Which disc brake pads are best?

jhm · August 6, 2004

I need to replace the disc pads on the rear wheels on my 2001 1500 4wd. Only 38k on them. I am the second owner an I am easy on the brakes, it never towed anything so either the other drivers were stomping on them all the time or they just plain suck. Anyway, I have always bought Bendix, anyone got any good mileage/performance with other brands?

99GMCZ71 · August 6, 2004

Performance friction carbon metallic pads are pretty good. AutoZone sells them. Bendix are also good. Just don't go for those cheap ones.

OUMike · August 6, 2004

Performance friction carbon metallic pads are pretty good. AutoZone sells them. Bendix are also good. Just don't go for those cheap ones.

I disagree. There is nothing wrong the cheaper brake pads. I've used O' Rielly house brand pads in my truck for 4 years and it stops like a 911. As far as I'm concerened brake pads are brake pads.

Bring on the flames.

100R1 · August 7, 2004

Look for a good semi-mettalic brake that is bonded (not riveted) from a name brand manufacture with a good warranty. Buy good quality Rotors and replace when you do a brake job. I find that rotors today are inexpensive (except performance rotors) and well worth the extra cost than just turning your old ones. By the time you turn old worn down rotors (even when they meet the minimum runout etc.) there is marginal thickness left and for me usuallyI will then then have a "warped" rotor in short order and have to replace it anyways.

There are some "house brand" brake pads from auto stores that are good because thay are "private labeled" by big name manufactures, But you could also get one manufacture today and another tomorrow depending on the low bidder.

I have had good results from Raybestos premium grade (pro stop from Pep-Boys) in the past. I put 2 sets over the ownership on my '93 Jeep cherokee (over 250,000 miles on the OD. when sold) The second set was FREE due to Pep-Boys & their Lifetime guarntee (I think they no longer offer that deal). The Raybestos Premium grade had low dusting to keep the rims clean longer & was not hard on wearing out the rotors.

I currently have Raybestos ceramic pads on my '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee and while they are quiet (Raybestos selling point) and very little dust and pedal feel is fantastic, they have been real tough on rotors wearing them faster than semi-metallic (I am on my second set of rotors @ 80,000 miles on the JGC and need to replace them again) The ceramic pads have a lot of friction material left even after 60,000 miles on them. I am going to replace the ceramic with the factory originals I still have and have a lot of life left but am tired of replacing rotors. The main purpose of going with the Ceramic was The JGC was used as a tow Vehicle for our travel trailer., but no longer since we have the Yukon and the JGC is a daily driver for my Wife.

Driving style has a lot to do with brake life. My wife can kill a set of pads and warp rotors faster than anything. Thats why she drives the JGC and not the Yukon.

OUMike · August 7, 2004

Yea, I even with with the less expensive rotors as well. You can get a set of rotors for the C/K pickups for about $100. As long as you pack bearings properly and replace all seals there really isn't really any reason to spend a million dollars on rotors. I had been looking for Wagner and Brembo parts before I bought house brand stuff. I'm glad I saved the money. I'll probably replace the calipers when the next brake job comes around.

lrymal · August 7, 2004

...As far as I'm concerened brake pads are brake pads.

Well, in a way, kinda. Maybe...

If brake dust is not a major factor and faster pad wear is not as issue. But stopping ability in regular traffic and normal driving works quite well with the cheaper pads. If they shed a lot of pad dust, they are also shedding and discarding a lot of heat, thus resulting in good braking. And I'd bet any shudder complaints disappear, also.

The expensive pads have a fine balancing act. They must fight the heat without broadcasting a lot of dust while stopping the vehicle in a safe manner. That is a very tough act. And in doing so, they must wear well.

For me (!!!), I have enjoyed Performance Friction pads mainly because I can purchase these locally and their cost is not terrible. They are more expensive than the cheap pads, but seem to balance their act quite well and really pull the heat away.

I have been able to use these to stop rotor shudder, assuming the shudder is not due to a permanently warped rotor.

The brake pads that came from the factory for my '03 Silverado were awful. They LOOK good, but I had a lot of problems with them in that all of my rotors seemed to be warped. I'm not a hard braker, either. Replacing JUST the pads with PFs stopped the shudder. I think the rotors were "temporarily" warping due to the poor ability of the rotors to spread the heat, and the OEM pads retained too much heat.

The PF pads carry the heat away far better, thus the rotors do not reach the temperature that causes this temporary warping.

Anyway, just a theory. But, at any rate, with the PFs, I have no more shudder.

Ben · August 7, 2004

GM's OEM is presently supplied by Bendix, was Raybestos last contract cycle. HD version modified to GM spec's (buy enough and they'll make special compounding for you).

There is a difference. Like the El Cheapo freebies that come pre-loaded on rebuilt calipers, to $29.99 specials to $4,000.00 per front set on some exotics (yes, just pads for the front). Ask yourself how much the freegbies thrown in with the rebuilt calipers cost them, as they are in the business to make money. If your company, would you supply $4K pads in $89 buck rebuilt calipers?

Have this "discussion" all to often with those who don't know, or don't care.

Example is any kind of "beer" or "booze". Why buy the "good" brand if it's all the same. Beer's 10%-15% alcohol is alcohol, right? So should be no difference, right?

Then the "it's ceramic" so MUST be GREAT and better than anything else since sliced bread. Depends. 100% ceramic...like a dinner plate? Even then there is bone china vs mud hen el cheapo dinner ware. Sprinkled in "some" ceramic dust so it can be labeled "ceramic" and not get sued under the law: "truth in advertising" (has teeth, fines and jail time). There is a difference.

All to do with co-efficient of friction and the binders used. Binders is the main thing that outgasses to form boundry layer which acts like grease on rotors.

Here's picture of my OEM rotors from 1996 Suburban 3/4 ton's front brakes. Notice the small cracks. Called "heat checking". Common for racers and am used to seeing it on my racing days. Most of "my" vehicles get this, but sweetie's and others in family don't. They just don't drive like me. Same level of pads too....PERFORMANCE LEVEL pads. Caused by both extreme heat (ultimate temp's reached and how fast get up to that temp) and the severe forces (stopping) between the rotor surface and friction materials.

Several of these cracks propragated into cracks clean through on both rotors. Now have ART cyro/slotted and they too are now heat checked. Performance Z and Praise Dyno did it on the pictured and current ART rotors mainly from Praise Dyno pads. Performance Z are similar in ultimate performance, but almost no braking when cold, while Praise has very good when cold.

Ben · August 7, 2004

Dusting is kind of like GREAT towing ability and GREAT fuel MPG....it's an oxymoron. Can't have both...maybe with diesel, but not gasser. Quality ceramic is the diesel of braking pads....not much dusting.

Dusting is end product of what pads are supposed to do. Get consumed by the heat generated form braking. Laws of physics and nothing changes that, that is known to mankind to date.

Quality ceramic's still dust, just that they have different particle color & size charactoristics from the other friction materials used.

Someone complaining about towing a 7,000 lb trailer and getting poor fuel milage should decide which is more important to them. Get the V6 or even 4 banger if fuel milage that important. If great towing ability more important, then get the V8, big block or diesel.

Ditto diff ratio. Get the 3.05 diff ratio if fuel milage that important, but don't expect great towing or boy racer performance.

Price to pay.

sjspor · August 8, 2004

JHM.. Where do you live?? I got about 45K out of my brakes on my 2001 here in the north east. The rear rotors had a lip at the outer edges and the backing for the brake pads were hitting. There was still some friction pad left, but the rotors were pretty well worn. The fronts were still usable. I replace all for sets of pads with Quiet stops. They wer'nt cheap but so far so good. I did have to have all four rotors cut, and it took the guy at the parts store like 3 hours to them, he said he never saw rotors with so much rust.

A side note too, I was out looking at trucks, and pass one dealers scrap metal pile, I saw a life times worth of rear rotors there, so the dealers must just change them.

GuyZ71 · August 8, 2004

I had to change my brake pads for the first time at 65k. The OEM rear pads were down to the backing plate but the front pads still looked brand new. None of my rotors are warped, have excessive wear or have any grooves in them. It's like my rear pads just disappeared. My father bought this truck brand new and the heaviest thing it's ever towed is my quad on a 4'x'8 trailer. Neither one of our driving styles is hard on brakes. When I replaced the rear pads I bought the cheapest ones AutoZone sold. If they wear out in 20k, oh well. It only cost me a couple o'bucks and is only a 1/2 hour job.

jhm · August 9, 2004

I also live in the northeast. When I took the truck to the dealer for a oil change special., they checked the brakes and told me the rears would be from $295 to $850 depending on if the parking break pads were spent, etc, usual bs. I checked them myself and everything is fine except the rear pads are worn. I always bought Bendix cause they had the lifetime warranty, but now I hear about the ceramic so I was confused. I looked at the Bendix homepage and they have a titaniummettalic that looks good, have to compare prices I guess. I am still surprised the oem's are spent at 38k!