Hi all,

I'm at the point of considering replacing my rotors and pads on my front wheels (and perhaps the rears too) with upgraded/heavy-duty parts. I am considering this because I tow 2,200 lbs of boat+trailer during the summer.

What I have currently learned is the following:

• Drilled rotors look cool but the reason for them to let out gasses formed by dissolved pad material adhesives that then prevent the pads from making full contact with the rotor is no longer an issue with the better materials used in modern pads.
• Slotted rotors are good but perhaps not necessary
• Thickness of pad is important (my stock ones RPO JC1 are 29 mm = 1.14")

I have learned of aftermarket rotor and pad kits that claim improved braking, e.g. the Power Stop Z36 kit (https://www.powerstop.com/product/po...t%20%26%20Rear)

Are any such kits with new rotors and pads worth the money? Are the new rotors and pads really that much better than OEM style? Would just getting new Heavy Duty pads be the best action? Is the only way to get better braking by also installing new calipers?

I'd appreciate your opinions and your experiences.

Thanks

 

I think the factory 4-wheel disc brakes are pretty dang good. Just use ceramic pads.

OTOH, any pad that actually increases the surface area contacting the rotor might be superior. This usually requires different calipers. Otherwise I believe it's just bull****

 

The only pads I've ever used that actually made a noticeable improvement were EBC Yellow Stuff. They'll dust your wheels and they won't necessarily last as long as other heavy-duty pads, but they'll throw you through the windshield and they won't fade. They're kind of expensive too, but they're worth it, IMO.

 

I've installed "Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Pads & they practically put the drivers thro the windshield every S10 they were installed in !! They have more clamping friction than semi-metallics , and are easier on the rotors than organic pads !

 

I think the best you can do performance wise with a pad material is to lock up the wheels. But wait..... there is ABS preventing that.....

Preventing fade is all you can do once you get to that point. Ceramic pads

 

I've put drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads on the front of my 04 (I'd have them on the rear too, but the company I bought them from sent me the wrong rear rotors... they refunded me the difference I just never bothered ordering the correct ones...), absolute waste of money in my opinion, at least in my case... No difference in stopping that I've noticed, but a HUGE decrease in brake dust with the ceramic pads so that's a plus lol

BUT, I don't tow, and I live in flat Florida, so take that into consideration...

To boot, the rotors have already started to warp and I can feel it at every stop... needless to say, at the next brake pad change interval, it's getting stock rotors put back on it and new ceramic pads. I feel that will be the best compromise.



They do look nice though