Brake pads

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Black

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RockAuto has good prices on Ford Motorcraft pads. I use them and they've been very good. Hawk is another good USA manufacturer. You get what you pay for.

Does Hawk actually manufacture their pads here??? I can find no info on their site stating this.

Baer claims to be made in the USA. That is somewhat inaccurate. Their forginings for rotors and calipers are made in China and then the blanks are machined in the states.
Nothing about their pads are done in the states.

EBC pads are actually made in Cleveland and their rotors are made in the UK.

I understand we live in a day and age where getting fully made and assembled US products is very difficult, I still do my best to get as close as possible when I can.
 

Trainmaster

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You know, Black, Hawk was made here. I'd check now before I bought them again. They carry a premium price which I won't pay unless it's First World stuff.

Forgot about EBC... Top quality from what I've read.
 

TobyU

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rock auto.com is just another discount parts company and they sell decent parts. If you want the best peace of mind for a Ford, use OEM Motorcraft pads.

I have not used any pads or shoes form other than Brake Best from O'Reilly, WearEver from Advance and a couple of sets of Duralast from Autozone since about 1994!!
I get long life out of them and they work properly and you only have to buy the ONCE.
I see no reason to buy anything else, especially one with no lifetime warranty.

After getting scolded by another member here earlier this week I will share this quote from a member on the lincoln forum:
"I have a really noisy Motorcraft reman one on my car. Its awful but it works well and has been for years. I sort of wish it would die so I can replace it with one that doesn't sound like a dying air raid siren. The used original Ford one my friend gave me for the Continental is not audible above the engine under the hood."

A classic example why I have repeatedly told people you are usually better off with a nice looking lower mile factory original one from a junk yard than ANY reman and most new ones.

I come across as very opinionated -because I am- but I didn't just pull these opinions out of thin air or from what I read online.
I have been wrenching on, buying and selling, maintaining a fleet of personal and commercial business cars, MCI diesel pusher bus, fire truck, F350 with 44 mudders, 91 Ram Charger with 6in susp lift and 35s, 98 durango with 11 inch susp and 6 in body lift on 365/70-18s, 67 GTO running 11.70s, and a few other old classic cars and various trucks and daily drivers.....
since 1988.
I can guarantee you I have spent less money per mile by buying non oem parts (even if some didn't last quite as long) than if I would have bought OEM or went to Napa or Genuine or Main Auto Parts (in my area).

I don't get the I feel better because I spent $75 more for my brake job.
I feel GREAT when I can hear a wear indicator touching and I pull the wheels off and the calipers are free, the pins move with mere finger pressure, the piston goes in easily, and I only have to put a new set of pads on and it's good for several more years.
As far as brakes go, most when cars get older, do not wear out evenly or due to the miles of their lifespan being put on them.
Most end up with uneven or inner or outer pad wear from sticking caliper, pins, sliders, hose etc.
Even the best brakes are not going to give expected life when something else is shortening their life.

There are only a couple of things I have found to be too low of quality to bother with that brand.
 

Plati

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Different strokes for different folks. :) I would never allow my brakes to get anywhere near wear indicator. Replace way before that. I pretty much almost always put on new rotors when replacing brake pads. Depends on the vehickel and what its used for.

Reman brake pads? There is such a thing? Why? I guess if done right its ok though.

MrT ... You think Ford has one set of brake pads they put on a new vehickel and something different they sell as replacement part?

I upgraded to put bacon on my burger last night. Cost me an extra $1.25. Did I need it? No but I wanted it. Lol

Btw. I didn't say (or mean) that I felt better because I spent $75 more. That would be silly. I sometimes buy what I feel is a superior product that costs a bit more. No problem paying up for what I feel is a better product. Dollar signs do not run my life. Especially small numbers after the dollar sign. I understand how fortunate I am to be in that position.

Opinions are like azzholes.
Everyone has one and they all stink
That includes me
 
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TobyU

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I wasn't trying to single you out with the $75 remark I just recall it coming up a few days ago. It's just a common statement or idea you here often about people saying they spend more but they feel better about the quality.
My point is just that many times people are spending more on parts and the ones that cost more are made in China and no better then the ones that are cheaper.
I was referring to reman brake pads I was referring to other parts like AC compressors which of all gone downhill in the past 15 years.
If you have proof through experience that a certain thing is much better than others then I too would have no problem paying more for it. I do this into things in my life, Heinz ketchup and Paul Mitchell super clean styling gel. There is no substitute for Heinz Ketchup. Nothing tastes as good. I am a ketchup snob and will always by Heinz Ketchup. The Paul Mitchell styling gel is so many more times better than the cheap Brands like La looks or Dippidydo or whatever, but it only cost me two and three times more. I also use about four times less so cost per ounce it's less actually Less on a $10 to gel and it is on a three or four dollar bottle of Cheaper stuff.
As I said, I don't make this stuff up. If I were just yelling about buying the cheapest crap available that I would always want to buy and what others to buy the LA looks cheap gel but I have found through lots of personal experiences how this works.
It seems that most people replace the brake pads when do they start chirping if they have indicators or when they start grinding. Only a few people managed to be into the shop or get tires and someone notices and tells them their pads are getting low.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with allowing your brake pad to get down to the wear indicators and chirping. That is what they're there for and there is plenty of pad left when they start touching. As a matter of fact for years many of us have bent the tab out a little bit further because they give you too early warning.

I agree different strokes for different folks but people need to admit they do certain things just because it makes them feel better. However, they will often say that it is better to do something one way or it's the right way. This is simply not correct.
I will say this, the manufacturers have done as good as if not a better job of convincing people that their parts are so much better then otherssold by the company that made the car then the industry has for the past fifty years telling us that gas stations only make one two three cents on each gallon of fuel they sell. People will sit around and argue all day until they're blue in the face on both things and I'm telling you it's simply not always true.

Edit: If you almost always replace your rotors when you do brake pads then why would you not want to let them wear down further to get as much life as possible out of the parts you are going to replace?
I guess I'm just curious as to what reasons people have for their different methods I'm doing things. Sometimes people say things like it just makes sense, or others base it on logic, or others want the longest possible time they can between having to do with pears so they might buy higher-quality pads to try to give them longer life. This is why some people go with expensive synthetic oil so they can go longer between actually doing the oil changes. Other people use synthetic oil and still change at Short intervals, some as early as 3000 Miles, because they want the extra cleanliness and extra cushion of protection. They're not concerned with how often they have to change the oil or the price.

It's totally okay some people just have their personal preferences or want to do things their way because they like doing it that way better. The thing that bothers me is when people put things out there as fact that one way is the right way, or the best way to do something or that one brand is better than another brand without any actual proof or experience in comparing the brands over the years to see if that is actually the case.
 
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TobyU

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It's probably also worth noting that in the day, all brake shoes and pads remanufactured. They called them relined.
They all had a core charge just like water pumps and batteries starters and alternators. That is one way we did a lot better job recycling than we do today.
It wasn't long after disc brakes got super popular though that the cores went away.
Just another little example that might surprise some people. It always amazes me how people I think that the way they see the world now or for the past 20 years is the way it's always been in the way it's supposed to be. People act like certain things could have never been a different way and certain things can never happen in the future. Then they criticize others for being close-minded and judgmental....
 

Plati

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Hey .... Everybody have a great Easter Sunday and enjoy the important things in Life:cheers:
 

duneslider

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I haven't done brakes on the expy yet but on my jeep the best combo I have found yet is EBC pads and Centric rotors. No need in most cases for slotted or drilled rotors, just use quality rotors. Yellow EBC and centric rotors was a crazy improvement over stock on my jeep wrangler with big tires. I probably won't go with Yellows next time and stick with green or ultra duty light truck (orange I think). Yellow are too grabby and too dusty for my liking but stop better than anything I have ever used.

You should have the rotors turned (or replaced) every pad replacement.
 
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