I always thought ceramic pads were a waste of money for my daily driver, but after swapping to cheap semimetallics last spring the brake fade on my commute got scary bad. Ended up buying new rotors and a set of Akebonos from a buddy who swore by them, and now my stopping power is way better than it ever was. Anybody else eat crow on a brake part they thought was overrated?
Switched to cheap organic pads on my Accord last month to save $40 and the fade on the grade coming into Denver was scary bad. Ceramic pads cost more but they actually stop when you need them lol. Anyone else nearly hit something because of bad pad choice?
I spent $120 on fancy ceramic brake pads for my 2010 F-150 thinking they'd be quieter and last longer. Three months in and they squeal like a stuck pig every morning until the rotors warm up. My buddy laughed and said I should have just stuck with the $40 semi-metallics I always used. Anyone else had luck getting ceramic pads to shut up after the break-in period?
I bought my 2019 Civic hatch new off the lot and just rolled past 50,000 miles last week. Still running the factory brake pads front and back. My mechanic checked them at the last oil change and said they've still got 5mm left up front and 6mm in the rear. I do a mix of highway and city driving in Charlotte, so it's not like I'm just coasting downhill for 3 years. Makes me wonder if Honda just overbuilt these things or if I'm driving like a grandma without realizing it. My buddy with a 2020 Corolla needed rear pads at 28k and he drives the same roads I do. Anyone else hit a crazy high mileage mark on original pads and have it freak you out a little?
Tbh I was waiting for my clothes to dry and saw this guy doing a brake job on his old F150 in the lot. He had the caliper hanging by a bungee cord and was using a cinder block as a jack stand. Honestly that whole setup made me nervous just watching it. Has anyone else seen sketchy parking lot brake repairs that made you cringe?
I went to the local U-Pull-It in Phoenix hoping to grab some cheap calipers for my daily. But what caught my eye was this older guy pulling perfectly good pads off a 2012 Accord with like 60% life left lol. He said he swaps his pads every 20k miles because his wife hates any brake dust and he found a brand that works for like $28 a set. I stood there for a solid 5 minutes watching him show me how he measures with a cheap caliper before even taking them off. Kinda made me realize I've been ignoring pad wear way too long. Has anyone else ever pulled pads that early just for dust reasons?
Ran OEM semi-metallic for like 60k miles on my 2015 Civic. Rotors were toast, pads were glazed, and the dust was insane. Spent $65 on a set of Centric ceramics and some rotors from RockAuto. Broke them in proper over a weekend in Phoenix traffic. Zero dust after 2 months, no squeal, and the pedal feel is actually better. Anyone else make the switch and get way more life out of their rotors?
Stopped in for a quick change last Friday and they used some no-name pads that started squealing before I even got home. Checked my rotors this morning and they're already grooved up bad, so now I'm out another $120 for new rotors I didn't plan on.
I was expecting to swap them at 80k but the mechanic measured them at 6mm last week. Anyone else had stock pads last way longer than the internet says they should?
Swapped out some AutoZone special pads for OEM Toyota ones last Saturday and the difference was night and day - pedal feels solid now and stops way shorter. Anyone else notice how cheap store brand pads just don't grip the same even when they're brand new?
My rear pads started squealing yesterday morning, a Sunday of course. So I couldn't get to any parts store until this morning. I figured I had maybe a week left on them, but when I pulled the wheel off last night, I had about 2mm of pad material left on the inside pad. The outside looked fine. I guess the caliper slide was sticking a little on that side. Lesson learned - I'm gonna check my pads every oil change from now on instead of just eyeballing them from outside the wheel. Anyone else get burned by uneven wear like this?
Turns out that stuff just evaporates and leaves the pins dry as a bone, took me 3 sets of seized pads in my 03 civic to finally listen. Anybody else use actual silicone grease now instead of that junk?
Went to O'Reilly's last Saturday to grab fluid and this 19 year old kid working there asked if I was bench bleeding the master cylinder first. I've been doing it the old way my dad taught me since 2006 and honestly his method took half the time. Has anyone else had some young mechanic completely flip their routine?
So I was reading some test data from a car magazine online, not just forum hearsay. They measured stopping distance from 60 mph on the same car with basic $20 pads versus premium $60 ones. The cheap pads needed 15 more feet to stop. That's a whole car length. I always figured the difference was mostly noise and dust, not actual safety. Found out the cheap pads fade way faster after just two hard stops too. I drive a lot of mountain roads and never thought about that. Who else has actually measured real world brake performance instead of just going by feel?
Changed my tune after a buddy's F-150 had a horrific pedal wobble at 70 mph on I-35, came from a set of brand new but warped rotors out of the box. Now I always mic them and do a quick face-off with a lathe before install, anyone else deal with new parts that were junk from the start?
I picked semi-metallic because they're cheaper and stop better cold, but after 3 months the brake dust is making my steel wheels look awful. Anyone else regret going with semi-metallic just to save $40?
I was just trying to swap pads on my wife's car last Saturday and that lower caliper pin would NOT budge no matter how much PB Blaster I used. Ended up having to torch it with a propane torch and beat it out with a hammer and punch, which took forever. Has anyone else dealt with a pin that just refuses to come out, or am I the only one cursed with rusty Honda parts?
I put a set of Akebono ceramics on my '14 F-150 last spring and they've been nothing but squeaky ever since. The stopping power is fine but every time I roll up to a stop sign in downtown Spokane, people turn their heads like I'm dragging a cat under the truck. I'm going back to semi-metallics next time, they stop better when wet and don't make me look like a clown. Anyone else ditch ceramics for old school pads?
I was driving home from a client session near Portland when my front brakes started screaming like a banshee around exit 12. It was that high pitched metal on metal noise that makes everyone stare at your car. I pulled into a rest stop and popped the hood, but it was obviously the pads themselves. Turns out I let them go too long and wore through the wear indicator down to the backing plate. Had to call a buddy to tow me to his garage, and he showed me the pad was down to literally nothing left. Cost me $180 for new pads and rotors plus his time because I waited too long. Anyone else ever had a brake noise that got way too loud way too fast?
I keep seeing guys online slathering copper anti seize between the pad and caliper piston. That stuff liquefies when it gets hot and can contaminate the friction material. I learned this the hard way about 8 years ago in my garage in Phoenix after my brand new pads started squealing like crazy. If you want to stop noise, use a proper brake quiet compound or just clean the slide pins. Has anyone else had anti seize cause more problems than it solved?
I noticed at the last track day a bunch of guys were just doing a few hard stops and calling it done with their new pads. But that leaves uneven transfer layers and you get pulsing after just a few sessions. Anyone else old school and still do the 30-30-30 method from a roll?
Switched from semi-metallic to ceramics on my Civic last month after years of thinking they were overpriced hype. The brake dust difference is insane, my front wheels used to be black after 3 days. Anyone else refuse to try something for ages then get proven wrong?
I was standing in the auto parts store trying to decide between the $35 semi-metallic pads and the $58 ceramics. I went with ceramics because I got tired of that morning brake squeal when I pull out of my driveway at 6 AM. Installed them in about 90 minutes in my garage with just a jack and a C-clamp. So far they stop smooth and quiet, but I'm curious if they'll wear out faster than the old ones. Anyone else switch and notice a big difference in dust on your wheels?
I was driving home to Austin after visiting my folks in Dallas when I hit a hard stop for construction and my whole front end started shaking like crazy. Pulled over to find my pads had basically delaminated, leaving these chunks of friction material all over my rotors. Anyone else had a set of pads just fall apart on the highway like that?