From my other thread, just put new pads front and rear on the truck a month ago.
I put EBC Red Stuff on the car a couple months before that and was impressed with the braking power and lack of dust. Typically the car after a couple weeks, the front wheels would be gray not silver and the backs would have very noticeable dust too. Now, the fronts look like the back wheels used to before washing and the backs are almost clean.
Bought EBC Green Stuff pads for the truck. Same results, noticeably better braking power and waaaay less dust than OE type pads.
Also the EBCs have a break in coating on them, a layer of fine grit material painted on the pad. Didn't have to scuff up the rotors like usual, saved a few min of work I suppose.
So can't comment on brake pad life as I have minimal miles on both vehicles and EBC pads aren't cheap compared to OE semi metallic but if performance or appearance are of concern, they are very good on both accounts.
Ordered both sets from place for brakes .com They were the best price I found online by a good amount and shipped promptly.

 

Thanks for the post, what kind of rotors do you use? Has anyone used rotor depot for 360 performance rotors? They are available with drilled and slotted rotors and ceramic pads. I'm looking for better stopping power and I'm not interested in what the autoparts stores sell. Looking at buying rotors and maybe sourcing my own pads too.

 

I'm on stock never been turned rotors.
Truck stops great for me but I don't tow heavy.
Check out that placeforbrakes site. They have some package deals of different performance levels.

 

Avoid the drilled and slotted rotors. You will be wasting your money.

This is from a member here .boB. He and I have been trying to explain this to other members here for a few years now.

In the olden days, when a brake pad got hot, it would outgas. The gas formed a layer between the pad and rotor, and lifted th pad away from the rotor surface. So, they drilled holes in the rotor surface for the gas to escape through.

The down side of that is the removal of material to drill a hole reduced the surface area of the rotor, and that decreased brake effectiveness when the pads were cool enough not to outgas. Life's full of trade offs.

Today, brake pads don't outgas. Drilled rotors are strictly for bling. So, a lot of people went for the bling, and bought the drilled rotors. But, the holes created stress risers, and caused the rotors to crack, and significantly shortened the life of the rotor. Then manufacturers went to a dimple rotor. You get the bling, but not the stress cracks. But, you also get the decreased surface area, which tends to decrease brake effectiveness. Dimpled rotors are also slightly noisier. Few race cars use a dimpled or drilled rotor - I don't use them on my race car.

Slotted rotors are a little like a cheese slicer. When you're really hammering the brakes, lap after lap, they get pretty hot. That can cause even a good pad to glaze. The slots move over the pads and slice off just a little bit of pad material, and gives you a new surface. That works really well on the track. On the street, all it does is create more dust, more noise, and reduce pad life.

For a street driven vehicle, there's nothing better than a solid surface rotor. Pick one that's a good quality, and don't waste money on bling or gimmicks.


If you really want better braking power get an exhaust brake.

 

I ended up getting the drilled and slotted rotors from rotordepot.com. I understand that the holes reduce surface area but around here we warp rotors, lots and lots of hills!! Up and down all day! Sooo, keeping my rotors from warping is important to me. As for the slots, yeah they appear to be cheese slicers but I don't mind replacing pads if it means better stopping power. Autozone has lifetime warranty pads, buy them once and they are free after that. I'll replace pads every week if I need too! So far so goo dont he rotors. Only time will tell though!

 

I agree with Rockcrawler304.
I bought drilled and slotted rotors and carbon kevlar pads in an attempt to enhance braking in my '98.5.
Didn't work out at all. Rotors got hot,warped and didn't stop the truck as well as stock.
The shop I use is having the best luck lately w/Bendix Titanium pads and smooth rotors.

 

-Warped- Brake Disc and Other Myths

Warped rotors are actually pretty rare. I live in the rocky mountains, and it's not a problem here. People often believe they managed to warp theirs, but when you put a dial indicator on them, they're well within specs.

 

what people usually refer to as warped rotors are actually no warped but have high and low spots around the braking surface, it will manifest itself by shimming front wheels or pulsing brake pedal when braking

 

Yep and to get rid of that annoying pulsation a machining or rotor replacement is in order. Our Honda Pilot's rotors have been machined on the car twice in 120K.
The Dodge is smooth @ 65K.

 

Do you remember the brand of the drilled and slotted rotors you purchased? One would hope and assume they are not all made the same.

 

NAPA premium slotted and drilled.
In addition,my dealer tech did a very minor on the truck trueing to eliminate runout.