker Auto was really surprised when I said the rotors warped. He gave me a big discount on a new set of pads and rotors and stated the rotors should not have warped that early, even though most my driving is stop and go city stuff. We'll see how long this set lasts.

 

[ChrisW]

More often than not, warped rotors is not actually thickness variation in the rotors; the rotors are not warped. It is actually uneven pad-to-rotor deposits. This can usually be cured by rebedding the pads or turning the rotors ever-so slightly to remove the uneven pad deposits.

To rebed the pads/rotors, make 3-4 moderate stops from 40-5, this is to warm up the pads so they don't get shocked with heat. Then, make 3-4 moderate/hard stops from 55-5. Never come to a complete stop. After the final braking, drive around for approx 15 minutes to let the brakes cool down. Try if at all possible to not use the brakes; this works really well out in a country road. Do not drag the brakes as a mean to bed/burnish them.

 

[Fabmanrich]

The manufacturer of the rotors suggested a high performance brake pad. But I wouldn't want too hard or aggresive of a pad, I live in the Finger Lakes region of NY and seems like you can't go anywhere without going up and down hills. I would rather replace cheaper soft pads more often then the rotors.

Richie