Brake Pads

asilverblazer · October 5, 2006

Its getting close to time to replace my brake pads. I want to know what the best performing, longest lasting, no dust, pad is available. I figure it will be pricey, especially if I do all 4 corners.

I want suggestions on the very best. No exceptions to this. So If you have any brands you feel are qualified list them and which pad model.

Thanks yawl!

asepgrad98 · October 5, 2006

Raybestos Quite Stop

J45p3r · October 5, 2006

Raybestos Quite Stop

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Seconded. I've got a set on the rear of my truck and I have a set in the box downstairs ready to go on the front this weekend.

I ordered mine from RockAuto.com. Part #PGD785QS for the front on a 2003 Sierra.

alvocado · October 5, 2006

Raybestos Quite Stop

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Seconded. I've got a set on the rear of my truck and I have a set in the box downstairs ready to go on the front this weekend.

I ordered mine from RockAuto.com. Part #PGD785QS for the front on a 2003 Sierra.

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I did my first brake job at 55k miles last year on my Denali and stayed with the OEM Delco ceramic pads. Getting that many miles with a full-size SUV and no brake dust convinced me. I paid $99/axle at the GMC dealer locally.

C & A s Dad · October 5, 2006

Andy, I am a little biased because I work for CARQUEST Auto Parts. Raybestos is our supplier of friction material and they make a great line of pad. I would suggest our Gold Ceramic Pad, the prefix is GCD. IMO, they are by far the best pad we have ever offered and they are performing flawlessly and are installed on literaly thousands of vehicles accross the country everyday. You will also find them avail in our Blue line. They perform well but do not have the same ceramic content as the Gold.

asilverblazer · October 5, 2006

How many miles could one expect out of the Raybestos? I am at 145K'ish on the original factory front pads.

And I dread those caliper bolts...

Bish · October 5, 2006

Performance and longevity rarely go hand in hand.

For standard replacement pads, I have had good luck with Raybestos Ceramic and Wagner Thermoquiet ceramics. For an upgrade in braking performance, I started running Praise Dyno cryo treated pads and rotors. They are priced about the same as oem rotors and pads but significantly better performance IMO. They won't last beyond 50K but my Tahoe will stop on a dime. They have saved me from an accident a couple of times.

C & A s Dad · October 5, 2006

I thought I had heard of all brands but not these. I am curious as to where you bought them and where you heard of them?

gmcjoe · October 5, 2006

How many miles could one expect out of the Raybestos? I am at 145K'ish on the original factory front pads.

And I dread those caliper bolts...

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That is great wear! I got about 75K out of my OEM pads, about twice what I got on any of my OBS trucks.

I ran Raybestos Quiet Stops for two years on my 2000 Sierra Z71, great pads.

I recently swapped my pads and OEM rotors to Hawk pads and Powerslot rotors from www.buybrakes.com - my right front pad became bound up and ate my rotor for lunch. I had some minor warping in three rotors (I have 160K on my truck) so I replaced everything.

Bish · October 5, 2006

I thought I had heard of all brands but not these. I am curious as to where you bought them and where you heard of them?

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I heard of them from an old Suburban board. They came highly recommended. I talked to John the owner. They are a family shop that specializes in brakes for older muscle cars. THey also have the gov't contract for brakes on the military hummers. Their deal is they make their own pads with a significantly higher coefficient of friction than stock. This gives more stopping ability. They also cryo-treat (freeze really cold) the pads and rotors to get better longevity. Their pads on a stock rotor will chew up the rotor in short order. The cryo hardens the rotors so they can take more abuse from the higher friction pads. As I mentioned, the downside is you won't get OEM like wear out of them. They don't dust but they do wear faster than oem. Worth it on a 6000lb vehicle IMO.

HERE is their website. You order by calling them. If you have questions, don't hesitate to call John and ask him. He seems like a real nice guy and knows his brakes. I'm on my second set (all 4 rotors and pads) and I an completely sold on them. Not as good as big brake kit but also not as expensive especially if you have 16 inch wheels.

Norseman · October 5, 2006

In order:

1 Wagner Thermoquiet ceramics -- Just as good as the Raybestos, but less expensive and come with a lifetime warranty from o’reilly auto parts.

2 Raybestos Ceramic-- because of the reasons above

C & A s Dad · October 5, 2006

Wagner has done a great job with the Thermoquiet pad. It is a great pad that is quiet, smooth and pretty easy on the rotors. They are the reason that we (CARQUEST) developed our Blue Ceramic line. Our Blue line is very similar to the Wagner but with a higher ceramic content and they will outlast the Wagner. From what we have seen,the Wagners iwill typically last only 40,000 miles or less. Most companies have a lifetime warranty on their better grade friction materials. Even with a lifetime warranty, you still have the labor to deal with and I do not want to be changing the pads every 30 to 40K.

asilverblazer · October 6, 2006

So you're saying the Wagner's last 30-40K? What are the Raydestos expected to last?

C & A s Dad · October 6, 2006

Andy, this is a really tough question because of varying driving habits. I would expect 20K to 30K more miles from a set of our BCD pads. However, if you are really looking for the best pad that we offer, you need the GCD (Gold Ceramic Disc). This pad has a much higher content of Ceramic and is very smooth, guaranteed to be quiet as long as a complete and professional job is done. (the BCD also have a guaranteed quiet warranty).

I am sure there are some "exotic pads" out there that could possibly perform better but among all of the "normal aftermarket pads" I would put our GCD or GMD (Gold Metalic) up against any of them.

I will add that Brake Parts Inc, the parent company for Raybestos, does formulate our pads specifically for us. I am sure the Raybestos brand is just as good but cannot speak directly for them. If you have a CARQUEST Store near you, take a look at the GCD. When you take them out of the box, you can see and feel the quality.