Best Brake Pads
 

Hello,
I have a 2007 Fit. I am starting to hear some sound when I brake and some vibration when braking going downhill. Should I be replacing pads and rotors or just pads?
Car has 120k miles on it and not sure when the pads where last changed but for sure more than 4 years ago.
What pads/rotors do you recomend, there are so many options out there, hard to know which ones make the most sense.

Thanks!

We bought ours CPO at 40K miles and it had new honda brakes then. I'm at 127K and I've put two sets on since then. The first were Auto Zone semi metallic at about 85K and they worked well and were dirt cheap. I did new pads and rotors about 7 months ago. I bought a Powerstop OEK kit with the ceramic pads, new hardware and new plain rotors. They already feel like they're warped. I'm having them checked this week at a shop while I get some other work done. At the same time I put the powerstop brakes on my fit last summer, I put a set of AutoZone rotors and ceramic pads on our Accord. Wasn't planned, but we came home from a trip with one side completely worn down due to some debris getting in the caliper and pads. They have been smooth and quiet since. I was sorta pissed I went through the trouble of ordering what I thought was going to be a good aftermarket brand when I could have just got both sets and had a store three blocks away if I had any issues.

Anyway, my opinion is that you might as well do both, whether you go with local store brand or order something more performance oriented.

No offense, but recommendations are relevant to what you what them to do.

It's like asking what's the best tire. If you want tires good in snow, best handling in dry or best in wet will get three different responses.

So if you want the best pad not to fade on the race track that will be one response. If you want high initial bite for autocross that's a different answer. If you don't care about stopping distances and want them to last to you or the car die than that's a different answer. If you want the "best" meaning cheapest that's another answer.


Or call KNS Brakes

If it's just a daily then can't go wrong with OEM pads and resurface the rotor.

Yeah. And whatever you do, DON'T ASK what the best oil is! :rotfl::iough:




My only advice is that to reduce the buildup of black brake dust, use a Ceramic pad. (I use OEM pads usually, myself.)

Other than that, DON'T get the cheap pads, and don't waste your money on the really expensive ones.

I will add that, if for non-performance street use, avoid the temptation of pretty rotors with grooves or holes. Holes weaken the rotor and the slots make more noise.

We personally run Hawk HPS pads with EBC slotted rotors. More noise and more brake dust. Most people don't want either of those.

A good set of Raybestos or Bendix ceramic pads paired with Bendix, Raybestos, Brembo, etc blank rotors are a good daily use combo.

OP: this is a no brainer. First, I have been alarmed at how expensive my private mechanics have become. As a result, I have turned much of my regular maintenance items over to places like Pep Boys, Walmart, and Sears. As such, my recommendation to you would be to get the Akibono pads at Pep Boys. Their pricing structure is excellent, and having put the Akibono on two of my cars so far, I can attest that they are simply amazing. I just put them on the front of my Fit last week. Pep Boys also resurfaced all my rotors and refused to put on new rotors as I had originally requested. They continue to earn my respect for that.

Pep Boys doesn't offer AkEbono pads for my 2016 Honda Fit, and at Amazon are cheaper than either of the brands Pep Boys does offer. I was also looking at the Bosh pads, but think I will buy the Bosh rotors instead, and the $22 I save on pads will offset most of the cost of new rotors.

Pep Boys does force you to pick a local store, so maybe they have Akebono pads elsewhere.

Genuine OEM parts all day. I stay away from the aftermarket stuff.

Be careful with Amazon and eBay for car parts. LOTS of fake, cheap, Chinese parts relabeled as brand name and OEM parts.

Oem or cheap is the way
 

Cant go wrong with OEM stuff, fitment is always perfect and lasts a very long time.

I've always bought aftermarket parts for previous cars and it's hit or miss. Sometimes the parts last and the cost savings is great. And sometimes Im back in there doing the job again in a year or two or just dumping the car so I don't have to do the work again.

I bought brembo pads/rotors/drums for my gd3 to save a few bucks over oem. The rotors are holding up great after a year but I had issues getting the pads installed. Had to file down the tabs that ride in the caliper bracket to get them to fit. Quiet, smooth, lot of bite, not much dust, but when the pads go I'll probably buy a set of OEM pads or try the akebono so I don't have to go through the hassle of fitting them again. I think they were only $20 cheaper than OEM. First time I ever had an issue like that.