GM OE Brake parts vs. Delco durastop OE-equiv. vs. Raybestos, hawk., etc.

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JHZR2

JHZR2

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Hi,

Im going to be doing a brake job on my 98 ZR2. The job will be 4 wheel rotors and pads.

Id like to know if anyone has experience with GM OE (with GM part numbers), vs. AC delco durastop parts (which have different part numbers, etc.). Is one better than another? Apparently ceramic pads came on my truck, so I want to keep it that way, but I have lots of options.

I also would not count out raybestos PG plus rotrs and ceramic pads, and hawk pads. But I like keeping with OE.

So, does anyone know of any difference between GM OEM and delco durastop brake parts?

Thanks!

JMH
 
There are lot of good brake pads and you'll get as many opinions on them as you will on oil.

I've had good results with EBC green stuff on my Corvette and motorcycle. They definitely feel a bit better than the factory pads.

They are pretty high performance, don't change much from cold to hot and, are quiet and not grabby under any conditions. They are supposed to be good for rotor life too.

They claim to be low dust. I haven't noticed them to be any more dust free than normal pads, but their dust does wash off a lot easier.
 
thats one good thing about the OE ceramic pads that came stock from the factory on the truck... the dust is not noticable when it is there, and the dust productd is very low (may correlate to the longevity of the OE GM pads too).

JMH
 
I think you can either have better stopping power, or clean wheels. I'd ditch the Ceramic, and clean my wheels more often.
 
I've been using Carquest brand brakes for a long time now with very good results. I don't think you need to get Delco pads to get good quality. I would save the money.
 
Delco's Durastop parts are not OEM replacements and have not been validated by GM's Engineering department. Durastop is a Delco brand that is sold to dealerships at a much cheaper price then OEM parts. The dealerships market them as being supior but with out any validation it is hard to say!! They normaly cost the dealership 1/10-1/2 the cost of an OEM part depending on the application. This means the dealership can undercut the price they would need to charge for the OEM parts and make a killing in the process! GM does not have a great track record with their OEM rotors so it is any ones guess what the delco durastops are like! If you plan to own this vechile a long time check out Power Slot and Brembo!
 
my OEM GM pads and rotors have been great... my muddied up, screwed up caliper (due to offf-roading) is another thing.

My problem is that I dont like to turn rotors, and since I had a rear caliper issue at one time, I think the rotor is past its prime... Ill need new front pads in about 10k, but I want to start thinking about (and budgeting for them) now, as Ill do fronts and rears all at once to be done with it. Ive been happy with the GM pads, and dont know that I have any reason to not want them... rotors... Ive never been that happy with brembo, and I dont want slotted rotors. But Im not sure that autozone is the way to go either... Maybe raybestos PG plus??? Is an autozone rotor OK? If I go with ceramic pads, is there an issue potentially with metallurgy, that I ought to consider?

Interesting about the durastop info... the dealer I called for pricing said that they never use them... only OE GM parts.

Thanks,

JMH
 
I have the PG Plus rotors on my car, mated to raybestos pads. Both the pads and the rotors were replaced at the same time. They warped after about 20k miles (50k on them now) but never seem to really get any worse. I dont know if this happened when I had my tires rotated from overtorqued lugs, from the way I broke the pads in (hop in the car and drive), or if theyre not the highest quality. I honestly cant say that any other brand would have served me any better, but I do know they warped. Just my experience.
 
quote:
Originally posted by 04SpecV:
I think you can either have better stopping power, or clean wheels. I'd ditch the Ceramic, and clean my wheels more often.
Click to expand...
This is correct! I had 40k miles of pulsating brakes on my 01 Malibu. My neighbor who is a GM Tech finally installed Delco Durastop semi-metalic pads and turned my badly pulsating Raybestos rotors. I've gone 15k miles since this setup was put on, I have no pusations at all and my braking power in unbelievable! My wheels are loaded with brake pad dust after one week of driving, just like all the BMW's & MBZ's you see going down the street. Don't use ceramic pads, stick with semi-metalic and wash your car.
 
I use Hawk pads with Power Slot rotors on my '99 Dakota.

I have 31,000 miles on this combo and I have been very happy with the stopping power and the VERY low dusting of the pads. And to top it off, there is no sign of rotor warpage at all.
smile.gif


After 18,000 miles on my OEM pads/rotors, I had major rotor warpage and had to replace them with the Hawk/Power Slot combo......Best thing I could've done!


Darryl
cheers.gif
 
quote:
Originally posted by Slick17601:
You'll need rear calipers too since they'll still when you push in the pistons for the new pads.
Click to expand...
what?!?
 
I apprecate very much the info. Let me first reiterate that Ive been happy with the GM pads and rotors, I havent had problems with rusting, despite lots of off-roading and driving in snow with salt. Even with OE ceramics, the truck stops well, and Ive been happy with them.

Its mainly the cost thing, though I have since found that GM pads are hard to beat.

I have to wonder if the GM rotor metalurgy, which is designed for OEM ceramic pads differs from more standard castings, so that if I replace the rotors with non-gm parts, the pads (being pretty hard) will be very hard on chaper softer (?) rotors.

JMH
 
I've replaced a jillion pads.
Hawk HPS pads are incredible,, and what I have on my car. They grab better cold or hot, wear very well, with minimal dust. It will feel like you have just installed larger brakes [seat them in, first].
 
mechtech... can you comment on rotor metalurgy, or even reccomend god rotor replacements (non slotted/drilled) for a chevy 4x4?

The GM ones are a pretty dark black color (but this is not weird, if you look at any later model GM truck, youll note the rotor metal isnt 'silver'. GM uses a hard rotor because the trucks come from the factory with ceramic pads (or at least thats why I think the rotors are how they are). Id kind of like to get GM ones, but they are WAY expensive. I havent heard good about raybestos, and Ive bought brembo for other vehicles, but havent been extremely impressed with the quality.

Thanks!

JMH
 
My Recommendation:

Go to Autozone and purchase the Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Brake Pads. This is the premium brake pad line sold at Autozone. They have been great on my GM Vehicle. Research these on the internet and you will see nothing but good opinions. Plus, they are not too expensive.

I believe they are Metallic and Carbon Fiber.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JHZR2:
mechtech... can you comment on rotor metalurgy, or even reccomend god rotor replacements (non slotted/drilled) for a chevy 4x4?

The GM ones are a pretty dark black color (but this is not weird, if you look at any later model GM truck, youll note the rotor metal isnt 'silver'. GM uses a hard rotor because the trucks come from the factory with ceramic pads (or at least thats why I think the rotors are how they are). Id kind of like to get GM ones, but they are WAY expensive. I havent heard good about raybestos, and Ive bought brembo for other vehicles, but havent been extremely impressed with the quality.

Thanks!

JMH
Click to expand...
I believe you see black rotors on some GMs because they are using the Carbon Metallic pads. The black is friction material from the pad on the rotor. Performance Friction Carbon Metallics are apparently OEM on some GM and Ford.

http://www.performancefriction.com/pages/faq.htm
 
gm trucks come oem with ceramic pads... mine does for certain.

Thanks!

JMH
 
I tried Axxis/PBR Ultimate on my Integra.

Stop on a dime with 8 cents left. The bite is ungodly and I have to warn my family member when they first try it out, and they still lock the wheel up.

Dust like a *&^%** in 2 days regular driving, and washing the wheel will turn the parking lot black.

Now I am using Hawk HPS, acceptable but nothing compare to Ultimate. I missed it already.
 
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