Hi guys,

My brake pads are about to go. I'm already hearing them squeal and at times, i hear a grinding noise. =( My car is about hit 30k. Im going to have that 30k checkup and probably replace my brake pads then.

Where do you guys suggest i should go to replace my brake pads? I just want standard stock ones. Nothing track like or fancy.

thanks!

 

First, a good organic pad probably won't bite into the rotor as much as the factory pad, which is likely semi-metallic. These are pretty rough on the rotors. I just had EBC Greenstuff pads placed on my CAdillac CTS, and I notice a difference in the braking- feels much better. My Acura brakes are like new at 29K miles. The pads were $77 per axle from an aftermarket vendor (www.buybrakes.com). A general mechanic can work on the car, such as a Goodyear dealership (that's who I use, and I've never been disappointed). Plan on paying ~ $200/axle and maybe $50/axle if you need the rotors trued.

Note: The $200/axle should include the pads, as mine were $89/axle to install since I provided the Goodyear dealership with the aftermarket pads.

I'm sure Acura or Honda would charge quite a bit more.

By the way, I love the 'Why you never see Psychic wins lottery byline'

 

I highly recommend Hawk HPS pads. A lot of people have mixed reviews on them, but most of those guys are track whores and they are NOT track pads. They provide a lot more grip than most stock pads, aren't noisy, and aren't that dusty. Decent price too! There are tons of places you can get them from online.

 

^^

I've heard some of the opposite on the Hawk's - that they are noisy. Could be because of poor bed-in -

I recently put RB ET500 on the 2G and they seem very nice so far. Good stopping, no noise.

Call/E-mail Marcus at HeelToeAuto or Josh at Excelerate. They'll both give you good advice and a good price.

 

I have heard this too and I think that could be the case. I was VERY careful bedding mine in and made sure I did it proper. I know the HP+s are known to be very noisy as well, I was happy with the HPS's. I've heard great things about hte RB ET500s too

You may also want to check out Carbotech Bobcats. That's a great street pad, reasonably priced and can be used if you ever decide to autoX.

 

I personally tried the HAWK HPS pads and after 10k miles and countless bed-ins they keep squeaking. I couldnt take it anymore and ordered a set of Rotora ceramic pads

 

Those RB ET500, they're regular street pads correct, and if i decide to go with these, they should be fine on the 3g TL's?

 

I may just go with the Hawk HPS pads. Jurki, were they really noisy after 10k?

 

I installed a set of Raybestos Advanced Technology Ceramic pads and Raybestos Advanced Technology rotors yesterday on a Corolla. Although it wasn't a TL, the pedal felt much firmer with the new pads. I did not bleed/flush the system. There was also much better bite compared to the original pads. The edge code was FF, which is pretty good for a street pad.

The pads also used the NRS backing plate and the NU-LOK style shims. I think they are worth a consideration.

 

Where do you guys recommend i should go to buy the Hawks HPS pads. I'm gonna go with those ones. :-)

 

I get most of my parts from www.importrp.com, but then again I'm on first name basis.

 

They are "street performance" pads. Definetly not race pads.

For RB or Hawk, check with site vendors Excelerate and/or HeelToe. Prices are in line with many web stores, reliable delivery/service and they pay the bills and provide lots of tech advice here .... no brainer.

 

Cool! Thanks dude.

 

Do more research on Hawks. Coming from a Subaru where many AutoX...Hawk HPS have to be bedded properly to work right....and work at different temperatures than OEM. They may not work great in bad/wet weather. The pads need to heat up a bit to work well, when you start your car in the winter, you may not have a good brake pedal until a few miles.
I am looking into Wagner Thermoquiets.

 

I simply never experienced this with my HPS's, I'm not sure where you heard that. They gripped fine in all weather conditions. And really, ANY pad should be bedded properly, that's a no brainer. It's not hard to bed in pads & rotors. HP+ pads might be a different story, but I never had any problems with stopping power when wet, cold, warm or otherwise

 

my Hawks are taking forever to come in. My current brake pads are just about gone. All i hear is grinding noises and its soo loud. My car sounds like a broken toy. I am just afraid that it is ruining my rotors =(. My Hawks are scheduled to come in on Monday.

 

My Hawks finally came in today. I had my friend replace the pads for me. OMG, my front right pad were practically gone. No wonder i was hearing that noise consistently. What really sucks about it is that the inner side of the front right rotor is messed up. It's not smooth, when you run your finger through it, you feel roughness and rigid lines. I dont know why that particualy one went out faster than the other. I dont' even brake hard at all.

What do you think i should do about the rotor? Should i get all new rotors for the front or just have someone resurface them?

right now my new pads are in because i had no other choice. The sound went away, but you can hear it VERY slightly where the rotor is messed up when i brake...

 

OMG Get a NEW rotor on there today!
get a set actually- but you are destroying the brand new pads on the trashed rotors- grooving is bad- it means you wore the pads way way down,