Best brakes?

[BigStu123]

Hey everyone, I think this would be the correct pace to post a question regarding brakes. I have a couple “dumb” questions (not someone who knows all that and more about cars)

Why are my brakes still squealing a year after replacing rotors and pads? I have the Detroit Axle slotted rotors and ceramic pads (got these because they were the cheapest I could find online). You’d think it would go away after breaking in the pads but it never did! Ford dealership told me the caliper was sticking and they replaced that which seemed to not do much? Maybe it did and I can’t tell because my other once’s are squeaky. Either way, can calipers cause the same exact sound that break pads on rotors make? Should I just get new rotors and pads and keep the calipers? Calipers aren’t meant to be changed really, are they? Just not sure what to replace and there’s no good way for me to tell if the issue is still brake pads or if it’s sh*tty calipers.

And then, does anyone have any suggestions for a good slotted/drilled rotor? Maybe something that comes in a bundle with pads and maybe even calipers?

Appreciate all feedback Honestly!

 

[Ta2dResqr]

RockAuto. They have kits ranging from just pads all the way up to pads/rotors/calipers. My guess is the fact that you picked the cheapest brakes you could find online. While a good deal is always nice, it can come at a cost. Personally, when I went to order, I wanted PowerStop products. They were out of stock on one axles kit that included calipers. I opted to get their cross drilled/slotted rotors and their Z37 Top Cop pads. I have not had an issue at all or any noise issues. If you want maximum braking, there is always the Wilwood adapter/upgrade. Better brakes but, at a higher cost.

 

[SM105K]

Cheap pads make noise. I have the Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors with stock OEM Ford PP pads. They work great bringing my land yacht down from triple digits.

 

[Casey388]

I will second Powerstop products. I have Z36's all the way around on my Explorer Sport and love them. Don't make noise and just does a great job slowing the big girl down.

 

[luigisho]

I will second Powerstop products. I have Z36's all the way around on my Explorer Sport and love them. Don't make noise and just does a great job slowing the big girl down.

I used to run those on my f-150 but switched to hawk pads. Big improvement in stopping but dirty as h ell

 

[Kevin81]

I second the hawks, but agree, lots of brake dust.


EBC makes good products, too. But they're $$$.

 

[SHO_OFF_CO]

Just put z23 powerstops on mine with carbon fiber/ceramic pads, they seem to be very quiet and if you so much as bump the brakes your gonna be hitting the windshield if you don't have your belt on

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Cheap pads make noise. I have the Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors with stock OEM Ford PP pads. They work great bringing my land yacht down from triple digits.

I have the power stops drilled and slotted rotors on my old '01 explorer and love them. I was just looking at them on Rock Auto for my SHO PP.
They also carry Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads, which I have heard are OEM Ford PP pads.
Do you know if this is true?
I just don't trust my local stealership to sell me PP pads and not just any pad.

 

[RonPorter]

Powerstop & Centric have a relationship (one owns the other, or vice versa). Their Track Day packages have solid rotors, which are usually cheaper than the drilled/slotted, and better IMO. If you must, get the slotted strictly for looks, and avoid drilled where possible. Spend the money on brake pads, not rotors. Pretty much any good pads will be $100 for a set, and up to $450 for the good Carbotechs. Spending above the cheapest available rotor brings nothing to the party.

Performance Friction could very well be the OEM supplier for the low volume PP pads. PF are decent, and are comparable to the Hawk HPS.

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Powerstop & Centric have a relationship (one owns the other, or vice versa). Their Track Day packages have solid rotors, which are usually cheaper than the drilled/slotted, and better IMO. If you must, get the slotted strictly for looks, and avoid drilled where possible. Spend the money on brake pads, not rotors. Pretty much any good pads will be $100 for a set, and up to $450 for the good Carbotechs. Spending above the cheapest available rotor brings nothing to the party.

Performance Friction could very well be the OEM supplier for the low volume PP pads. PF are decent, and are comparable to the Hawk HPS.

Curious, why do you say avoid the drilled rotors?

 

[SM105K]

Curious, why do you say avoid the drilled rotors?

Because the cheaper drilled rotors can crack. Mine haven't cracked and I beat mine up pretty good. However most high end Euro and American cars have drilled and slotted rotors, so don't completely discount them. I don't.

 

[Boochy47]

I had power stop brakes and rotors on my Impala ss I liked them allot and the customer service was great like really great but now that I have this sho I think oem is best the engineers here at ford are pretty smart if you didn’t have pp pack I would say get them for sure

 

[yaycandy]

I had power stop brakes and rotors on my Impala ss I liked them allot and the customer service was great like really great but now that I have this sho I think oem is best the engineers here at ford are pretty smart if you didn’t have pp pack I would say get them for sure

Only thing different with the pp brakes is the brake pads installed from factory. Better alternative is ebc yellow stuff pads. Stopping from high speeds the rotors are pretty bad. I learned that the first time i was on the strip. And also while going to fast on the highway

 

[Jordan_R]

Old thread but figure I would throw a few additions in here.

I have had the powerstops on 2 different of my person SHO's both of them had heat warping and heat spotting. First set shook really bad after 10k. Second was starting to shake but no clue how they were treated on the second car.

Both cars ended up getting R1 rotors and pads and never had any issues with them. Ended up doing the Schwartz Engineering Caliper upgrade with the same R1 rotor and still doing solid!

 

[Yankee Traveler]

Because the cheaper drilled rotors can crack. Mine haven't cracked and I beat mine up pretty good. However most high end Euro and American cars have drilled and slotted rotors, so don't completely discount them. I don't.

Yeah, no, I have them on other vehicles.
The Powerstop cross drilled and slotted.
I have also run the Powerstop Cross drilled as well with fantastic results.

Just curious, thanks!

 

[yaycandy]

Yeah, no, I have them on other vehicles.
The Powerstop cross drilled and slotted.
I have also run the Powerstop Cross drilled as well with fantastic results.

Just curious, thanks!

Ive never had a cracked one. And i autocross the sho. Maybe back when they first came out for public aftermarket or china ebay ones. If any would break it would be the R1s but they hold up very well. R1 is the wish. com of brakes but they hold up well and i was sponsored with them last year for autocross with my goodguys mx5

 

[TheSHO98]

Ive ran power stop on other vehicles, well worth the money. Ive had good success with "cheaper" options such as max brakes online.. oddly on my SRT8 with the most expensive brakes ever, were also the noisiest when I replaced them with expensive brembo oem, with that I actually had to apply a good amount of brake squeel paste to the BACK of the pads that eliminates harmonic sounds from little vibrations against the caliper. Then the sound dissapeared.

 

[SHO_OFF_CO]

I also have run the more expensive power stop drilled/slotted for years on my truck and my other car and never had issues, I haul 10k+ with the truck sometimes and the other car is a coupe so I beat the shit out of those. Been happy with the ones I put on the SHO so far. I actually reintroduced some air to the brake lines because the Kevlar pads I got would throw you through the windshield if you even thought about touching the brakes and living up in the country I don't need stopping like that.
And yes, definitely make sure to use the **** that comes with your brake kit or get some ****, also keeps you from wearing down caliper parts.

 

[FiveLeeter918]

I've run R1 Concepts rotors/pads on my last 4 cars, and they've been great. I personally had issues with the Amazon Power Stops, as did my FIL on his 05 Toyota Tundra, so I tend to steer clear but like others above have said, some have had great results.

I think it more ends up with the metal supplier more so than the reselling company. From my understanding most blanks come from the same foundry in China, and then the reseller machines them to spec depending on what the customer orders, and most of the time I've seen them crack it ends up being due to porosity in the castings more so than the final product.

I would also look into the company's warranty program as well as independent reviews showing how the company handles failure, which is inevitable in most brands. See if they stand behind their product or if they duck and run. That's how I would determine who to go with.

 

[Dark Blarc]

I put Cquence Phantoms with Top Cop pads on mine. The Phantoms are a high carbon rotor which dissipates heat better. No problems so far with the mountains and twisties of West Virginia.