What brake pads do you prefer?

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I am just wondering what brand of brake pads everyone prefers?

I am currently in the market to do the brakes on our 06 Nissan Pathfinder and I am unsure on what I should get.

Prior to the Pathfinder I would always either go with the the following kinds of pads:
Wagner ThermoQuiet
or
Store Brand Gold Series Ceramic (Advance Auto Wearever Gold Ceramic)

Thanks for any of your information
 
Akebono

and

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Those are good pads especially when you use the discount codes
from AAP seen in the promotions section of BITOG.

I'm sure OEM from Toyota or other brands from Rockauto can play into the mix however it really comes down to a variety of available good pads and a good brake job of replacement of or cleaning of other hardware, lubrication of slide pins and quality rotors.
 
I'm running AAP Wearever Plats (ceramic) on 2 of my cars. Quiet, good stopping power and no brake dust. Great deals using AAP coupon codes.
 
I'm not entirely sure the Pathfinder is going to benefit the most from the premium Akebono ceramics. They are a great pad however and I have them on a luxury sedan.

On my suv I use a Raybestos "professional" ceramic (they also make a "standard" ceramic - not sure the difference), and I am very pleased. I don't drive it hard but occasionally tow; I keep my brake fluid clean and bled and they work great for 1/2 the cost or less vs. Akebono. Found them on sale somewhere last time and they were ridiculously cheap for the axle, like $15 delivered.
 
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Our garage specializes in Nissan/Infiniti and we either use the dealer pad or Centric 105 series. If the customer wants a higher performance option, we have had great success with Centric 309 series.
 
Wagner Thermoquiet are the best pads I have tried on my Mercedes S430, much better than the OEM Jurid pads. Silent, great stopping power hot or cold, very low dust. Not to say the OEM's were noisy or poorly performing, but Wagner Thermoquiet just outperform the OEMs in every catergory in my application.
 
I've come to hate ceramics. They have lower braking torque and in some situations, are downright problematic. Such as towing and performance vehicles.

Auto parts store ceramics are the worst pads available today.

I prefer quality, semi-metallics. I'd rather have brake dust, than poor performance.
 
When I do brake work I ask what the customer will do with the car/truck. If they drive very aggressive, track the car, or its a truck/suv that tows then I will use a good metallic pad. If its a daily driver with little to no towing then I use a ceramic.

The Gold/Platinum pads from advance are actually pretty good esp after coupons. So if I buy local they are usually my first go to now.

If I order online then it can vary. There are a lot of good options now and you have to choose based on the persons car I am working on.

I stopped using Wagner Thermoquiet. Their quality has really dropped. They moved a lot, If not most, production to china and it really shows. I had to send back a set of shoes once they were so bad and its kinda hard to mess shoes up.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I've come to hate ceramics. They have lower braking torque and in some situations, are downright problematic. Such as towing and performance vehicles.

Auto parts store ceramics are the worst pads available today.

I prefer quality, semi-metallics. I'd rather have brake dust, than poor performance.



There are hybrid options now you may want to try. Power Stop has a little iron metal in them. Raybestos also has a hybrid pad as well.

But you are right Ceramic for daily cars that need less dust and noise and good metallic pads for performance/towing. My Cadillac gets ceramic and my 73 Chevy has Performance friction metallic for example.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
I've come to hate ceramics. They have lower braking torque and in some situations, are downright problematic. Such as towing and performance vehicles.

Auto parts store ceramics are the worst pads available today.

I prefer quality, semi-metallics. I'd rather have brake dust, than poor performance.


I agree, i usually avoid pad listed as ceramic.
 
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