Akebino brakes pad question

[Donald]

RockAuto lists Akebino ProAct and Performance brake pads for my pickup. Both ceramic. About $5 difference. I am almost 70 so I don't go racing around in my pickup.

Been using ProAct for many be years now on several cars and am happy with the stopping ability and low dust.

But willing to spend the extra $5 if the Performance ones would be better for the way I drive my pickup

 

[atikovi]

Performance pads usually need to heat up before they work the best. You might not warm them up at all in normal driving and they may feel hard until you do.

 

[CharBaby]

No, actually the performance pads could be worst for easy driving. Stay with what’s working for you or you may hate your decision. In my experience, performance brake pads work better with heat and you may hate them in normal, everyday driving.

Performance pads need more heat in order to stop shorter compared to regular pads(such as ProACT). Otherwise stopping distances could be longer even when using more pedal pressure. Maybe not so much with the Akebono performance pads, IDK!

However, I’ve had a few Oh $#!+ moments with performance pads. So again, stay with what has been working for you even if you change brake pad brand.

 

[Greasymechtech]

I have used their performance pads and recommend them. These had the ASP in the FMSI part number while proacts had ACT in the PN.

Age means little. If you have an emergency stop, the pad that stops the shortest wins. I don't find the hohum proacts as anything special and don't use them. I just think that they were hyped up on the web by those that have used excessively pathetic store brands or OE for too long.
I do like the feel and stopping capability of the ASP pads and definitely recommend them over ACT, when available.

My recommendation is to upgrade when you can and $5 more is a no brainer.

And, its wrong to assume that performance pads require 'heat'. ASP is a better performance non-racing street pad. So, fear mongering is foolish.

 

[ripcord]

According to what I've read, the Performance pads trade a little faster wear and higher braking noise for a higher co-efficient of friction and higher fade resistance. All the Akebono ad-copy implies that the Performance line is better for heavy vehicles like large SUVs and pickups.

 

[chris719]

Performance pads usually need to heat up before they work the best. You might not warm them up at all in normal driving and they may feel hard until you do.

They are still Akebono ceramic pads, they aren't an actual high performance or race pad.

 

[slo town]

They are still Akebono ceramic pads, they aren't an actual high performance or race pad.

This^^^^^^

 

[The Critic]

Their yellow box performance pads feel are decent, but have been noisy for me.

I also don’t find them to be much better than OE.

 

[hank2]

I've often used the Akebono pads on all sorts of vehicles and was pleased with them. Going back 20-25 years ago, I believe the Akebono pads available were the were all the ASP variety that they now sell as the performance pads. They were excellent performing pads with a quick bite. Decent, but not extremely long life span. I'm not sure if they were ceramic back then. Somewhere along the line, they marketed the daily driver ProAct line of ceramic pads. I also used them on a variety of vehicles. A bit longer life I would say and maybe a bit kinder to rotor wear.

 

[ATex7239]

Stick with the ProAct. If I’m doing pads it’s OEM or Akebono. Nothing else.

 

[Donald]

I bought the front ASP pads for my F250. The box the ASP pads came in was the heaviest box of brake pads I have bought.

Everything is bigger, beefier and more expensive on a F250.

 

[GlennDa5id]

ASP for the win. I believe it is the same material as their Euro compound which they spent a lot time developing. They are the better pad in almost all use cases.