1998 Brake Pads

[kevin347]

I have a 98 Toyota Camry and I need a new brake pads for the Front. I looked up on amazon and I see this Monro CX562 Ceramic (

http://www.amazon.com/Monroe-CX562-Ceramic-Premium-Brake/dp/B0016J5BOO/ref=au_pf_pfg_s?ie=UTF8&Model=Camry%7C1011&n=15684181&s=automotive&Make=Toyota%7C76&Year=1998%7C1998&vehicleType=automotive&newCar=1&carId=001

http://www.amazon.com/Monroe-CX562-Ceramic-Premium-Brake/dp/B0016J5BOO/ref=au_pf_pfg_s?ie=UTF8&Model=Camry%7C1011&n=15684181&s=automotive&Make=Toyota%7C76&Year=1998%7C1998&vehicleType=automotive&newCar=1&carId=001

)

for about 30$ and there is a 20$ rebate too. Sounds like a pretty good deal. I am just curious if somebody has used this specific one or Monro pads in general and has any ideas/recommendation on the quality/performance of it? I know a mechanic who can replace it for me if I bring in the parts. Does it makes sense to replace the Rotors too while he's at it? Midas guy suggested to just change the pads right now and not the rotors (probably he could make more money when I need rotors down the road). Is it ok to have new pads and old rotors or is it better to replace both?

Is it good idea to get both rotors and pads from same company? something like Wagner (I know they make pads and rotoros both).

TIA

[carsrus]

Since rotors are so cheap now a days its common practice to replace them along with pads. However if they are smooth on both the inside and outside, and you have no current problems with them (warps etc) then just slap some pads on it.

Its a 30min job, very very simple.

Pad brands change a bunch and there's a lot of reboxing. If your just gonna change the pads go for the monroes, if you end up doing a full break job step it up and get some Akebonos. There some of the best pads ive ever seen, even though they can be a wee bit noisy at times since there super hard.

Rotors are very important, Too hard of a pad will warp and eat them quickly if they are to cheap. Wagner is a great brand, pretty solid pads.

[eevee11]

It is not important that the pads and rotors come from the same company. It is ony important that they are from a reputable manufacturer, as described by carsrus.

I agree, if the rotors are reasonably smooth then in general do not replace them. But another factor is thickness, how much material is left. Do you know how many miles on these rotors? Are they the original Toyota factory rotors?

[dorifuto.boi]

i got cheap pads from autozone once. cause i needed them right away and couldnt' wait for some to ship. they SUCKED !!!!!!!

not sure about the ones ur looking at. but usually people use hawk or brembo pads. this time, i chose to use stoptech pads but i haven't put them on yet so i dunno how they are. i think hawk and brembo pads are around 60-70usd for a pair ?

[fenixus]

the best choices I know:

-Hawk HPS (composite, best bite for the price, but lots of dust and not super quiet)
-Akebono ProACT (ceramic, equals the best batch of OEM dealer pads, decent ones, very quiet)
-Akebono Street Performance (composite, similar to Hawks in biting force, maybe a tad less, but no dust, similar price as Hawks too).

I'm sure there are others being decent too, but I tried only those so far and a Wagner ThermoQuiet (organic, total piece of shit, no biting force after pads wore down to half, dusting heavy too).

[kevin347]

I visited Midas for oil change and he suggested to just do a replacement of Pads no rotors. He said it looked fine. Although the mechanic I am thinking about taking the car to, I have talked before and he would like to replace both rotors and Pads. He has not looked at the car yet but I guess I could show him car first before buying the parts.

When we are talking about good pads like Akebono against something like Monro, what am I gaining/loosing? One is 10$ after rebate and other is 45$ (On amazon), will I get better life out of the expensive one? The car has about 111K on it and as of now I am not sure how long I am going to keep the car, but ofcourse don't want the pads to worn out too quick too..Just trying to understand little more..

Originally Posted by carsrus

Since rotors are so cheap now a days its common practice to replace them along with pads. However if they are smooth on both the inside and outside, and you have no current problems with them (warps etc) then just slap some pads on it.

Its a 30min job, very very simple.

Pad brands change a bunch and there's a lot of reboxing. If your just gonna change the pads go for the monroes, if you end up doing a full break job step it up and get some Akebonos. There some of the best pads ive ever seen, even though they can be a wee bit noisy at times since there super hard.

Rotors are very important, Too hard of a pad will warp and eat them quickly if they are to cheap. Wagner is a great brand, pretty solid pads.

I bought the car at around 60K miles and it's about 111K now and I myself have not replaced the rotors or pads.

Originally Posted by eevee11

It is not important that the pads and rotors come from the same company. It is ony important that they are from a reputable manufacturer, as described by carsrus.

I agree, if the rotors are reasonably smooth then in general do not replace them. But another factor is thickness, how much material is left. Do you know how many miles on these rotors? Are they the original Toyota factory rotors?

The ones I am looking for Monro are Ceramic pads.

Originally Posted by dorifuto.boi

i got cheap pads from autozone once. cause i needed them right away and couldnt' wait for some to ship. they SUCKED !!!!!!!

not sure about the ones ur looking at. but usually people use hawk or brembo pads. this time, i chose to use stoptech pads but i haven't put them on yet so i dunno how they are. i think hawk and brembo pads are around 60-70usd for a pair ?

[Zembonez]

Buy some ceramic pads. Even the Autozone branded ceramics perform well (the last set I bought there were reboxed Wagners). Replace the rotors if they are grooved or warped. Even companies that sell both rotors and pads farm out the manufacturing of one or both. No need to buy the same brand.

[JohnGD]

Akebono ProAct is quiet, light dusting and very long lasting. I wouldn't be surprised if you can get 60-90K miles out of them. The Raybestos for example are typically good for about 25k miles. As far as Hawk goes, the first few steps feel like there is very little brake, then they get strong but personally don't really like Hawks. I would just go with Akebono ProAct and Centric C-tek rotors. Check rockauto and Amazon for prices.

As Eevee11 mentioned above, if the pad material is the same, then no need to resurface the rotor. But if the previous set of pads are a different brand then at least put a crosshatch pattern on the rotors. Otherwise the pad/rotor life may be reduced and braking may not be as good as it can be. But resurfacing is like 50% the cost of a new rotor. So your mileage may vary. I'd just get new Centrics, $12 more and at least a few months warranty.

http://www.centricparts.com/index.ph...d=51&Itemid=85

http://www.akebonobrakes.com/aftermarket/index.html

[71Corolla]

My personal favorites are Advics-Sumi, Sumitomo, and Toyota OE. Sumitomo and Akebono are an OE supplier to Toyota. I put Akebono on my 2001 Camry a few years ago and was not that impressed, they caused a fairly hard brake pedal feel which got better over time but never really went away. That's just one experience, but I have avoided them since then.

I have Sumitomo on all my cars right now and am very happy with them.

[awisniewski]

Just to chime in with another option.... I bought and installed NAPA rotors and pads on my 1998 Camry. They have been on there for about ~35k miles, 3 years, and they seem great to me. I bought the middle of the road option in pad and rotor quality of the three options available. Cost me about ~$120 plus my labor, no issues during the install.

[touringcamry]

Did you inspect the pads yourself or did someone at Midas tell you your pads are worn? I once bought some tires and the guy told me my brake pads were shot and need immediate replacement.

I refused and went home. The guy was full of crap because when I pulled my wheels off, I saw the pads were less than 50% worn.

Just don't get the cheapest or costliest pads or rotors that you can find and you'll do fine regardless if they are Akebono, Hawk, Centric, Napa etc.

That said, don't go out and get racing pads either because they likely need to heat up before they work well. How you drive and stop on the street doesn't generate nearly as much heat as a car going around a track at high speed repeatedly.

[fenixus]

^ yup what he said. check it yourself and don't get the racing pads as they suck in city driving until they are hot (like all EBC kinds).

pretty much any ceramic pads should do the trick at or around OEM specs (YMMV), same about rotors, even cheap like Centric C-tek or Premium will do. it's very good idea to at least resurface old OEM rotors before installing new pads, or get a new rotors since they are just a few bucks more than resurfacing (turning).

it's also a very good idea to bleed/flush (preferably with DOT 3&4 fluid) the brake system when installing new pads, all that will improve your brake system.

[ty**20]

i got c-max gold from autozone, their best pads. they're nice pad for city driving.

[touringcamry]

Originally Posted by fenixus

^ yup what he said. check it yourself and don't get the racing pads as they suck in city driving until they are hot (like all EBC kinds).

pretty much any ceramic pads should do the trick at or around OEM specs (YMMV), same about rotors, even cheap like Centric C-tek or Premium will do. it's very good idea to at least resurface old OEM rotors before installing new pads, or get a new rotors since they are just a few bucks more than resurfacing (turning).

it's also a very good idea to bleed/flush (preferably with DOT 3&4 fluid) the brake system when installing new pads, all that will improve your brake system.

+1 On flushing the brake system with new fluid if it hasn't been done recently. This ideally should be done every 5 years or so because the fluid absorbs moisture from the air which causes its performance to degrade. This got real bad on my last car where when I had to stop from 65MPH, I would overshoot my target stop point by more than 20 or 30 ft. What happened was that the heat from braking heated the moisture in the brake fluid causing it to boil off so I ended up with a gas inside the brake lines which compresses unlike brake fluid. This meant that my brakes would start to release even though I applied steady or even increased pressure on the pedal. I ended up missing my turn and turned at the next block. No harm done really, but this could also have had disastrous results if I had to make a sudden stop.

Recommend either Castrol LMA or Valvoline synthetic fluid. In this case, they are not least expensive, but they are the best for a critical system. You only need 1qt and it's $10 or $15.

[kevin347]

He showed me the pads when he took off the tires. Also one my friend's uncle who is car savy and works on his own cars showed it to me as well couple of months ago, so I guess Midas was kind of a second opinion..

Originally Posted by touringcamry

Did you inspect the pads yourself or did someone at Midas tell you your pads are worn? I once bought some tires and the guy told me my brake pads were shot and need immediate replacement.

I refused and went home. The guy was full of crap because when I pulled my wheels off, I saw the pads were less than 50% worn.

Just don't get the cheapest or costliest pads or rotors that you can find and you'll do fine regardless if they are Akebono, Hawk, Centric, Napa etc.

That said, don't go out and get racing pads either because they likely need to heat up before they work well. How you drive and stop on the street doesn't generate nearly as much heat as a car going around a track at high speed repeatedly.