I have a 2003 stock 2 door 4WD Blazer with 4 disc brakes and auto trans. Only driven on the streets and back roads, never off road. I am interested in stopping power, low dust generation, quiet operation, and long life. I hear ceramic is good in meeting most of these criteria. But which brand of ceramic pads ? I have read a lot about these brands: EBC, Power Stop, AC Delco/OEM, Centric, Akebono, Raybestos, and of course Brembo. No, I am not planning on racing it. This is more of a Heavy Duty Towing application. I have recently changed out the calipers and so don't plan on doing that again. I will check the hoses closely and replace as needed. I have 170K mile on it.

 

My favorite are wagner thermal quiet ceramic, I use them everywhere. Great brake pads for everything except high performance vented rotor metallic applications.

George

 

You might search out what I did for a brake upgrade. It is in my build thread.

I forget the specifics of the pads, but I know I found ones that I thought would be good for towing that I paired with cyro-treated slotted rotors.

I did this upgrade to help with the towing of my boat 2,200 lbs total.

 

Thank you all for your replies. I should have said I have no 'drilled and slotted' rotors. I do have 'relatively new' calipers. When I was in high school one of my friend's father was the Service Manager of the local Chevrolet dealership. We all wanted the latest and greatest fads we saw in the Hot Rod magazine. My friend's father would look at us and say very politely but forcefully: You don't want those items on your Chevy. They will just cause problems and are more expensive. I now see the wisdom and interpret his advice was to stick with AC Delco and if they have an OEM upgrade then use that. I know and agree that brake pads on a GM product is one area which where we can venture out and try other than the AC Delco products. The one area where my service manager mentor was definitely correct was in the electronics such as O2 sensors, spark plugs & wires, distributor caps and rotors and so on.

 

For sheer stopping power, EBC Yellow Stuff pads are amazing. They're the only pads I've ever used that actually made a noticeable difference in stopping power. They aren't cheap, they don't last a super long time, and they're not exactly dust-free, but they will put you through the windshield if you mash the brake pedal.

 

I have a question on the position of the 'wear sensors' or fingers or squealers on the brake pads.....Do the finger go toward the leading edge or the trailing edge of the rotors?? All four pads in my kit have the metal fingers. If you have four pads but only two of the pads have fingers, put the pads with fingers on the inboard side of the rotors. Those are the pads that gets the most wear in a 'floating caliper' situation. They need to be able to squeal first. A quick reply is appreciated. Thanks, Jim in SC

 

I usually put the squeakers on the leading edge, just because it seems to me that they would make more noise that way. Honestly, though, I doubt it matters, as long as they'll fit either way. I agree with your thinking regarding putting them on the inboard side if there are only two, and the pads are the same.

 

I was hoping to hear that. That makes sense to me.
I tried a Red Neck resurfacing trick I saw on You Tube. If you don't want to remove the rotors and have them turned at a machine shop, try this method. I saw a Tuber put a sanding disc on his electric drill and then have the engine on at idle and transmission in gear. With the rotor turning very SLOWLY, place the sanding disc on the rotor and take off that pesky ridge on the outer edge of the rotor surface. Then move to the fine grooves on the rotor face. This is using a fine grit sanding disc, not a coarse grit. Lightly sand the grooves; not to remove them completely, but to take the sharpness off. This will help make the pads seat in properly and last longer. Caution: Kids, don't try this at home. Adults if you are brave try this method only by taking every precaution. Vehicle on level and solid ground. Wheel chocked properly, Jack stands positioned properly and eye goggles on. Since I didn't have a sanding disc, I used a SS wire brush. Again, use your googles during this procedure. If you don't have all the correct safety equipment, don't try this. This could be dangerous. Extreme caution is important.

 

I found the HFT Hercules 3" sanding disc with ceramic pads work better than the wire brush. I use the 120 grit disc for this and it didn't take the outer ridge off completely but beveled it down so it won't cut into the new pads. I liked this approach and it is better than a 'rotor turn' at a machine shop or a new rotor from China.

 

I don't bother with grooves in rotors. IMO, they create extra surface area once they're worn in. As long as the rotor isn't pulsing, I leave them alone.