Are these brakes decent?
 

Hey guys! I have a 2014 Acura TSX.. I really hate the stock breaks. The back pads were worn out when I bought it 6 months ago. I replaced those and now the front brakes are squeaking. I have to push down really hard on them and I am pretty sure they are waisting gas.

I want performance breaks but I don't need anything fancy, like Brembos, because I am only at about 208hp right now. A friend of mine suggested this brand. I found a great deal on them, and I just wanted to see what you guys think about this brand.

I think it is perfect, and they have great reviews. They were also suggested by a guy who loves modding cars.


Edit : here are the same ones that fit my model

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/acurazi...044fd6eb6e.png


Thanks!

Moved to TSX forum.
i would stick to slotted only rotors.
Most drilled rotors crack. Unless you're doing serious auto crossing stick to slotted.

@Matt Lumpkins, those brakes won't do diddly to improve your stopping distances (your tires are the limiting factor here); just go with a nice set of Centric rotors and good quality pads and you'll be good to go.

Hi Matt. This was my experience: https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...please-970881/. I also agree with horseshoez about the importance of tires. I bought new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires when I did my brakes. Very pleased. Excellent stopping power, but not grabby.

Power stop is fine. But like others have said, go with blanks, or slotted at most. Drilled are flashy but even the pro's rarely use them for racing. And yes, Tires > Brakes all day long.

I'd buy a cheap set of blank rotors and choose a pad that works better with less pedal effort.

Rotors are just rotors.

I like to use blank rotors with an anti corrosion coating.
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Drilled/slotted ones are fine for looks. But the cost goes up...and I wouldn't buy ultra cheap drilled rotors. I really doubt you'll crack a decent set of drilled rotors on the street. Drilled rotors don't help with cooling. Slots kind of do....but idk why this would matter on a street car...

Pads make the biggest tangible difference in braking.

I didn't like the Z23 pads. They're nothing special in terms of initial bite. I guess they're "high temp" capable?

You don't need or want a high temp pad for a street car, though. There's no point.

I like to use a normal, off the shelf semi metallic pad, as they offer the best brake feel and response, and cold friction. More effective braking with less pedal effort. BUT they have a fairly short life and lots of dust. Centric Posi quiet semi metallic or Stoptech STREET (same thing) are good semi metallic options.

If you want long lifespan, ceramic is your best bet...but they offer the lowest performance in terms of brake response. They will take more foot effort to create the same friction. They are also prone to leaving deposits on rotors and creating pulsations. People call this "warping" of rotors. Ceramic pads are likely to cause this. Akebono makes *decent* ceramics. Nobody makes *good* commercial ceramics, IMO.

NAO pads are either absolute garbage or brilliant. Lots of dust, but it washes off easy. They also require a little more pedal effort as compared to semi metallics...but they're not usually as bad as ceramic. Decent life span too. Stoptech SPORT works well.

Hybrid pads are a bit rare. But they probably offer what you're looking for. They dust a lot...but it washes off. I like Raybestos EHT's.

I ended up just getting some basic ceramic brake pads.

They had Brembo brake pads ... but those wont work unless I get the whole kit right?

Well a guy at Auto Zone said he would do my brakes and he said they don't even need to be replaced.

So.. Why is it squeaking and making weird noises?

AutoZone? :facepalm:

Brake noise and break wear are not correlated. Simple fact of life.

Not sure what you mean by needing a full kit to use Brembo pads. If Brembo makes pads for your calipers and you want them, get them; it matters not if you have Brembo rotors and/or Brembo calipers.

TSX never came equipped with brembo calipers..
he has to stick with whatever is OEM......


now to the OP, when someone tore into your brakes and noticed enough meat on the pads; then yes, they dont need to be changed...
lube everything up and put it back together.

Understood, however, Brembo brake pads are available for some non-Brembo calipers.

Better is a relative term. If you want ceramic pads, then you're probably out of luck because most Brembo pads I've seen are organic and/or semi-metallic (which I prefer over ceramics).

Too funny, I just looked up pads made by Brembo made for the TSX and they are in fact a ceramic composite pad. Sorry, my bad.

Hence the fact I prefer Organic/Semi-Metallic pads.

Nice! Maybe I can get a set of duralast semi-metallic and see how they work out? And if they wear out fast, but are more responsive, I can at least know, and have my ceramics as a back up?

Nah. I will just get those next time. haha.

I didn't like...type an entire post out explaining that this would happen or anything lol

Did the installer clean all the shipping grease/oil off the rotors using brake cleaner?

Also....

Ordering pads that improve braking would have been worth the wait, perhaps, eh?

sigh...


you's a hot mess Matt .. :doh:

Nope, i'm just equating you to the character Jim Carrey plays.

I think heeltoe and xlr8 sell the pads I recommended, no?

Otherwise, rockauto is a good place to look. I suggested brands in each category.

Did you buy new rotors already? Were they clean?

Yeah. Stoptech 308 STREET's are like $35. Low risk if you hate them (I think you'll like them).

I believe you're kinda avoiding the rotor question....but I would strongly recommend that you pair the new pads with new rotors. Pick a rotor. I think Rockauto has good deals on Stoptech GCX coated rotors too. I think the whole thing should cost ~$100 for all 4 wheels (pads/rotors).

Well, I guess it is because I had my brakes changed about 4 months ago or less.. And they said the rotors are fine.. And the guy who tried to replace the brake pads said that the pads still have a lot of life on them.. So I dont know, I guess my rotors are good?

You might be ok.

New rotors is the best bet still. But 4 months is pretty new...

I read his comments to say, "four months ago the pads were changed, the rotors were left on the car as they weren't at minimum thickness yet."

Said another way, yeah, I agree, change the rotors.

Matt, the issues you describe, coupled with the fact you bought your car second hand, are the very reasons I would service all four corners together. Your excessive pedal effort could be caused by a few different things, which is another reason to do all 4 corners at one time. Trust me, you'll find surprises. Never know what the last guy did/had done at a greasy shop. Furthermore, it is my experience that Honda/Acura vehicles that live in "corrosion states" oftentimes have issues where rust causes the brake pads to hang up in the brackets, caliper slide pins stick, etc. All of which lead to increased pedal effort, poor braking performance, uneven brake wear, noise, etc. etc. etc. I cannot emphasize enough on doing all 4 at one time in order to rectify any mechanical or hydraulic issues with the braking system.

The verdict: Get a good set of pads & rotors for the front and the rear; and replace them all at one time. I strongly recommend Centric Posi Quiet pads, and Centric coated rotors. I ran them for years on my EP3, as well as our CR-V. As others have stated, unless you get UHP tires, you will not decrease stopping distances by simply upgrading the brakes. If you really feel the need to "upgrade" I recommend either Stoptech or Hawk. Do not get track pads, they suck on the street. Stoptech Street pads or Hawk HPS 5.0 paired with slotted rotors would be an excellent street performance upgrade.

Funny that nobody has mentioned brake fluid.

I replaced my rear brake pads with Wagnar didn't last 14K miles 10 months I guess you can say they have the wear pin out too much because mine was rubbing on the rotor when there was enough pad. Luckly I got it warranted on Amazon.