Front Brake Suggestions - 2016 Passat

[slacktide_bitog]

Akebono has Euro-specific pads that are supposed to be good. No, they're not performance pads, but they are perfect for a daily driver

Other good pads are EBC Ultimax "Blackstuff" (basic OE replacement) or, for less dust, EBC Redstuff. Monroe also makes ceramic pads at a good price. Then there's Raybestos Element3 EHT pads.

Monroe is FF; all the others are GG.

I like to use the rotors with the coating to deter rust. Centric Premium, Wagner E-shield (part numbers ending with E), EBC blanks, or Napa's premium coated rotors.

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Akebono are for people who are first and foremost interested in longevity and less dust. Performance wise, they are biggest POS you can find on the market.
ATE or TRW are OE pad on VW. I would look for ATE or Textar. Pagid is now part of TMD (Textar) however it is one step below since it meets FE requirements and not FF like ATE or Textar.
If you want to improve feel on pedal, go with EBC Red Stuff.
As for rotors, ATE or Brembo!


The Akebono pads for this application (part number EUR1375) are GG

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Akebono has Euro-specific pads that are supposed to be good. No, they're not performance pads, but they are perfect for a daily driver

Other good pads are EBC Ultimax "Blackstuff" (basic OE replacement) or, for less dust, EBC Redstuff. Monroe also makes ceramic pads at a good price. Then there's Raybestos Element3 EHT pads.

Monroe is FF; all the others are GG.

I like to use the rotors with the coating to deter rust. Centric Premium, Wagner E-shield (part numbers ending with E), EBC blanks, or Napa's premium coated rotors.

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Akebono are for people who are first and foremost interested in longevity and less dust. Performance wise, they are biggest POS you can find on the market.
ATE or TRW are OE pad on VW. I would look for ATE or Textar. Pagid is now part of TMD (Textar) however it is one step below since it meets FE requirements and not FF like ATE or Textar.
If you want to improve feel on pedal, go with EBC Red Stuff.
As for rotors, ATE or Brembo!


The Akebono pads for this application (part number EUR1375) are GG

Yes as any other ceramic pad. That does not indicate that it is good pad. My reference to FE or FF is those are same type of pad (organic).
I made mistake and put once Akebono, and took them off after 2000 miles. That is the first and last time that POS pad will enter my garage, including guests that are visiting.

 

[nthach]

IMO, save the Akebono for a Japanese car - you need European OEM pads as Trav suggested or a good semi-metallic, Wagner's non-Thermoquiet for European cars are made in the UK by Ferodo, who is owned by Federal-Mogul(Jurid is also part of FM when Honeywell exited the friction business). The local parts house walked me to the back to look at some rotors once, I saw a few Federated co-branded Wagner pads that said Euro, and the part number label said Made in UK.

If the rotors are within the acceptable range, I don't see why not you can reuse them - if they are getting close to the discard limit get the OEM rotors or ATE/Zimmermann/Balo.

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: Trav
ATE, Textar, Mintex and Pagid (Pagid is part of the Textar/Mintex group) are all very good, ATE is probably OE. I never liked Akebono, they never seemed to have the bite as these and a few others have and the ones that do tend to be noisy when cold from my experience.
For rotors I would only go OE from the dealer, they are not that expensive for this car. The Pagid from FCP is a good buy, FCP is a stand up company.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-disc-brake-pad-set-pagid-5n0698151


Interesting insight. I ended up buying my Akebono pads on clearance from Rock Auto for my Jeep and as much as I like them, they do leave something to be desired. If I spent $55 for just the fronts alone, I would have been disappointed. I do like how clean and quiet they are though.

x2 on FCP Euro being a good company. I've bought probably $1500+ worth of parts from them for her Volvo, dad's Audi etc. I've had a few issues (if you want to call them that) with them and was compensated with free shipping no questions asked. Top of the notch CS. They are definitely my go to.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: nthach
IMO, save the Akebono for a Japanese car - you need European OEM pads as Trav suggested or a good semi-metallic, Wagner's non-Thermoquiet for European cars are made in the UK by Ferodo, who is owned by Federal-Mogul(Jurid is also part of FM when Honeywell exited the friction business). The local parts house walked me to the back to look at some rotors once, I saw a few Federated co-branded Wagner pads that said Euro, and the part number label said Made in UK.

If the rotors are within the acceptable range, I don't see why not you can reuse them - if they are getting close to the discard limit get the OEM rotors or ATE/Zimmermann/Balo.

Jurid is OE on a lot of German cars. They all use different manufacturers for different models.
On BMW's you can find anything from Textar, Paid, ATE to Jurid.
I would stay away from Ferodo. They declined over the years.

 

[homeyclaus]

I have liked Akebono pads on every car I used them on, but the applications were daily drivers. I probably would not use them on our truck though, since we tow a lot.

For European cars, if you know an importer of OE parts, the pricing can be very competitive to high end aftermarket parts. Not at the dealer, but the same part made by the original manufacturer in their box - like ATE pads for BMWs and Mercedes have the respective part numbers on them, just for 40% of the price.

As far as rotors go, I generally douse them in cold galvanizing spray, let it dry, and use a towel wetted with brake cleaner to clean the friction surfaces. That keeps corrosion under control for quite a while.

 

[BTLew81]

Any additional thoughts on EBC Reds for this car? I see a lot of good reviews. Lastly, any input on AZ pads/rotors? NAPA?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: BTLew81
Any additional thoughts on EBC Reds for this car? I see a lot of good reviews. Lastly, any input on AZ pads/rotors? NAPA?


nothing wrong with EBC Red. I'd use name-brand pads over Autozone/Duralast or any private-label pad from a parts store since you can never know what you're getting. The only time I'd use them is when you need something same-day and can;t order them online beforehand.

As for rotors, Napa's polymer coated rotors are what I'd buy if I had to buy from a parts store and/or if I couldn't order online beforehand.