OEM brake pads vs aftermarket pads?
OEM brake pads vs aftermarket pads?
So after reading and reading about brake pads on this site I still cannot decide what pads to go with. I am thinking of just sticking with OEM since they do provide enough bite for what I need since i don't track ever. What do you guys think? Should I go with an aftermarket pad or just stick to OEM since it's just a daily and I never track it?
If you can afford aftermarket then do it. Better braking means you'll be a little safer right? Peace of mind goes a long way. Plus they'll look better than stock. Do it. You know you want to.
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From: Long Island, NY
go with the oem pads if not racing on a track or no power upgrades.I've worked in a few used car dealers and had customers come back an complain about aftermarket pads making noise.We changed back to oem pads and never seen them again.
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The OE pads are priced reasonably, so if you like them I'd just stick with them. Any change in pad compound is going to be a trade-off in some form of pad wear speed, cold or hot braking performance, noise, dusting, rotor wear, etc. The OE ones did the job just fine for me so that's what I stayed with. Considered going with some Project-Mu pads but didn't think they'd be worth a slight increase in performance for double the price for normal street driving.
06 brake pads don't dust much at all. And because 06 brakes are bigger and beefier than the 03-05 brakes, you'll be just great sticking to OEM pads. Aftermarket pads dust more, and can sound like **** many times (usually because they're a rougher compound than OEM).
Are there any aftermarket pads, with just as good/better initial bite, and has good low dust?
I'd stay with OEM if you like it, but dusts a lot.
If you go with aftermarket most of the time they will not have a good initial bite.
I'd stay with OEM if you like it, but dusts a lot.
If you go with aftermarket most of the time they will not have a good initial bite.
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From: Sydney
Aftermarket often don't have a good initial bite because they tend to be geared towards working at higher temperatures and taking the punishment of carved grooves keeping them lively.
It's all a matter of what type of pad you buy rather than aftermarket vs oem in my experience.
If you buy a cold soft pad you'll normally get a much better street/daily driver experience, at the expense of more dusting and shorter life (which isn't a big deal at all if you clean your wheels often regardless).
OEM in the category of a Z tend to do well at the things that the performance unconcerned driver gives a damn about, low dusting, reduced noise, and ok cold response. Change anything and you have to trade off something else.
If all you do is normal street driving and you don't want to deal with dust, it'll be hard to beat OEM, you could find equivalent or only very slightly better at best. But if you want that from your pads, then you're the intended consumers for those and there's nothing wrong getting them on again
If you don't care about dusting then most cold pads will do better.
If you want an upgrade that compromises nothing and is worth doing brake lines are a good shot IMO, the stock ones are crappy and as squishy as it gets.
It's all a matter of what type of pad you buy rather than aftermarket vs oem in my experience.
If you buy a cold soft pad you'll normally get a much better street/daily driver experience, at the expense of more dusting and shorter life (which isn't a big deal at all if you clean your wheels often regardless).
OEM in the category of a Z tend to do well at the things that the performance unconcerned driver gives a damn about, low dusting, reduced noise, and ok cold response. Change anything and you have to trade off something else.
If all you do is normal street driving and you don't want to deal with dust, it'll be hard to beat OEM, you could find equivalent or only very slightly better at best. But if you want that from your pads, then you're the intended consumers for those and there's nothing wrong getting them on again
If you don't care about dusting then most cold pads will do better.
If you want an upgrade that compromises nothing and is worth doing brake lines are a good shot IMO, the stock ones are crappy and as squishy as it gets.
Aftermarkets last longer, make less noise, create less dust, and are cheaper...OEM pads are over priced and are crap. I'v obviously had nothing but bad experiences with OEM pads compared to aftermarket.
Front and Rear dealer is charging $138 but I get a 20% discount for being a club member so it would be $110 for the OEM pads for me. How much do the EBC's go for?
Last edited by Diesel350; Mar 16, 2009 at 09:11 AM.