Brakes

[Guest]

Front brakes are startin to squeal a bit, and at hard stops a little bit of grinding , barely noticeable. Do you guys think its time for new pads ?

 

[Guest]

I hate when the breaks start to squeal so I would definitely change them. How many miles? DO you tow? Those two things will dictate how long your brakes will last. As for replacements I would go with a cermic pad. I have used napa and pep boys brands and I like the pep boys better. The dust is low on the napa pads but the dust is black whereas teh dust from the pb pads was a light brown. The real plus is they don't squeak. Just my .02

 

[rwinch]

I agree with kschaper, cermics are great with the low dusting. I used Raybestos brand. Unfortunately, while working great with the '98 EB alone, I found them slightly lacking in stopping power when fully loaded and pulling a trailer. I also changed to Brembo rotors at the same time (OEM type, not slotted or cross drilled).

In any case, ALWAYS resurface the rotors when changing pads, and ALWAYS change in pairs. Use quality components and you can't go wrong.

 

[Guest]

Originally posted by rwinch
Unfortunately, while working great with the '98 EB alone, I found them slightly lacking in stopping power when fully loaded and pulling a trailer.

That's interesting. I felt I had better stopping power. I changed them out on my lightning and my explorer. Could have been in my head or the original brakes could have been that bad. Good thing about ceramic is it is more resistant to heat and therefore you won't get the brake fade as bad or so my sister says.

 

[Guest]

I have considered trying the ceramic pads. But when I have questioned a few different mechanic shops such as Firestone and Goodyear and got the same answer from both of them. They said yes they work good and less dust. But you will wind up replacing them more often than standard brake pads. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[Guest]

I dont tow or anything with my Expy whatsoever . Last summer was the last time i replaced my pads on the front along with new front rotors . Just did the same to the back a few months back. I did live in El Paso Texas when they were replaced last summer . I always had a problem there with my pads and rotors because the rotors constantly overheated in the 100 + degree weather. I was told that causes pre mature wear. I can't knock them though because right after last summers replacement I took a trip to Ohio , then back to Texas then back to Ohio again permanently . And this all happened in a month . So they have withstood some abuse. I'm about to take a little trip with the family to Cedar Point in Sandusky so the front pads are going to get changed as long with an oil change and new front tires.