Park Ave. Brake Recommendations

Hello all! I found a thread from over a year ago that discussed replacement brake pads and rotors for the Park Avenue. I have a '96 that needs to have the front pads and rotors replaced. What are your guys' recommendations for the type and brand of pad & rotor combination to get a good brake setup without breaking the bank? I definitely know that Autozone brakes are NOT an option. :headshake

I have Advance Auto and NAPA available here locally.

Here is the original thread that I found:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/t900995-shaking_while_braking.html

Thanks!

I found a thread from over a year ago that discussed replacement brake pads and rotors for the Park Avenue. I have a '96 that needs to have the front pads and rotors replaced. What are your guys' recommendations for the type and brand of pad & rotor combination to get a good brake setup without breaking the bank?
I have Advance Auto and NAPA available here locally.
Here is the original thread that I found:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/t900995-shaking_while_braking.html

On my 03 I used Raybestos High Technology front rotors which I bought online from Advanced Auto Parts--they weren't in the local stores. I used GM Ceramic pads, which probably are made by Bendix I know. They were more expensive than over-the-counter Bendix, but I just wanted to do that. On the rear I had bought rotors at a local independent parts house that were made in the US and said PG on the somewhat generic box. They are serving me well for the rears. They were relatively cheap in price.

My one comment is that if you plan to keep the car beyond a few months, I suggest that you can't afford to go cheap. Going cheap means replacing sooner or finding problems with quality. Cheap parts often give trouble or lesser quality. I went cheap on my 98 with 170,000 miles last brake change for the front. Not very good, but I felt its life with me is not too long.

Best brake change on 98 was at 65000 when I put on new rotors (Raybestos), new original equipment level pads--not long life semimetallics nor ceramic, and new calipers instead of servicing or greasing up the old ones. Felt like a new car brake pedal. However, I should have changed the rear bands somewhere in there to help the brake feel. The original rears are still on the car. I did have the drums resurfaced at 140,000 or so.

Seeing as you say you have a NAPA store near you, I'd recommend you check into their Adaptive One brand of pads. More info can be found at this link (http://www.adaptiveone.com/). Awhile back I was looking for a good set of pads for a vehicle that would last a long time. I keep my vehicles until I drive them in the ground and asked for some recommendations from different colleagues in the business. (Figuring they see what works and doesn't in their shops.) A brand which kept coming up was Adaptive One. I tried it one one of my vehicles and was very pleased. I then used them on some others and intend to continue to replace my brakes with this brand in the future as my vehicles become ready for new brakes.

Being that that was my post I can give you an update on my brake change with the wagner pads/bendix rotor combo.

I have yet to warp the brakes. The pad have barely worn. I'm a kinda agressive driver and they have held up well. Also they don't create much brake dust and they're quiet :cool:. I hear my cheap duralast shoes in the rear when I first start driving but I hate doing the rear brakes so they'll stay on.

Don't cheap out on brakes it will bite you but you don't have to go cheap just somewhere in the middle. Expect to spend at least $100+ if doing the pad/rotor combo. I ended up spending $150. $50 for each rotor and $40 something for the pads

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the good feedback so soon.

I have been on the phone with NAPA and they offer their "Ultra Premium" pads and rotors that they say the local police department uses on their cars. The pads are a ceramic. The only statement against the ceramic was that they may squeal a little (not sure about that...).

I also called O'Reilly in the next town and they have a Wagner Rotor for about the same money as the NAPA Ultra Premium that they claim is thicker than their house brand. A co-worker of mine that does a lot of automotive work using O'Reilly parts recommended them or NAPA.

Any preference between the two? I am leaning toward the NAPA brakes for a total of about $200.

Bill

If you buy local, you pay sales tax + about 20% more than ordering online & having the parts shipped to your door. Brake pad/rotor technology is changing all the time and there have been many upgrades since the first post you linked.

Look at some of the other options @ RockAuto Parts Catalog (http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php) and you might find a better quality & price. Once again, I have never had a better brake rotor than Raybestos Advance Technology, or better pads than Raybestos QS; however,for comparison, I recently installed a set of 'Akebono' front ceramic pads and they seem to be equal to, or better than QS in stopping power. (still using the same ADT rotors for 2+ yrs) :grinyes:

HotZ28 - If I had a little more time, I would definitely look into the options you suggested.

I went ahead and got the NAPA "Adaptive One" pads and their "Premium" rotors as 97VentureOwner suggested. The NAPA guy commented that our local law enforcement groups use this combination on their squad cars all the time with great results. That seemed like about the best testimonial I could hear.

I will be doing the job this weekend. I'll post back to let everyone know how it went, both short term and long term (couple months). Thanks, you guys are great! :biggrin:
Bill

If you buy local, you pay sales tax + about 20% more than ordering online & having the parts shipped to your door.

That may be changing soon as many states are looking to increase their revenues and searching for new ways to do it. One of these ways is to tax online sales, even if the company doesn't have a bricks and mortar store in that state. Some online companies are trying to fight back, but I think if enough states jump on the bandwagon, you'll see some bill enacted to collect a tax on online sales nationwide.
Of course some companies may find a way around this by "discounting " your order in the amount of your state sales tax so they can keep you happy as a customer.

Update - Well, I installed the Adaptive One pads on the new NAPA Premium rotors. Very nice stopping now. No noise, no pulse, just good stopping ability. :biggrin: I'll update again in a couple months. I hope (and expect) that it will still be great.

Well, here it is three months later, and the brakes are still great! I have about 10K miles on them and they still feel as good as new. The NAPA combination is working great! :bigthumb: