Brake Pad Comparison

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Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by The Critic
Originally Posted by nascarnation
Originally Posted by WhizkidTN

Yes, the rotors were turned.


I didn't know anybody did that anymore, at least in first world countries.

Out here, most dealerships (for Asian brands) will resurface the rotors with their brake jobs, usually with an on-car lathe. $350-$425/axle for new OE pads and resurfaced rotors is the market rate in my area.

One can get brand new pads and rotors for that money including labor at decent indy shop.
Last fall I got EBC rotors and Green stuff pads for $212. let's say I gave it to some indy shop (which I did not), they would charge, what? 1hrs of labor? Plus these are far better performance wise than Toyota OE.

Not around here. Book time is 2 hr per axle and everyone will want a healthy parts mark up on top of the labor.
 
Originally Posted by The Critic

Not around here. Book time is 2 hr per axle and everyone will want a healthy parts mark up on top of the labor.

Well, this was bought online. I get that most people do not buy stuff like this online, and that they like to just drive to delership and do it, but at least members here should know better.
So, even if it is 2hrs labor, and I lived in CA, it comes close to what you listed as price, just with brand new parts.
 
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Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by The Critic

Not around here. Book time is 2 hr per axle and everyone will want a healthy parts mark up on top of the labor.

Well, this was bought online. I get that most people do not buy stuff like this online, and that they like to just drive to delership and do it, but at least members here should know better.
So, even if it is 2hrs labor, and I lived in CA, it comes close to what you listed as price, just with brand new parts.

That's a little different.

But still, shop labor rates range from $150-200/hr, and a lot of shops will either not touch this job due to customer supplied parts, or they'll up the labor even more to make up for the lack of parts profit. Not everyone will menu-price brakes.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
Originally Posted by nascarnation
Originally Posted by WhizkidTN

Yes, the rotors were turned.


I didn't know anybody did that anymore, at least in first world countries.


My car's factory service manual says explicitly to not to ever resurface the rotors unless there's an identifiable customer complaint. Not sure where this 'turning' or 'replacing' rotors business as a matter of ordinary routine (rather than to correct an actual problem) came from, other than salesmanship of the car repair industry.


That's what PFC, AP Racing, and Brembo engineers say too when the topic of turning rotors comes up. Basically if I recall correctly it was along the times of "we have a $100,000 machine dedicated to this and you go to some guy with a $3000 lathe and expect the quality to be the same?"
 
Originally Posted by The Critic
Originally Posted by Davejam
This was interesting to see how brakes can be tested. But not knowing what the brands are is frustrating.
At least it seemed fair in the fact that the mid quality tested reasonably well.
Why would they even manufacture low quality brakes. Why would anyone cheap out on brakes.

From what I recognize, the OE pads look like front pads for a Honda....most likely an Accord.

Of the aftermarket pads, the mid-tier option looks like a Duralast Gold pad that someone removed the logo from.

Originally Posted by doitmyself
It is very interesting. About the only conclusion you can take away is that the test sponser (NRS) makes a very good brake pad. We know nothing about the other pads and we can not assume from the test that all budget pads are bad nor that all aftermarket mid and top tier pads are better or worse than NRS and/or OEM.

The test fails to prove that you get what you pay for regarding all brake pad brands.

This is true. However, the test confirmed what I suspected - OE is generally a very safe choice.


Good eye and choice. Keep it simple, when in doubt, go OE.
 
So which brake pad brands/models are known to be OE or better in performance? There's a consensus on Akebono. What else would you guys use over OE?
 
Wagner Thermoquiets. Love them. Better than any OEM I have had. Low dust and good life, without being so hard they eat the rotor.
 
Originally Posted by nobb
So which brake pad brands/models are known to be OE or better in performance? There's a consensus on Akebono. What else would you guys use over OE?

Akebono is solid manufacturer, however, they are IMO that "touring" category. I had them once, took them off after 3k.
TMD (Textar, Pagid), ATE, TRW, EBC, Brembo. That is just what I could remember now.
TMD by the way is largest OE supplier.
 
Another vote for Wagner here. I've used Thermoquiets on various family and friends cars. And I have OEX on my Escape... They stop well and are silent, although quite a bit of brake dust, although that might have more to do with my driving style than the brakes.
 
Akebono??? = $$$$

Brembo??? = $$$$$

for highest value per dollar is BOSCH QuietCast Ceramic

they brake like a dream, solid and confident


happy2.gif
 
Originally Posted by discountdon
Akebono??? = $$$$

Brembo??? = $$$$$

for highest value per dollar is BOSCH QuietCast Ceramic

they brake like a dream, solid and confident


happy2.gif


Speaking of $$$ signs, the pads you mentioned are quite inexpensive compared to some OE pads.

The pads that were recently released by Toyota to solve noise issues on the last-gen RAV4 list for $113 and they are the same Advics PV565 pads (as the originals) but with huge chamfers! The original pads are $9 less and probably contain 40% more material.



D7D20355-6451-43D4-B281-F5C0DC42C19B.jpeg
 
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All those "upgrades" are real money for not a real difference in price. From good to best on a diy job is usually around $20 tops yet firestone got ya for $65. Precisely why at that point you may as well have gone to the dealer. I blew a radiator hose years ago and Firestone got me for a hair under $300. If my car broke down in a firestone parking lot I'd push it anywhere else.


Originally Posted by WhizkidTN
I've had some poor experience recently with replacing the OEM brakes at 85K original miles on my Optima at Firestone. First went in a set of NAPA Ceramic pads as an "upgrade" which squealed. Then the Wagner ThemoQuiet pads (which was what Firestone normally uses) went in next after two weeks which then also squealed for another two weeks of my testing. Very frustrated at this point, then came the $65 upgrade I was charged to put in Adaptive One (ADO) high end ceramic brake pads which rarely squeal now so I'm mostly happy. These don't seem to "grab" or "bite" quite as good as the Wagner pads did but are more like the OEM pads. All were sourced from NAPA locally by Firestone.

Yes, the rotors were turned. Yes, the brakes were bedded properly. No I don't think the brake hardware kit (or lube) was used on the first set of pads that went in (and they should have been) but did with the third ADO set.

Go figure. About a year prior to this I had them do the brakes on the wife's Rogue using the Wagner ThermoQuiet pads with no issues whatsoever.
 
At least in my mind the Akebono pads are worth the money, the almost always work out of the box with no headaches or noise or bedding procedure. I'm especially partial to those yellow/black box Street Performance GG rated ones.
 
I have used NAPA branded pads over the years and I can't tell the difference between them and OEM other than cost which is a fraction over dealership prices.
 
Originally Posted by dave1251
I have used NAPA branded pads over the years and I can't tell the difference between them and OEM other than cost which is a fraction over dealership prices.


I think they are either raybestos or wagners, ans they slapped on the NAPA label.
 
Originally Posted by nobb
So which brake pad brands/models are known to be OE or better in performance? There's a consensus on Akebono. What else would you guys use over OE?


I had some Akebono Proacts on my Saab 9-3 that were not that great (maybe old formula?). I swapped them out.
 
Is it common for top of the line brake pads to have burrs (see video @ 9:15) to help attach the pad material to the plate?

The one disadvantage I see is that I see many people wait until ~1mm of pad material until replacing the pad. This is even the manufacturer spec on my Toyota. The burrs in those NRS pads look to be 2-3 mm, which mean if you wear your pads down that much, you risk the burrs digging into your rotors.
 
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