brake pads

[spikemdh]

well i need new pads, the brakes are makin the horrible noise u get when the pads have worn down to far....so what are some good pads....ones that are made with durable stuff that dont put off to much brake dust, the pair that i have now were cheap and worn down easily.....so ive looked at websites but i was wonderin if anybody had an opinion on a good pair....thanx for the advice

[big dave]

wagner thermoquiets

[chuddly]

you could always go with ceramic pads...lifetime warrenty...never buy another set....ever

[Lvtrucks2000]

Ceramic is the way to go! No fadeing and you pedal feals real tight

[oweezy9]

Where do you get these, and how much? Brands?

[eriks98s10]

i use wagner thermoquiets, too...

those lifetime pads will warp your rotors up...

[chuddly]

you can get ceramics at any auto parts store (napa, auto zone, car quest, advanced) they are about double what normal pads are but hell if ya never have to buy brake pads again then its well worth it.....as for warping the rotor...it can happen but ya have to be beatin on the brakes to do it...and if ya do...time for cross drilled and slotted then you have about the top brakes you could ever need...except going for like wilwood or bear or brembo brakes...but then your talkin like a grand for brakes

[kwickez]

check autopartswarehouse.com

[oweezy9]

Speakin of Baer brakes, is there any way to get them cheaper than the 1000 I see them for?

[Sam]

the baer kits that I have seen from stylin' concepts require a modified spindle so that the calipers are mounted further out to accomidate the larger rotors. I emailed baer about it once and they told me that they have to modify the spindles themselves and that you can't buy the individual parts to do it yourself. It's not that difficult to do, but that's just a way for them to sell the kits and not have to sell the pieces. I guess i can't blame them for wanting to do it all and save their reputation.

[steve]

Just make sure if you are going to put high performance brake pads on, that you put new rotors on, or at least resurface them. Every mechanic I have ever talk to has told me that. I don't remember the reasoning behind it, possibly brake noise or something, but they did specifically advice against it.

[Sam]

turning the rotors is a good idea and is recommended anytime the pads are replaced. If they are still okay and not out-of-round, you can leave them alone and be okay. Taking the rotors off our 2wd's is a little more involved than most cars. If you do have them resurfaced, you need to make sure none of the metal filings get into the bearings or inside the rotor where the grease is. I'd tape them up good before I took them into a shop for machining. I doubt they would tape them up for you. If they get metal in them, that's it.

[icemancomethe]

It seems the longer the pads last the more often you replace the rotors and drums. It only takes me an hour to change the pads. I'd rather do that once a year then change the rotors every three years or so. Unles like the others say you change everything and spend a grand on a top line system.

[jines1284]

I got mie at the zone (autozone) for about 50 bucks. Im at the point now though I need new rotors.

[Jones]

That's a good point Iceman. Cars that use longlife pad material generally chew rotors more. A good example are the German cars. Anytime I was inspecting/checking the brakes and I saw a lip on the rotors I was micin' (measuring w/ a micrometer) the rotors due to the fact that the pads would littlerally wear the rotors to discard/minimum in 30,xxx miles. The cross-drilled
rotors are nototrious for chewing pads as well. It's a trade off I guess. Anyone try
any of the "performance" Hawk pads yet?

[alscrimp]

Go to Auto Zone or Checkers and ask for carbon friction metallic.

[big dave]

turning the rotors is a good idea and is recommended anytime the pads are replaced. If they are still okay and not out-of-round, you can leave them alone and be okay. Taking the rotors off our 2wd's is a little more involved than most cars. If you do have them resurfaced, you need to make sure none of the metal filings get into the bearings or inside the rotor where the grease is. I'd tape them up good before I took them into a shop for machining. I doubt they would tape them up for you. If they get metal in them, that's it.


The brake lathe uses the bearing races to center the rotor. It wouldn't do any good to tape it up; the shop would just have to tear it off. None of the metal shavings get into the bearing area because of the way the rotors mount on the lathe.

[eriks98s10]

its cuz the material that the pads are made of are harder than the rotors, thats why the pads dont wear out and the rotors do...

[big dave]

^^ exactly. If you're smashing two surfaces together (brake pad and brake rotor)with high pressure and no lubrication, one of them is going to wear. Pads are much less expensive than rotors, so it makes sense to make the pads the wear items.

[s10xtremist]

That's a good point Iceman. Cars that use longlife pad material generally chew rotors more. A good example are the German cars. Anytime I was inspecting/checking the brakes and I saw a lip on the rotors I was micin' (measuring w/ a micrometer) the rotors due to the fact that the pads would littlerally wear the rotors to discard/minimum in 30,xxx miles. The cross-drilled
rotors are nototrious for chewing pads as well. It's a trade off I guess. Anyone try
any of the "performance" Hawk pads yet?

I have the Hawk HP pads and I like 'em. They bite good, a little hard when cold, but they warm up quickly and I can't detect any fade during hard braking. They seem to be a little dusty, but I'd rather they wear than the freakin' $330 rotors. I have them on Powerslot rotors, so I reckon that may sway the results a l'il bit. The edges of the slots are kinda sharp so they constantly "shave" the pad surface, which is probably why all the dust.