Anyone ever use powerstop slotted rotors/pads

[JimmyM]

I pulled off the ceramic pads and put on Hawk LTS. Talk about a difference maker! Can actually stop when the brakes are cold. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have the luxury of bringing my brake pads up to temperature before I need them.

And the Hawk LTS aren’t very dusty either.

That's all I use on my trucks now. I love them. Good cold bite and I've never had them even hint at fade. I'll never use another pad.

 

[07navi]

Around here it is usually in the thirties during the day all winter and below freezing at night. I need brakes I can depend on with little or no dust.

 

[TobyU]

I’ve had ceramic and hated them. Drive on the highway for awhile, exit and hit the brakes while on the off ramp....... and it felt like it took way more pressure to get it to stop. Cold ceramic pads = horrible cold bite. If the pads were warmed up, they did OK. So I guess you’re correct when you say ceramic pads “create less friction”. But friction is what’s needed to stop a vehicle.

But they do keep the wheels cleaner.....

I pulled off the ceramic pads and put on Hawk LTS. Talk about a difference maker! Can actually stop when the brakes are cold. I don’t know about you, but I don’t always have the luxury of bringing my brake pads up to temperature before I need them.

And the Hawk LTS aren’t very dusty either.

Lower dust is only good thing I ever noticed about them.

They usually squeal like a bus coming to a stop at some point in their life for a good long while.
Some a few days to weeks after install, some wait a few months. Some will do it for days or weeks then quit.
NEVER had semi metallic squeal but many ceramic.

 

[07navi]

I like simi metallic, cheaper and better.

 

[762mm]

When picking brake pad brands, you have to pick the right ones... not just the cheapest. I like Bendix myself, they are the top of the line. I hear Akebono are really good too.

Out here in Canada it can get really cold in the winter, let me tell you... and I've never had any problems with the ceramic brake pads. If there is a difference in braking distance, it's minimal. If extreme cold is a problem, you can warm them up a bit before coming to a stop by riding your brakes for a second or two. Unless it's an "emergency stop" of course, lol.

And yes, in my experience the quality ceramic pads lasted me 4x longer on my Explorer than the semi-metallic Monroe or whatever else I used to get. I stopped changing rotors at every brake job too, as the ceramics don't bite into them. None of them have EVER made any noise, unless they were worn to the bone after several years. I install the same stuff on all our family trucks / SUVs and don't hear anyone complaining, btw...

 

[Trainmaster]

I've always like the Hawk, they saved my Excursion when every other pad seemed to warp the rotors. Now I can't get them so I just use Motorcraft ceramics. The metallic ones make a mess of my wheels and beat up the rotors for me.

I agree with 762mm 100% in his assessment. I've used Bendix on other cars and they're fine too.

And I've found that cheap rotors do indeed warp. Get a dial indicator, spin them around and check them. They warp.

 

[TobyU]

When picking brake pad brands, you have to pick the right ones... not just the cheapest. I like Bendix myself, they are the top of the line. I hear Akebono are really good too.

Out here in Canada it can get really cold in the winter, let me tell you... and I've never had any problems with the ceramic brake pads. If there is a difference in braking distance, it's minimal. If extreme cold is a problem, you can warm them up a bit before coming to a stop by riding your brakes for a second or two. Unless it's an "emergency stop" of course, lol.

And yes, in my experience the quality ceramic pads lasted me 4x longer on my Explorer than the semi-metallic Monroe or whatever else I used to get. I stopped changing rotors at every brake job too, as the ceramics don't bite into them. None of them have EVER made any noise, unless they were worn to the bone after several years. I install the same stuff on all our family trucks / SUVs and don't hear anyone complaining, btw...

It could also be your breaking style and driving Style. I don't think you'd find that many people that get four times a life out of ceramic pads. Maybe 1.6 two about two-and-a-half times but that's about it.
I had a friend who drove an 86 Pontiac Parisienne station wagon for many years and he got unbelievable life out of the brake pads. I come to find out later it wasn't just a car it was his breaking Style.
Not every car is the same but he like to wait till the last minute and break very hard.
I think on most of the cars he drove which were fairly large body heavy vehicles , he wasn't nearly taxing them or even pushing limits of their breaking ability by doing this but in effect he use the brakes a lot less. Sure he was building up increased heat when he stopped but he was applying pressure for a far shorter distance and far fewer returns. So he wasn't wearing off the pads and rotors like some people would be to do a medium or a very soft long stop.
He still has this car by the way and drives it a good number of times each year to keep it fully operational and in good shape.
It used to be a Woody Wagon and I helped him strip off the vinyl contact paper on the sides before he had it painted.
It is jet black with a tan bottom and hand-painted matching pinstripe with graphics and a set of unbelievable gorgeous chrome wheels. It has a sound system that I think would move it down the street if you wanted to turn off the engine.

 

[07navi]

When picking brake pad brands, you have to pick the right ones... not just the cheapest. I like Bendix myself, they are the top of the line. I hear Akebono are really good too.

Out here in Canada it can get really cold in the winter, let me tell you... and I've never had any problems with the ceramic brake pads. If there is a difference in braking distance, it's minimal. If extreme cold is a problem, you can warm them up a bit before coming to a stop by riding your brakes for a second or two. Unless it's an "emergency stop" of course, lol.

And yes, in my experience the quality ceramic pads lasted me 4x longer on my Explorer than the semi-metallic Monroe or whatever else I used to get. I stopped changing rotors at every brake job too, as the ceramics don't bite into them. None of them have EVER made any noise, unless they were worn to the bone after several years. I install the same stuff on all our family trucks / SUVs and don't hear anyone complaining, btw...

Warming them up before you come to a stop is like having the safety on the gun in your nightstand and the magazine out of it.

 

[JExpedition07]

I’ll never go back to semi-metallic pads, ceramic pads are much better. Inferior performance with stupid amounts of dust with the old semi metallics.

 

[TobyU]

I’ll never go back to semi-metallic pads, ceramic pads are much better. Inferior performance with stupid amounts of dust with the old semi metallics.

I will agree that there is more dust and some brands are worse than others but I have never noticed any inferior performance on any Vehicles brake system.
I see posts about this all the time and I just shake my head. Unless you're towing something very heavy I don't see how a factory brake system can't be more than adequate.
I've even washed a good number of comparison test and aftermarket or high performance pads rarely give much increase in stopping distance. There's very little difference there. And things like longevity, rotor erosion, brake fade under extended hard stopping...are where the differences are, but I have experience brake fade over twice in my life maybe three times and I have driven and owned hundreds a vehicle's. Maybe cracking a thousand now.

 

[762mm]

Like anything in life, I guess the best brake pad types are dependent on the person and what they want. Ceramic pads worked very well for me and the rest of my family. The caveat is that the Expedition is heavier than the cars / trucks /SUVs we've had in the family, so *maybe* there will be a difference and ceramics will suck on this truck, I don't know...

For now it still has the police-type SSV pads on it, which are semi-metallic I believe. I will probably swap them out for Bendix ceramic pads in a not-so-distant future.

As for my braking style, it is true that I tend to be hard on the brakes... I brake at the last moment and take off fast from a stop too. Probably something to do with my emergency driving training and having driven cars / SUVs in stop and go manner for a living, lol!

 

[sub0cool]

I have them on my 2010. Factory rotors warped so I gave these a try. No complaints. I’ve put 60k miles on the rotors without any warping.

 

[sub0cool]

I have them on my 2010. Factory rotors warped so I gave these a try. No complaints. I’ve put 60k miles on the rotors without any warping.

 

[Machete]

I had them on my 1st gen Expy. After a year the rotors warped. Now I have motorcraft. 3years and not a shudder.

 

[Hulkster]

Im buying these the factory Motorcraft are warped. I hear alot of good things and also hear up north ice gets into the whole and slots causing issues. Im in Texas and I see other expys with them without any issue. I dont care about brake dust due to me always cleaning my cars so will update soon.

 

[07navi]

I have them on my 2010. Factory rotors warped so I gave these a try. No complaints. I’ve put 60k miles on the rotors without any warping.

Had what? Do you know what rotors are?