i will be needing to service my front brakes soon. i'm wondering if i should go aftermarket for rotors/pads? if so which brand? or just stick with OEM?
thanks in advance

 

I love carbotech bobcat pads with their oe rotors. The customer service is great. You get it straight from the manufacturer and it is a huge improvement on stock while using oe hardware.

 

I haven't tried many aftermarket pads, but the ones I did didn't impress me. Never had a problem with OEM stuff. It fits, comes with the proper shims and grease, and has never given me a problem. I'm sure there may be a better product out there somewhere with greater stopping power and less dust, but I'm not going to spend my money experimenting.

 

If you don't want dust, but you want the best performance, buy OEM pads. By far the best, IMO for low dust.

If you don't mind a little dust, try Hawk HPS. If you want something more aggressive (but make more noise and dust quite a bit more) try Hawk HP+. All of my street cars (and my truck) use Hawk pads. I'm trying out Cobalt pads on my track car, but I'll probably end up going back to Hawk.

As for rotors, I've had good luck with the Duralast brand at Autozone, but I'm not sure you have them up there. Cheap, $30 a rotor, and they last through several race weekends!

 

I can get Brembo blanks for $30 a rotor but I'm also a parts monkey.

 

Brembo blanks, Duralast from Autozone, it makes no difference that I can tell...

 

http://www.importrp.com
^^For Rotors and Pads, very cheap prices.

Brembo doesn't make rear rotors for the Prelude.

Autozone is in the USA and Mexico. Not Canada. Lucky guys..

 

thanx for the info, i think im just gonna go with some OE equivalent parts this time. a quick question though...what is the design of the front brakes on a 95 VTEC? rotor over hub?

 

Axxis Metal Masters. Half the cost of Hawk HPS and will be just fine for street use

 

^same pads i use

 

hawk hps for me
mainly autox use
good bite

 

nissin oem replacement pads in the front
valuecraft pads in the rear

and duralast or valuecraft rotors all around.

this is what im gonna do on my next brake change. right now im using akebono pro act pads ($90 for all four corners) which work great, dont squeal, and hardly dust. but im trying to find the best bang for buck performance wise on the street for a daily driver. i think the price of the valuecraft pads in the rear will help save some $$, so if you want you can to use savings to spend more up front.

 

im in the same position. i have a friend that works at NAPA autoparts and can get me parts real cheap but dont know what to choose from ceramic or semi-metallic. also ive already resurfaced my back rotors once, and have drilled slotted on the front. can i resurface them once again or get new rotors? any help?

 

honda pads

 

ive had my Hawk HPS pads on for a week now with some discount auto rotors and im more than happy. Id say 75% pressure stops the car the same as slamming on the brakes with my old generic ceramic pads. very happy so far and i havent noticed much dust yet either. I took 117's advice and bought em.

 

I'll be doing a brake upgrade soon.. But all this talk about dust is finally causing me to wonder...

I'm pretty certain I have stock pads, as I've never changed them since I've had the car.. But they seem to be dusting quite a bit... I was only just recently able to notice this. About a week ago I put new wheels and tires on, the wheels are white. Now, within a week, they're gray... lol

So do OEM Pads dust this much? I wonder if aftermarket dust more... Heh

 

stock pads start to dust more the older they get. and you can almost guarantee no dust if you go with a ceramic pad.

 

Heh, ok, thanks.

They're at least three years old, that's how long I've had the car.. So that could be why.. They're also starting to squeal every once in-a-while..
My new brake setup will be niiiiiiiccceee.

 

does anyone know the differnce or whats better, ceramic or semi metallic? becuase i dont know what semi metallic ones do? i have ceramic on the back. also my rear left caliper seems likes its only braking partically because the rotor is fully rusted and has a clean ring ont he outer portion of it as if only a piece of the pad was stopping. also the pads seem wasted on that side and the right side are still good. anyone know what this can be?

 

I'm running PBR XGB, which is the same as axxiss metal master as well. I've run hawk HPS in the past, and find these to be more fade resistant, and overal a firmer brake feel. PM Import RP. He has amazing deals on these. Basically $100 for front and rear combined for my car anyway. They will be my choice again when I need them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 97BB6Type-SH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">does anyone know the differnce or whats better, ceramic or semi metallic? becuase i dont know what semi metallic ones do? i have ceramic on the back. also my rear left caliper seems likes its only braking partically because the rotor is fully rusted and has a clean ring ont he outer portion of it as if only a piece of the pad was stopping. also the pads seem wasted on that side and the right side are still good. anyone know what this can be?</TD></TR></TABLE>

it could possibly be that your caliper slides are messing up. remove the caliper and see if it will move freely. if its not lubed up, it could eventually lock up. i've seen it a few times. when this happens, only the pad in direct contact with the piston will be applied.

 

I highly recommend using Wagner ThermoQuiets brake pads. These are ceramic pads. I bought mine through Oreilly's Auto Parts -- they're offering lifetime warranty as well on my pads AND rotors . I'm all set.

 

thanks alot for the help . Also, i spoke to a friend at NAPA autoparts and he says their best pads are called "Adaptive One". There a new type of brake pad that is a mixture of semi-metallic and ceramic pads. there about $55 for the front and about $50 for the back. im thinking about buying them because i need brakes really bad and becuase they dont sound too bad. Is there anyone that has heard any feedback on these "Adaptive One" brand. and if i should go ahead and get them since my friend can get them for me with his discount. thanks


Modified by 97BB6Type-SH at 3:50 PM 12/11/2007


Modified by 97BB6Type-SH at 3:53 PM 12/11/2007