Brake pads and rotors , I'd like your opinion

[dfoy50]

Hi all: i have a 2000 conti 4.6 fwd w/ 135000 miles . i am disabled and cant do all the stuff i could be for cancer and two heart attaches . i purchased the car in oct 2014 , had it checked out by a mech. there have been no alterations such as air spring to coil springs ect. , and it was in his opinion in good shape . everything worked but the previous owner did a brake job down and dirty by just replacing the pads and the rotors were badly scored and the rack and pinion was giving trouble . i've replaced the rack and had the front end aligned . now for the brakes i have not owned a car of my own because for the last 20 yrs i've always had a company car and they did not care about "personal use ". i plan on doing the brakes my self and will replace anything necessary , pads and rotors are a must and anything else i'll do as well . my question is what type of pads would you use , such as regular , semi-metallic , or ceramic . i would like (also if someone tell me the difference between the semi-metallic and ceramic ) your opinion on this . i use to do most of my own work on the cars i have owned , but its been 15 yrs since i've needed to . when i was younger i always owned 3-500.00 dollar "beaters"
this is the first really nice car i've owned and i want to keep it that way . i just want to do the job right the first time , i dont generally drive fast but i do like speed and will put my foot in it periodically. so i'd like to know what you guys think , ive learned allot from reading through the post's , and it looks like there is allot of knowledge collectively here . thank for your suggestions and help. drew


i dont suffer from my Bon Jovi addiction, i enjoy every minute of it......

 

[MooJohn]

I had to put front brakes on my car when I got it in August 2012. I went with AutoZone's best rotors and pads (ceramic). I don't recall the exact price but I think it was less than $200 for everything. It's all working perfectly today and I have no complaints about braking performance. They've since come out with an even higher level rotor that I'll use next time a brake job is needed.

Nobody drives a Conti more "spiritedly" than I do, so they are put to good use. I had a little odor after a quick stop from 100 mph but they did their job. Ceramic pads are quieter (totally silent in my experience) and have less brake dust. They say their raw power isn't as good as semi-metallic pads but I'm not taking this car on a road course so one-time stopping performance is all I need.

I keep reminding myself that one reason I chose this car is for the relatively low-cost maintenance items. AZone's quality is as good as any aftermarket brakes I've put on other cars and the pads have a lifetime warranty (which I think is silly on a wear item).

 

[chris2523]

+1 on the high level autozone brakes. i have used them on multiple vehicles and have been pleased thus far.

 

[jerryg2112]

My experience with Autozone brakes hasn't been positive so I order from Rock Auto. Centric rotors are good. Lots of other quality brands to choose from.

 

[chris2523]

My experience with Autozone brakes hasn't been positive so I order from Rock Auto. Centric rotors are good. Lots of other quality brands to choose from.

did you buy the higher level quality parts or the cheap stuff?
the cheap stuff is cheap no matter where it comes from.

 

[bradyelich]

Ceramic pads come stock, so use them and you wont be disappointed. Replace the rotors all the way around - premium quality so they are thicker. OEM parts are the best, but most costly. Use brake grease as directed and at least remove caliper pins and shine them up and regrease. The rear brakes have the e-brake built into the caliper, and the piston must be screwed back down via the notches in the top of the piston.

Spirited, huh, my car broke an axle destroying my tranny, which wifey drove for a several months as a one wheel drive...


Sorry about your addiction. Mine is Rammstein and now The Perpetrators

 

[dfoy50]

thanks guy's . the info was great . i planned on doing rotors all around , there scored , and i'd rather do a top notch job the first time . ive read about the rear caliper e brake but have never seen it , but in sure it will make sense when i see it.

thanks again drew


Although no trees were harmed as a result of making this post, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced...

 

[jerryg2112]

did you buy the higher level quality parts or the cheap stuff?
the cheap stuff is cheap no matter where it comes from.

It's been a long time so I don't know for sure but I would have to say the cheap stuff. Mostly because I would get started working on my car. Find out what was going on and what I needed. Head up to the parts store and wind up buying the cheap stuff because they didn't have the better quality in stock and I didn't want to wait a day for it to come in.
Out of curiosity I looked at the rotors available for my Conti online at Autozone and it does look like they sell a quality rotor. Years ago when I stopped buying parts from Autozone and bought from Advance Auto Parts instead I don't remember them having parts of a better quality available. Could be my memory or lack of though.