Best Brake Pads

akf250 · Sep 6, 2012

I'm reaching 85,000 miles and brakes are starting to get a little loose and slow. Are OEM brake pads the best for the price? Is there much improvement in aftermarket brake pads without new rotors? If so whats the best brand? Let me know your experiences and opinions. Thanks guys
:evil Wish I could just do a full 6 piston SSBC brake kit

713Diesel · Sep 6, 2012

akf250 said:
I'm reaching 85,000 miles and brakes are starting to get a little loose and slow. Are OEM brake pads the best for the price? Is there much improvement in aftermarket brake pads without new rotors? If so whats the best brand? Let me know your experiences and opinions. Thanks guys
:evil Wish I could just do a full 6 piston SSBC brake kit

I went through the same thing a few months ago. Based on the research that I did OEM is the way to go. From what I read guys were saying the "performance" pads made a lot of noise, were very dusty, didn't last very long and there was not any real noticeable difference. I thought mine were going out at 100k. My truck was getting some other work done on it at a local shop so I asked them to give me a quote to change them out. They gave me a quote but they said that I had almost half of my pad's left. They did some adjustments to them which took out all the spongyness that was in the brake feel. I took it to a brake shop and they told me the same thing...... half of the pad left at 100K!

Pizza pig · Sep 6, 2012

I love my oem ford pads, wouldnt buy any other pad. Hardly any brake dust and no noise. After a month of daily driving and not washing my truck, the wheels hardly need cleaning.

cfdeng7 · Sep 6, 2012

pizza pig said:
I love my oem ford pads, wouldnt buy any other pad. Hardly any brake dust and no noise. After a month of daily driving and not washing my truck, the wheels hardly need cleaning.

Yupp. I tried ebc's on my 7.3 and were dustier than oems. I sold the truck before the ebc's were completely gone but after 40k they were about 75% gone. I have gotten almost 75k out of oems towing weekly

superih · Sep 6, 2012

Peterson racing carbon kevlar pads, the only way to fly

HD-tech-NH · Sep 6, 2012

+1 for OEM!

akf250 · Sep 6, 2012

713Diesel said:
I went through the same thing a few months ago. Based on the research that I did OEM is the way to go. From what I read guys were saying the "performance" pads made a lot of noise, were very dusty, didn't last very long and there was not any real noticeable difference. I thought mine were going out at 100k. My truck was getting some other work done on it at a local shop so I asked them to give me a quote to change them out. They gave me a quote but they said that I had almost half of my pad's left. They did some adjustments to them which took out all the spongyness that was in the brake feel. I took it to a brake shop and they told me the same thing...... half of the pad left at 100K!

Perfect! Ill have to check the brake pads when I swap tires to make sure they don't just need to be adjusted like you said. Do you know what they adjust by chance? Thanks

HD-tech-NH · Sep 6, 2012

akf250 said:
Perfect! Ill have to check the brake pads when I swap tires to make sure they don't just need to be adjusted like you said. Do you know what they adjust by chance? Thanks

They probably just bled/flushed his brake fluid.

Tree Trimmer · Sep 6, 2012

there is no "adjusting" disc brakes.

they would have bled/changed his fluid, and made sure the caliper pins were moving freely.

akf250 · Sep 6, 2012

Alright cool maybe a bleed&change will fix the mooshy feeling in my pedal

mortal798 · Sep 6, 2012

I have Wagner ThermoQuiet pads on the front and rear of my truck. They are quiet, they last a long time, and they are lifetime warranty. I get a little more dust in the front than I would like, but overall they are good pads.

Johnny77Mutt · Sep 6, 2012

OEM ftw. A little over 100k and plenty of meat left, do plenty of towing too.

713Diesel · Sep 7, 2012

akf250 said:
Perfect! Ill have to check the brake pads when I swap tires to make sure they don't just need to be adjusted like you said. Do you know what they adjust by chance? Thanks

I have no idea what they did. After they messed with it it feels like it did when it was brand new.

Pizza pig · Sep 7, 2012

probably bled the brakes lol

Tree Trimmer · Sep 7, 2012

it should be noted, that brake fluid can get "old".

dirtflinger92 · Sep 7, 2012

When you say OEM do you go with Ford pads or parts store pads?

Big Stroker 6.4 · Sep 7, 2012

Ford pads brotha

MorganY · Sep 7, 2012

Brakeperformance.com

Semi metallic premium pads. Dimpled and slotted rotors. Stops awesome

mortal798 · Sep 7, 2012

Tree Trimmer said:
it should be noted, that brake fluid can get "old".

Correct. Brake fluid is HYGROSCOPIC, meaning that it has an affinity towards moisture. It will absorb humidity right out of the air, so make sure you keep the cap on the reservoir and only remove it when necessary. Also, don't use fluid that has had the seal punctured and been sitting on the shelf in the garage for years. Buy new brake fluid if you need it, and throw out what you don't use - so you won't be tempted to use it in the future.

superih · Sep 7, 2012

If you have half your brakes left after 100,000 miles of towing your brakes are not stopping near their potential. A good pad is a world of difference compared to OEM stopping power.