Im sorry but I search the thread but it only gives me a bunch of names and suggestions..

Im lazy and don't know a lot about brake pads..

I am basically asking for you guys to post links where I can buy really good brake pads...My TSX is a daily driver and mostly in stop and go traffic and its 2009

 

I'd try tirerack.com or acuraoemparts.com. Aftermarket brakes (pads and rotors) are usually better than oe. Hit up tirerack. At one point they had A decent deal on Brembo rotors an what not. I like ceramic pads. Good stopping and less brake dust. Also you can try your local auto store like autozone, o'reillys, an advance.

EDIT: Im not sure what the material is in the oe pads. I know I'd go with ceramic pads for simple everyday driving. Absorbs heat, good braking, best of all less brake dust!

 

Go to autozone and tell the guys your make and model.
they'll sell you brake pads.

 

^ be careful tho. Buying cheap pads can cause more damage than good. You'll end up buying another set sooner than you think. $20 can get you a set no problem, but you'll change them or wear them down within months. Ask me how I know.

Btw Justn I got an xmas list for you, next time you hit up the galleria.

 

^ Yeah thats why I don't want to just go to autozone I want something dependable...

 

You don't have to spend an arm an a leg on pads. Human body parts are expensive

Jokes aside lol, when I had my last car I spent ~$35 on some ceramic pads from my local o'reillys an they were great!! Didn't wanna go cheaper or semi-matallic material. I just wanted great, quiet, clean braking.

EDIT: Autozone and other local auto stores have plenty of choices in pads that range in prices. You just have to buy what fits your driving. Can't buy cheap pads and expect them to hold up in hard driving. No point in buying expensive pads if your not using them to their full potential like say at the track. Btw does anyone know what material the oe pads are??

 

Look, you said all you do is daily drive with traffic.

autozone pads are perfect for you.
they will not fail.

go ahead and spend 150 on a set of pads that you wont even utilize.

 

^^ Im not planning to go nuts, Just want something dependable I dont wanna go cheap and replace them after a month..

Yes its for DD but I still want something above the average

 

Just get you some quality pads then. I paid $35 for a set of ceramics from o'reillys for the front and 2 new rotors (same brand as the pads) for. $35ea. Best $112 I spent in maintenance. The only reason I needed new rotors because mine were warped. Definitely noticeable getting off the interstate. I didn't worry about the rears because rotors/pads were in great shape. Just go simple like some ceramic pads, they fit pretty much everyones driving style an come readily available on many cars. I like them because the brake dust is minimal AND it's also lighter.

EDIT: I also got a discount for my parts too. Just buy the pads, install them, break em and forget about them. you won't need to change them anytime soon, granted that your rotors have enough life an haven't reached their minimal thickness. Rule of thumb: never buy new rotors an use old pads. Causes uneven wear. You can always use new pads with used rotors though as long as they're in good shape.

Now if I still would've had that car I'd probably would've changed ALL my brakes the earliest would've been 2013. Your type of driving you should easily get 3-4 yes or up to 60k miles on new pads an rotors. I put 50k miles on my rear pads but that wasnt nothing considering the front does all the work and I'm not driving in gay Houston rush hour traffic. Lol

 

I would at least look at eBay. I see Powerstop ceramics for $29.99, Bendix ceramics for $38.99 or exact OE pads from Beck/Arnley for $69.36 any of which are good quality pads.

 

I bought a set of Hawk Performance Ceramic (fronts) from heeltoe for around $60 when they had it on clearance. Heard they were pretty good and my cousin has them on his turbo RSX.

 

BTW does anyone know what material the OE pads are?

 

I've bought pads and rotors from tirerack numerous times. Decent prices also.

 

I have only had my '11 TSX for about a month now and I believe my brakes are slightly different the '09-'10 versions. I also know there were some problems with pre-mature pad wear on the TSX's and Accords. With that said, I feel compelled to weigh in here given some experience I had with aftermarket friction manufacturers at my previous job. Take it or leave it but it's my two cents. When my brakes go I plan to replace with OEM even if they wear quicker than I would like.

I used to work for a company that was trying to develop ceramic brake rotors and additives for ceramic brake pads.

Be VERY careful about what pads you switch to. I spent time with companies like Performance Friction, Wellman Friction Products, and even Brembo. I learned that automotive manufacturers spend at LEAST $1MM validating the braking systems on a new vehicle prior to a launch. This is because, on average, the most common complaint on a new car is noise or vibration in the braking system. (I know, so how they missed the premature brake wear doesn't make sense! The only thing I can think of is that they tested more for general friction characteristics than long-term wear?)

After seeing tons of braking test data on a dyno I am now very weary about putting aftermarket brake pads on any vehicle I am driving. The aftermarket guys don't spend $1MM testing their formulation on EVERY car. Odds are they pick a common vehicle (like a Ford Taurus or a Chevy Impala). The driving dynamics vary not only from vehicle to vehicle but within trim levels of a car depending on drivetrain, suspension, and even wheel configurations. No one single brake formulation compensates for this.

Think about it this way, if you go to Napa and buy their Gold series pads, do you really think they could design it to work perfectly on a Ford Taurus, an Acura TSX, an SUV, and a sports car? An aggressive formulation for a 2.5 ton SUV would cause our TSX to screech to a halt

Millions of people put average brake pads on their vehicles every year. And for most people that is fine. So ultimately, do what you think is best for your car. But after seeing test data of one brake pad formulation on multiple vehicle setups I was completely turned off from aftermarket brake pads. This car is light so you may never really know the difference. But in an emergency situation I would hate the idea of having brake fade.

I vote for sticking with the OE setup. Most of the time you can look up test results from car magazines. I like the idea of knowing what the car will do everytime. Just my two cents... Honestly, it's your car and you should do what you want to. But I felt that I would be remiss if I saw this post and did not share my professional experience. Needless to say, it was not the right space for me and I left that company.

 

I have always had good luck with Hawk on the track. I also had good luck with the pads StopTech sent me with their BBK for my civic on track and on the street.

 

Very interesting and great points. I've been a proponent of oem brake parts as well for several years now. Your thoughts certainly reinforce that.

Beside pad quality there is the very important compatibility factor imho of the pads AND rotors. Every pad is going to work differently with every type rotor. I believe the oem pads AND rotors will work the best together. In many cases you might be paying a bit more but as you point out the setup has been tested.

 

I spent the last weekend doing my brakes on my 1G TSX. I replaced the front and rear rotors with Centric blanks, and put on Hawk HPS pads. Also flushed the brake fluid. After all that work I came to the conclusion that.... i didn't need to do all that work! Specifically, I should have kept the rotors. Yes the originals were worn (in some spots they were wavy) but they were not warped. But I'm an engineer and a little anal so I wanted new rotors. In hindsight the old ones would have been fine. The HPS pads do dust more then the OEM's. They have decent stopping power but I think the OEM's would have stopped me at the red light just as well as the HPS.

The BEST thing I did was flush/replace the brake fluid. It was the original 6 year old stuff and was dark in color.

If I were you just get the OEM pads, and flush/replace your brake fluid and call it a day. It will save you a lot of time and money and it will stop your car just fine.

 

It's been my experience that from a performance perspective, Honda brakes are a weak point. Definitely the case with the TSX V6. I went through two sets of front rotor/pads prematurely on my TLS. The rotors kept warping in spite of religious lug nut torquing. I finally ended up with Power Alloy Cryo-Treated Slotted Rotors Front/Brembo Rear with Akebono ProACT Ceramic Pads along with a fluid change. They perform much better than stock. After 35K, no fade, no warping, and low dust. So far I have not felt any warp induced pulsing with the TSX but the fade during panic stops from high speed is scary. I'm going after-market as soon as they wear out.

 

+1 on the weak brakes from Honda. Before I got StopTechs on my civic I would go home with all my calipers blown each time I did a track event.

 

Why don't you guys provide the links to the products along with what you're saying?

 

I did. I told OP to check out tirerack.com.

 

Like AcuraDude I purchased all components from TireRack.

 

http://stores.ebay.com/ChasinParts/_...sid=1047299915

 

www.stoptech.com

 

^ lol