Hi everyone!

It's time for me to change my front brake pads. I just got service and I have about 30% left on my front brake pads, so I'm shopping for them now.

This is the first time I am changing the brakes since I bought the car three years ago. I know the OEM brand is Akebono, but I would like another brand with a little more stopping power. Any suggestions on brand/type, etc??

I have a 2005 ES330 for those who do not know me. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

For a 'little more' stopping power, i have been informed by numerous sources that you cannot go wrong with 'Hawk HP' pads. And couple with OEM rotors. I will be getting a set next year when it comes time to change it up.

 

For normal daily driving, I doubt you will see any benefit using "better" brake pads. You are better off with:

- better tires
- driving more defensively
- learn threshold braking

If you still have 30% life left, I wouldn't worry about it until it reaches 1mm from brake pad indicator.

 

Ceramic seems like the fancy ones these days. I still have OEM on mine. I am very happy with the very little amount of brake dust they produce. That seems to be the problem with the other cars I have. I just buy Autozone's brake pads and they are terrible. Brake dust everywhere, make noise, etc.

 

Wagner Thermo Quiet.

 

Get Hawks HPS pad + Brembo blank (cheaper than OEM) and you are all set. No noise, low dust, great stopping power.

 

Hawk HPS Street or EBC Geeen pads. Both WILL leave more brake dust then the OEM pads though, but have better stopping power with basically no other downsides.

I personally use cheap AutoZone rotors, as it's the pad, and NOT the rotor that makes the most difference.

I'm using Brembo Pads and cheap AutoZone rotors on my car, and had my car on the track 2 weeks ago, and they worked great.

 

the best brake pads you can possibly get are the stock ones, for the type of driving that you do. but, there are a number of things that come up:

1) are you having a problem now?
or
2) are you just hoping to have more braking available than you already have for that one emergency situation you dread will happen one day?

please, honestly answer as best you can.

secondly, when you brake pad finally should be replaced [about 1mm, or about a penny's thickness], which you'll know after measuring them or hearing the squealers .... it's imperative that the rotors are inspected as well as the suspension. (A) if the rotors can be cut, go for it, especially if you were having bad vibrations on braking on the highway type situations [correlated to question 1 above). (B) if they can not, then buy good quality rotors, figure to spend about 40 to 50 dollars [online] per rotor, or more. Try to avoid drilled rotors especially, and slotted rotors - stick with normal rotors [which are , as stock is, ventillated] and if possible those with a permanent coating to prevent rust.

more info after you get back with answers on my questions for you ........

 

thanks guys for all your suggestions and input. I visited my family in Va for Thanksgiving and my dad changed my brakes for me as an early Christmas gift. He even changed all my filters for me and rotated my tires. He put OEM brake pads on and since all of it was at no cost to me, I can't complain :-)

 

all original equipment brakes can lock wheels which is to say, you can overcome the ability of the tires to have traction. so, you're looking at repeated ability to do hard stops [road course] or something else IF you want something other that OE style .... but not to be able to stop faster since to be repetitious , stopping faster relies on the ability of the tires, especially on a es 300. that is affected by the tires, inflation, temperature, road surface, ABS or similar system, car weight distribution, car weight, and finally suspension design and function.

hopefully he changed the brake fluid, too.

is your car stopping, now, satisfactorily or better than you expected?

i am happy for you that your dad was so nice. keeping the es 300 on the road for along time will result with good treatment, and who would give your car better treatment, besides you, than your dad?

 

We have our own auto repair shop and my dad has been a mechanic his whole life, so I'm sure he did every thing correctly.

I have an ES330 and the new brakes feel great.