Lyman

Its time for brakes pads on the front of my '98 1 ton dually, rotors look pretty good but would like suggestions for what pads to use for replacement. I tow fairly light, small alpha toy house (28,8 ft.) and a 19 ft. boat occasionally, only several times a year for each, any input would be appreciated. Thanks

patdaly

I'm a Raybestos guy, other like different brands.

I have a set of PGDs on Brownie, that is their pro plus lifetime pads, about 10K and like them.

I have a set of their SSD's ( Super Stopper ) pads to go on Greenie when needed. Figured since they work extremely well on my Nova, might just do the same on the truck.

I check with Rock Auto from time to time, they usually have some wholesaler closeouts that bring a tear to your eye in regards to the price. Pretty sure I paid 22 bucks and change for the SSD's, those are close to 100 bucks normally.

I like to have a set on the shelf for when it is needed, especially at those prices.

biododge1

well, dont use autozone pads!!! Mine burned up within a few miles of use-they are absolute garbage.

I am waiting for the new ones to arrive-they are made by "EBC"-I have good experience with these on the bmw

RowJ

I've had great luck with Wagner Therma-Quiet pads! No dust problems and good life.

RJ

nickg

here is a post that I cut and pasted, since this post I have gone with the 3rd gen rotors and ceramic pads, I'm now at 35,000kms and 3/4 of the pad or better is still left! 2nd gen stock sized stuff is too small, problem is you cant upgrade a 99 truck, still though my lower post is based on lots of pads over a short period of time (and lots of money)
for the full post look here
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/d...s-t237903.html
Here my two cents,
First a little background, then you can decide if what I'm telling you is valid. I bought my truck 2yrs ago, its used for a delivery service(courior) it sees 8-10hrs a day in city stop and go traffic, hauling loads up to 2500#, I have logged approx 130,000kms of city driving (75,000miles approx)I'm I retired Military Mechanic, so i do all my own repairs. I also have the GM 1 ton rear wheel cyls, and adjust the rears every month, each month sees approx 5000-8000kms.
I believe the longest any brakes have lasted me was 23,000kms or just over 4 months.

OEM pads, were approx 60$ lasted about 2 months, they were quiet, but after a couple hard stops brake fade was evident, to be fair I used these before I had done the rear GM cyl mod.

No Name local parts store pads, lasted a month, lots of brake dust, word not stop worth crap. and were cheap (about 35$)

Wagner thermo Quiets (100$ approx) they were quiet, not too dusty, suffered brake fade, lasted about 3 months,

Raybestos Sure Stops, up till this point were the best of the lot, they flat out stopped, good bite when standing on the pedal, did not seem to brake fade when doing a extended hi-speed stop, lasted 3-4 months.

Bendix (commercial application) they came with a warranty that was good for one replacement set of brakes if you wore them out, but alas they dont honor this in Canada.
These are the holy grail of stopping power, the bite when you hit the pedal is absolutely amazing, they are fairly low dust, and long lasting, a little longer than 4 months and 23,000kms. the ONLY down side is the noise, they squeel alot when under light braking, when approaching a stop, if you push slightly harder the noise stops. These pads were approx 125$

Hawk pads, I have them on there now and they have only about a months use on them, they bite OK, are low dust. and are quiet, were 140$ . they are susposed to be a thicker pad material to help extend brake life. for what I paid and their performance I won't be using them again, I expected better,

NONE of the above pads are hard on the rotors, I replaced the rotors a while back as they were showing some wear, but it was faster to replace them instead of waiting for them to be re-surfaced. I kept them so I could turn them and re-use them the next time I was needing to replace them, just to speed up the down time.

I have read good things about EBC, but cant get them locally, so I stuck with what I could get. right now as soon as I've burned off the Hawks I'm switching the rotors and pads to the bigger 3rd gen brakes, I've already bought the caliper brackets and have 2 sets of factory chrome 3rd gen wheels (17inch) the difference between the 2nd and 3rd gens is huge.

here is how I rated the brakes, factoring in stopping power and longevity, and price, Plse note for each brand I bought the most expensive pad they carried in their line.
Bexdix: By far the best pad! just noisy, excellent stopping power, no fade under repeated hard applications
Raybestos: next best, good stopping power, and quiet
Hawk : Might last longer I dont know yet, but does not stop as good as the above 2 brands, they are close, but I would not buy them again even if they last longer.
Wagner: Quiet, better than OEM for bite, brake fade evident
OEM : cheap pad good if you dont use your truck under hard conditions
Local House brands: a waste of money, if the pads are cheap, thats exactly what they are

Take my opinion for what its worth, every one has brands they like, and use them under different conditions, remember my info is based on my use
__________________
Nick

RowJ

Thanks!..... Great report.
Interesting info from a very hard user!
Makes me realize I don't use my truck as hard as I thought I did.

I experienced the fade you mention from Wagners, one time at a track with a short run out area.
Never on the street... even with some panick stops. And never since going to 3rd Gen brakes (big difference).
Wagners are only $60.00 here?

RJ

infidel

The very best you can use are Hawk pads, www.genosgarage.com sells them.
Hawk makes pads mostly for OTR trucks and heavy equipment but have a size that will fit our puny little machines.
Perfect match for low rotor wear, little dust and very long life.

GAmes

I had to chuckle when I read this. I have a set of Auto Zone semi-metalic pads that have lasted well over 400,000 miles. I just repacked my wheel bearings and have decided that the next time the bearings are due new grease (done every 50k) I'll spring for some new pads.

Robert Rausch

That's one thing I love about this site. I just ordered a set of Hawks from Geno's. Thanks Infidel. I'll need my front pads changed in a couple of months, and I've been wondering which brand to buy this time.

Lyman

Thanks Guys, just ordered a set of pads from Geno's, a little pricey but I trust Infidels advice, Thanks once again...Lyman

biododge1

WOW!! I wish I would have got a few thousand out of mine! I dont know if what I got is the same as yours-The lifetime pads. But, I hate them!!!! The inner pad burned so bad it wont even rub the rust off the rotor

GAmes

No, they aren't lifetime, but for most readers of this forum they would be close enough.