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Budget brake pads?

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 6:53 am
by Apex3
The time has come to replace my pads, in all honestly they should have been replaced a little while ago, problem is I don't have much money. I don't know all that much about pads, but brakes are pretty important, so that's why I'm asking. I'm looking for something that would be under $100 for the set. I see people recommending Hawk pads, but I don't have $150 to spend here.

I don't track it, I'm looking to get into autox and rallyx a bit next summer, but it would only be 2 or 3 times, I'm more concerned with stopping power than noise or dust though. In fact I don't care much about noise at all, and dust I could take or leave. Most of my miles are highway miles going back and forth from school, but day to day it's through 25-35mph city.

Any ideas? Any good places to buy them or to look for myself? I looked at Shucks and they just had some brakes for like $15 a pair, and I don't think I wanna skimp quite that much here.

Many thanks in advance.

EDIT: I'm thinking PBR pads, I can get the set for about $60, and I had PBR on my e30 so I know they aren't bad. OEM pads instead of Ceramic, but still.

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:02 pm
by Legacy777
You looking for just front or rear.....or all four corners?

I've been very happy with the EBC Red stuff pads on my Impreza. They were $95 from www.autopartswarehouse.com

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 1:49 am
by Bdub
I bought $20 Wearever Silvers from Advance Auto simply because my caliper kept seizing, and I didn't want to blow a $90 pair in no time. Once I got that squared away, I actually didn't mind them all that much.
Granted, I don't drive the car all that much, and I sure as hell don't beat on it, but they have held up pretty well for an OEM semi metallic.

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:25 am
by Apex3
I need all four, they wore pretty even surprisingly. I'll look into the EBC thanks. Bdub, I'm sure the cheapo pads will work but brakes are pretty important to me, I'd just be a lot more comfortable spending just a little more than the bare minimum, even if they might not be any better, I'll feel better about it, haha.

I guess I should note that I have had issues with overheating the brakes before, I'm not always real easy on my brakes.

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:06 am
by Dynamic Entry
I also have been happy with EBC, tho I have Yellowstuff for the cold temps we see here in the winter

not the least expensive brand, but I bought mine from buybrakes.com and they have some sales here and there

Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 6:49 am
by entirelyturbo
If all you're doing is going back and forth to work/school and doing an occasional auto/rallycross, then you really don't need to spring for high-performance pads.

First, any -cross type of motorsports is at too low of speeds and has too short of runs to really test brakes to their limits. Unless you're using truly awful-quality brake pads, you shouldn't experience any fade.

Second, high-performance pads give up some cold performance for hot. I have Hawk pads on my Legacy right now, and compared to normal pads, they actually feel a bit soft when they're cold. Only if I start using them aggressively and start getting a bit of heat into them do they bite.

Just put some halfway-decent normal pads on it and change your brake fluid. That should be fine.

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:42 am
by biggreen96
pbr/axis metal masters DUST like crazy. I you don't mind cleaning your wheels every other week...

Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 10:43 pm
by Legacy777
Dynamic Entry wrote:I also have been happy with EBC, tho I have Yellowstuff for the cold temps we see here in the winter

not the least expensive brand, but I bought mine from buybrakes.com and they have some sales here and there
The yellow stuff pads are the higher end performance pad and should perform worse than the red stuff's in cold weather??

Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:27 am
by Apex3
New question, I need front only, where can I buy them? I'm having trouble finding a good site. Looking for PBR Metal Masters or Axxis Ultimates if they make either of those for our cars...