Bendix CT-3 vs. duralast gold pads

[JHZR2]

Any comments?

Bendix CT-3 vs duralast Gold pads (rated GG, so they must be decent).

Ive heard the bendix are quite good, but Im curious how the duralast golds compare.

Any thoughts???

Thanks,

JMH

 

[VK56VD]

Not to get off topic, but what does the gg rating mean? Where is this info for pads available?

The CT-3 are excellent pads with a free one time replacement.

 

[JHZR2]

GG is the friction level at ambient and elevated temperatures. See here:

http://www.ducatigarage.netfirms.com/brakepads.html

H is the max, G isnt bad all things considered. I dont know if most OE pads are even 'G' rated... IIRC, most are 'E' or 'F' for ambient and elevated temperatures.

DOT Pad Codes
This two letter edge code mandated by the DOT, and painted on all street legal brake pads, will give you some indication of their ability to resist fade. But only if you know how to read them. However, because of the wide range involved in each letter, it is only a rough indication.

Explanation of D.O.T. Edge Codes Located on all Brake Pads Official D.O.T. Edge Code Coefficient of Friction (C.F.)
@ 250 F and @ 600 F Comments
EE 0.25 to 0.35 both temps 0-25% fade at 600 F possible
FE 0.25 to 0.35 @ 250 F
0.35 to 0.45 @ 600 F 2% to 44% fade at 600 F possible
FF 0.35 to 0.45 both temps 0-22% fade at 600 F possible
GG 0.45 to 0.55 Very Rare
HH 0.55 to 0.65 Carbon/Carbon only.
O.K. up to 3000 F where it glows
Notes: These edge codes are located on the edge of the friction material of every brake pad by government regulation, along with some other codes. The first letter is a grading of the C.F. at 250 F and the second letter is a grading of the material at 600 F. Each letter grade can actually have quite a range of C.F. But a difference in the letter grade from medium to hot temperature could be an indicator of fade. The letters can be in any order. Therefore FE pads fade when hot, and EF pads would not grab when cold.. Also, you should know that Steel on Steel has a C.F. of 0.25!! So EE pads have only marginally more torque than no pads at all! Therefore FF pads are usually considered the minimum for a high-performance pad.

 

[JohnBrowning]

The Duralast Golds are not that great in terms of quality control and such. THe advantage to Duralast Golds is that they have a lifetime replacement warranty that includes wearing out. It is national level warranty and you do not need your reciept as long as you can rember your name and phone number. THe quality on the carbon metalics that AutoZOne sells for some applications is much higher then that of the duralast golds!

 

[The Critic]

The Duralast Golds seem to be a hit or miss depending on the application. For some applications they work great, for others, not so well. I have a set on my Saturn and the pedal feel is absolutely horrible. I've bled the system with little improvement, but I think it's something to do with the pads. Pad bite is mediocre at best. But your results may vary.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the edge codes give you the whole story. The OE Toyota pads that I removed from a relatively new Corolla were rated FF, but so were the replacement Raybestos Advanced Technology ceramic pads. The OE pads had a pedal feel that was similar to the Duralast pads on my Saturn whereas the Raybestos pads greatly improved the pedal feel and stopping performance. I think the edge codes on brake pads are about the same as the government A-C rating on tire traction and temperature.

The Bendix CT-3 pads are supposedly quite good. I've heard that they are equivalent to the Hawk HPS pads in terms of performance, but I have no personal experience with them. I will say the Raybestos Advanced Technology ceramic pads are very good, and most part numbers feature the NRS backing plate and NU-LOK shims from NU-CAP industries. Those two technologies appear to be changing the brake industry.

 

[JHZR2]

thanks very much...

BTW, raybestos advanced technology rotors or Napa ultimate rotors??? Ive heard they may be one and the same...

Thanks again,

JMH

 

[Sed]

The Bendix CT-3 pads are excellent. That's all I've used on my 350Z ( on my second set). Good stopping power, long life, very little rotor wear, and virtually NO DUST!!

As stated earlier, the Duralast Golds are hit or miss.

 

[ChiTDI]

Welcome to the club!

 

[ziggy]

I installed duralst gold pads onmy95 neon about 2 years ago. They work okay in the beginning, but wha ti can tell yuo is, if it air is wet, or rains, thy squeek alot. And sometimes, if startin car and driving,and use brake thiers an aweful gripping noise form rotor.
I concur with the others here, form what ive read about other neon mechanics... benedix CT's are jsut about as good as hawk's, the raybestos advacne ones are really good, nad NAPA is about the same as benedix.
Ive read more agianst autozone pads than for, by a huge margin... 8 to 1wnated other than autozone golds, mostly, because of noise, whcih made them think overall thier safety as well... stay with what everyone else thinks or advises.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
thanks very much...

BTW, raybestos advanced technology rotors or Napa ultimate rotors??? Ive heard they may be one and the same...

Thanks again,

JMH

I think they are the same part, but the NAPA UP rotors have a lifetime warranty against defects. NAPA consider rotor warp to be a defect, something to keep in mind for applications that are notorious for rotor warp.

 

[parimento1]

I know they have a lifetime warranty, but are the Napa rotors any good? I used to think respected companies couldn't fail until I had pair of brembo blanks warp on me in two weeks! Put the OE toyota rotors on and they have been fine for 3 years.

 

[Audi Junkie]

I put the Duralast Gold Ceramics on the CRV, fully tweaking everthing except for reusing the rotors. I have no complaints about them and the price is great. I first tried them a few years ago when mail-order shipped me the wrong pad and I had to get some otc to do the job. I'd say they are kind of hard, but with no squeaking and a good (ceramic feeling) bite. Probally most ideal on a heavier car. Minimal fade as far as getting softer when hot. Dust is almost non-existant.

I'm pretty aware of my pads and the ones I prefer the most are Pagid Blue, having a "plastic" feel that is nice and gooey/grippy in wet. Axxis Ultimate/PBR are great and Remza Gold if you can find them.

 

[globey]

Originally Posted By: Sed
The Bendix CT-3 pads are excellent. That's all I've used on my 350Z ( on my second set). Good stopping power, long life, very little rotor wear, and virtually NO DUST!!

As stated earlier, the Duralast Golds are hit or miss.


That's pretty cryptic. Great insight.

The Duralast Gold pads are made by Morse. Honestly, I don't see many replacements on these. If they do get replaced, it's usually after a good amount of time. I like to look at the pads when the customers bring them in so I can tell about the product and these pads wear very nicely. I've yet to get a complaint on them. Once in a great while I'll get a pair back after an uncommonly short amount of time, but that will be because of uneven wear caused by a stuck caliper or something of that nature.

For the price, they are an very good pad with a great warranty. As long as you have no problems with your braking system, one price will pay for your brake pad needs for as long as you own the car. I guess you can't beat that.

 

[Mookitty]

Globey, are you an AZ parts counter zombie too?

BRAAAAI...um..PAAAAAAAAAAARRRTTTS!!!



What bugs me is that people don't want any caliper grease. "No I have some" is the most common answer. I hate to think how much all-purpose is smeared on the brakes in this town.

I think I might start keeping a bottle of the permatex caliper lube on the counter, and then opening it and saying "does your grease look like this?" >_<

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: Mookitty
Globey, are you an AZ parts counter zombie too?

BRAAAAI...um..PAAAAAAAAAAARRRTTTS!!!



What bugs me is that people don't want any caliper grease. "No I have some" is the most common answer. I hate to think how much all-purpose is smeared on the brakes in this town.

I think I might start keeping a bottle of the permatex caliper lube on the counter, and then opening it and saying "does your grease look like this?" >_<


no really, I have some

 

[JohnBrowning]

I took a set of 3 year old duralast gold pads back today and exchanged them for new ones!!! You have to love a wear item that is warrantied against wearing out! THey where not defective they just wore out. Now that is money well spent I wish Carhart would replace my Jacket and Jeans when they wear out! How about tires wow would that be cool or what! I am guessing Hawk and Bendix CT-3 do not get replaced just because you wore them out???? So if you do not need the enhanced performance it sure is nice to buy it once and get it for free each time after that!

Corection those where regular Duralast not the gold ones!

 

[Buffman]

IIRC I thought the box that my hawk HPS pads came in said something about a lifetime warranty. Not sure I've read into it about what it covers.

I've used the duralast golds on a few cars, but mostly the standard durlast pads on most as the friend who I'm doing the brakes for want cheap as possible, but not valucrap cheap. (hey when I do the work, I'll usually buy the parts and get the $20 credit for it the parst too ).

I've had no complaints with those pads. Dust level is okay, stopping is great, no noise complaints, and they last awhile

 

[doitmyself]

I, too, have had good success with Duralast gold pads and rotors on my kid's vehicles. I find it hard to believe that the average Joe would even be able to tell the difference between pad brands.

My daughter's old Grand Am went through three sets of pads/rotors under warranty due to a common rotor warping issue. The problem disappeared with Autozone rotors/pads. Inconclusive anecdotal info, I realize.

I remember the Auto-cross guys had a cult following for Autozone rotors a few years ago.

Too bad we can't get some real data comparisons. I have to imagine that a lot of perceived differences are a placebo effect.

How can one argue with Globey's first hand experience?

However, I do not like the brake hardware kits that AZ sells. The NAPA/Carquest ones seem to be much better in quality.

 

[Tempest]

How does the EBC Green stuff pads compare to these?

 

[JohnBrowning]

I had to get another set of Duralast pads today replaced under warranty on my Dads 1995 Tacoma! You have to love that lifetime warranty!

I used NAPA's cheap rotors on a 4Runner and I did not have any problem with them at all. The ones I got where made in Canada.