Pad Recommendation for 08 Altima Coupe

[barlowc]

Does anyone have a pad recommendation for the Altima in my signature? I've been very happy with the braking performance of the car so I've thought about just sticking with OEM pads which cost $82 a set.

I'm going to have the car into the dealer this coming Thursday. They're going to turn my rotors under warranty because they're slightly warped and I'm getting a bit of vibration. When the car was in in January, their report said "front pad thickness between 4 and 6 mm. will require attention soon", so I'm anticipating that they're going to suggest I put new pads on while they've got the brakes apart.

4 mm still seems like a fair amount of pad material and not worn enough to replace. Am I right? If I do need new pads, I may be paying a bit more for OEM pads, but if all I have to pay for is pads, it'll save me the time of having to do them myself later.

The stock/OEM pads (to the best of my knowledge) are full-metallics. I've been told that full-metallic pads may rust a bit after driving in wet conditions and may leave a small imprint on the rotor and over time this may lead to the minor warping of the rotors that I've experience. (I guess it's more of a build-up that causes a minor vibration than warping.) If that's true then I'm inclined to go with an aftermarket ceramic pad which won't be suspect to the rusting/imprinting.

 

[Sayjac]

According to Rock Auto the OE are ceramics. When I replaced mine I went with the mid grade Raybestos Pro. Grade ceramics from RA. they had a rebate at the time, and they have $30 total rebate for front and rear. I was satisfied with the performance and low dust. The Raybestos AT's are a bit more expensive and also have the rebate, but the PG's worked just fine.

 

[38sho]

wagner thermoqueit ceramics are nice

for the price ur going to pay for the OEM ones I'd look into Akebono ceramics as well. Raybestos ceramics are good as are the Autozone Duralast Gold ceramics.......

of course how you install them and grease them will also make a difference, and the rotors that they go onto

 

[Eddie]

I prefer the OEM pads, especially if you are happy with the performance.

 

[mechtech2]

When you get your rotors cut, get the new pads.

OK... maybe there are some cheaper out there, and maybe some better.
But are you racing?
For you it seems best to get it done, done right, and all at once.
Remember, you are NOT paying for new rotors or cutting!

 

[barlowc]

Stopped at Pep Boys, O'Reilly, AutoZone, and Advance Auto Parts. Wasn't thrilled with the choices.

Pep Boys was mainly Pro-Stop. O'Reilly was mainly Brake Best. AutoZone was mainly Duralast. AAP was mainly Wearever.

Pep Boys did have EBC Greenstuff for $94 but that's probably overly performance-oriented for what I want.

The Duralast Gold ceramics at AutoZone were $55 and the Wagner ThermoQuiet ceramics at Advance Auto Parts were $52. If I were limited to what I saw today, I'd probably pick one of those.

If the dealer replaces the rotors, then I'll probably have them put on the $82 OEM pads if that's what it costs me. But I imagine the dealer is just going to turn the rotors, in which case as long as I have enough pad material, I'll probably leave the pads alone. I'll do new pads and rotors at the same time which would probably be around 50K.

 

[dparm]

Do not get Greenstuff.

Almost any off-the-shelf ceramic pad will be a nice choice.

Frankly, I'm of the opinion that you should just replace the rotors. Blanks are cheap.

 

[wiswind]

I like the Akebono pads and Raybestos Advanced Technology Rotors.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
Stopped at Pep Boys, O'Reilly, AutoZone, and Advance Auto Parts. Wasn't thrilled with the choices.

Pep Boys was mainly Pro-Stop. O'Reilly was mainly Brake Best. AutoZone was mainly Duralast. AAP was mainly Wearever.

Pep Boys did have EBC Greenstuff for $94 but that's probably overly performance-oriented for what I want.

The Duralast Gold ceramics at AutoZone were $55 and the Wagner ThermoQuiet ceramics at Advance Auto Parts were $52. If I were limited to what I saw today, I'd probably pick one of those.

If the dealer replaces the rotors, then I'll probably have them put on the $82 OEM pads if that's what it costs me. But I imagine the dealer is just going to turn the rotors, in which case as long as I have enough pad material, I'll probably leave the pads alone. I'll do new pads and rotors at the same time which would probably be around 50K.

Brake pads online are cheaper and more choices. Rockauto or Amazon have may pads to choose from and their price are very good too.

 

[mechanicx]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
If the dealer replaces the rotors, then I'll probably have them put on the $82 OEM pads if that's what it costs me. But I imagine the dealer is just going to turn the rotors, in which case as long as I have enough pad material, I'll probably leave the pads alone. I'll do new pads and rotors at the same time which would probably be around 50K.


Sounds like a reasonable plan, then when you replace the pads and rotors I'd suggest Raybestos advance Technology from Rockauto. You are probably not going to find much choice locally other than what you've found. I have had good luck with AAP Wearever Gold ceramics when I needed a relatively inexpensive pad quick. When I have a choice I usually go with Raybestos.

 

[The Critic]

Just get another set of Genuine Nissan pads.

 

[cronk]

When I worked at a Nissan dealership a few years ago, the OEM pads were ceramics, made by Akebono. They are a pretty good pad.
If you go with aftermarket, make sure they are ceramics, the semi metallics will squeal and leave black dust all over your wheels.

Are you sure the dealer will charge you $82 for the pads?
The dealership I worked for had competitive prices on maintenance stuff, like brakes, filters ect...
We sold brake pads for $49 a set for most vehicles.

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: cronk
Are you sure the dealer will charge you $82 for the pads?

No, that was just the price the parts department gave me, so that's kind of what I'm expecting. Now that I've done my research and am armed with options and their prices, I should be able to negotiate something if they tell me I need new pads. But given that they told me I had 4mm - 6mm in January which was 4K miles ago, I'll be skeptical if they tell me I do.

 

[mechtech2]

But with freshly cut rotors, THEN is the time to get your new pads.
Really, it is best at that time.

 

[Dan55]

I just replaced my pads, I went with the Akebono Pro Act Ceramics, AAP carries them with the coupon codes they were $30 off. For the rotors I went with Raybestos Advanced Technology.