uh i did use the search but i didnt find what iw as looking for..

what i want to know is whats the diff between the brake pads/shoes that our vendors here sell and the ones from lets say like autozone?

the vendors here have red/green/organic/ceramic...so does autozone and orielly and carquest etc etc etc..

which are better to buy?
ceramic or organic?
and whats the difference?
prices at all these places varies ALOT...i mean whats really the diff between the $20 pads and $60 pads that any of the big stores carry compared to the $90 ones our vendors carry?

thanks....

 

30 to 70 $$$ difference i couldn't resist seriously i think ceramic pads aren't better for braking but they makr lest dust in the wheels.

 

Without knowing the specific make up and Mu charts of the pads in question you really have no idea until you try some.

Most companies simply put good tag lines on the product to tell you what the pads are intended to do or not. Good high temp bite, great release, low dust, anti-squeal, low wear, low temp response etc. etc.

You really need info like this to better understand what you're looking at.
http://www.tceperformanceproducts.com/pads.html
But I only know of a couple of companies who openly publish this info. And like our discussion on rotors more than one company is in bed with another here.

Most of the aftermarket pads are targeting the performance minded buyer. They boost brake performance with a higher Cf pad which elevates bite but comes with more dust, wear and noise. Ceramic pad compounds target lower noise and dust, where metallic pads offer more aggressive use.

Which one is right for you? Depends on what you expect or want from the car. If you're running all season radials your need for the "mega performance pad" is probably of little value.

 

For our cars I think ceramic pads might be overkill. If you have an SS then get the high grade stuff. just my opinion

 

I would have to disagree. For a normal, everyday driven HHR, I would go with the ceramics hands down. The simple fact of less brake dust is why it would be on the top of my list. On the SS I would be looking for a semi-metalic pad for the more aggressive bite. When your looking for best brake performance, you tend to get a quicker wearing pad that puts out more dust. Ceramics offer long wear life (just not for the rotors if you get contamination). I have however had issues with noise in earlier generations of ceramic pads. It has been awhile since I have had an "everyday" driver of my own though, so I have not tried a set in the past two years or so.

 

I have changed a lot of "autozone" brake pads. That is, a lot of them on only a few cars. In My Opinion, Autozone pads and shoes are poor quality. Even if you get the 'lifetime warranty", ya still gotta change them a lot.

 

Braking being a function of friction that's right. Something has to wear out. You can't have it all.


And I'll toss out too that the fit of a BBK will go miles to making this even better. The reason is efficiency. The smaller the rotor the more pad work is required. With the larger rotor you put more torque value into the equation rather than pad Cf.

 

If you thought your stock rotors were bad, wait 'til you put ceramic pads on 'em. They'll be ground to dust.

I'd rather replace semi-metallic pads every 60,000 miles for $20 an axle versus pads AND rotors every 30,000 miles for $150 an axle.

Keep in mind, performance brakes work a lot differently than conventional brakes. Performance brakes are designed to work better as they heat up, conventional brakes are designed to work better on the first stop. You can't really have it both ways--and most drivers have no need for high-performance, $100 ceramic brake pads.

Be that as it may, if you're upgrading your wheel size, upgrade your brakes. You don't necessarily need high-performance pads, but you do need more braking surface.

 

so then its OK to stick with the autozone or carquest $50 brake paees/shoes for the HHR? keeping the stock rotors/drums and turning them as well?

i have actually put some of those "normal" pads on my corvette and havent had a problem, i think they cost me about $90 total for front and rear...and of course the HHR is nothing compared to avette when it comes to stopping..

so by what u r saying, its ok to go with the cheaper pads/shoes?

 

Absolutely. If you haven't had a problem with the stock pads, might as well stick with the same composition for the replacements. I've been using semi-metallic replacements from AutoZone and Advance for years on other vehicles with no problems, but I also tend to get 60-70,000 miles out of a set of pads and never replace or turn the rotors or drums.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

I did have one question about your 'vette. My parents have a '95 coupe and I think the brake booster may be going out. It takes a lot of pedal effort, sometimes two feet, to get the car to stop. Thoughts?