What brand brake pads?

specializedcc

specializedcc

New member
Need new pads on my 1 ton van I use for my business! I put on the wagner therma- quiet's on my truck about a year ago and Im not impressed with those at all so just thought Id see what you guys like. Thanks for any replies, Nick.
 
Need more info.
Make and year please....

Unfortunately it does make a difference.
I've only been putting brakes on customers vehicles for about 20 years.
 
What were you displeased with?
Noise?
Dust?
Braking efficieny?
Life of brake linings?

Noise is usualy poor installation techniques.

The rest are dependent on lining material.
Life and dust can be greatly reduced with a ceramic pad but they are pricey ($80'ish)

In '03 the van could go either of 2 ways, but very different brakes. SuperDuty or Econoline?
Then I can give you more specifics on recommendations.
 
Go with the ceramics. I put them on my truck and I'll never buy anything else. Smooth, quite and no dust /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM LIFETIME PADS!!!!!!
Pads are alot cheaper than rotors or drums /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Quote:
Go with the ceramics. I put them on my truck and I'll never buy anything else. Smooth, quite and no dust /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM LIFETIME PADS!!!!!!
Pads are alot cheaper than rotors or drums /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif




ceramics are a lot harder than rotors and drums
 
Quote:
Quote:
Go with the ceramics. I put them on my truck and I'll never buy anything else. Smooth, quite and no dust /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM LIFETIME PADS!!!!!!
Pads are alot cheaper than rotors or drums /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif




ceramics are a lot harder than rotors and drums



And they tend to fade when heated up good.
 
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Go with the ceramics. I put them on my truck and I'll never buy anything else. Smooth, quite and no dust /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM LIFETIME PADS!!!!!!
Pads are alot cheaper than rotors or drums /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif




ceramics are a lot harder than rotors and drums



And they tend to fade when heated up good.



WOW....
a lot of input

For starters.. Lifetime pads is just a warranty not necessarily a different pad. Retailers usually put the lifetime warranty pas as the cheapest/softest pad to jack up the price. This is because most people don't keep their vehicles long enough to ever redeem the warranty. If they ever do, by using the cheaper soft pads they are out the least amount of money in product.

Ceramics are harder than steel. Actually closer to a Ruby.
But, the ceramic pad is a mix of organic material, ceramic and copper. Because of these other materials there is give and the pad actually wears. There is still dust, but it is not black, so you don't see it on the wheels. Over 30% of new vehicles come from the factory with ceramic pads.


Last... they tend to fade when they get hot.
WOW-- False.
Ceramic being harder than steel will actually dig in and stop better when hot than when cold. There is no brake fade with ceramic pads very much unlike organic pads.
If a pad was 100% ceramic they could actually melt the rotor under hard braking.

This is why most race cars run a ceramic pad. Nothing but ceramic or carbon metallic can slow a vehicle down above 175mph.... except a parachute. For repeated high speed stops a ceramic is a must.

Most new truck/vans come with either a ceramic or carbon metallic pad from the factory.
 
Quote:
Its a super duty and it carries about 2000 pounds around all day. Its a carpet cleaning van.



The Wagner Thermo-Quiet is a ceramic pad. The reason they use them for reduced brake noise is the vibrations in the pad are above human hearing ability and make them "quiet".

Again, what exactly did you not like about them?
 
Guess I stand corrected . Was only stating what was told to me by National Brake and Alignment when I went to have my brakes done on my truck.
 
The ones on my truck are ALWAYS squeeking! They were fine until a couple months ago. Ive tried everything to get them to stop but they wont. And its only when you first apply the brakes for about 3-5 seconds then the squeek goes away if you press the brake harder.
 
Is there another brand you would recomend besides wagner? I kinda want to put them on today cause im about out of pad and this is the only weekend I have to do this for a while! Thanks!
 
Thanks for clearing that up Colorado /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
I have never had any fade with mine and your right, you just don't see the dust. Almost every Dakota you pass has black front wheels. Mine have never even showed since I put the pads on. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
My wifes Mitsu 3000gt is alot better since I put the ceramics on it. Put that with the cross drilled and slotted rotors and that thing will stop like a dream. More consitant on the fun trips out the back roads /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
If your brakes are squeeking, it is probably not the pads, just poor installation.

Squeeking on ceramic pads is usually not contributed to the pads since they vibrate above audible human hearing range. It will be pad to caliper contact, caliper sliders or poorly machined rotors.

Make sure the pad edges are beveled.
Where the pads contact the caliper, use caliper silicone lube and lube the back of the pad at the piston and on the inside of the caliper where the outside pad touches it.
Lube sliders anythere there is movement. (inside also- you will have to remove and re-install them)
Make sure your rotors after maching are smooth with no chatter marks as well as washed off with water before re-installing them. Washing with water removes fine metal particles that get trapped in the pores and machine marks that can cause squeeking.

Gone are the days of just swapping out pads to do a brake job, Huh? These newer brakes have almost as much technology as the newer engines and transmissions. Carbon Metallic brakes came from the air and space industry. Then came ceramic. After aircraft, these started being used in race applications and now are very common in even budget compacts.

I would say those Wagner Thermo-Quiet are probably just fine for your application. Maybe you are turned off on the brand because of a bad experience. Try Raybestos or another. They are almost all made the same anyway in the higher end ceramic brakes.

The importance here is the prep and installation procedure, not the pad.
 
Quote:
The ones on my truck are ALWAYS squeeking! They were fine until a couple months ago. Ive tried everything to get them to stop but they wont. And its only when you first apply the brakes for about 3-5 seconds then the squeek goes away if you press the brake harder.



I'd bet your slider is dry
 
EBC greenstuff, I run them on my wrangler and noticed a big braking difference when I put them on.

They have superb stopping ability
 
Thanks for all the help everyone! Colorado, they worked great for about a year, then started squeeking. Ive put on a lot of brake pads and Im sure I didnt screw up the installation, might be the slider like you say!
 
Back
Top