Ceramic brake pad alternative: Bosch QuietCast (all 4 corners were <$100)
 

I've been running OEM pads, then Textar pads on my daily driven F. Twice a week, I clean off the brake dust and have dealt with it. I also deal with brake squeal on a daily basis when rolling through my parking garage at the office and slow rolling stops everywhere. It's embarrassing to be rolling by people in a very nice car, with brakes squealing like nails against a chalkboard!

Long story short, I did some research and figured that I would try out a product from a trusted auto parts company and see what the results are. I ordered a set of Bosch QuietCast pads for the fronts and rears last week and installed them with Silaramic hi-temp silicone, ceramic-fortified brake system grease. The pads looked of high quality out of the box and I was excited to see what they could do. On Amazon, the fronts were under $40 and the rears were about $50...with the grease being $15. All-in for just about $100. Ironically, there are only a couple of reviews for the pads on Amazon and they are GREAT reviews....and are done by multiple ISFers!

Longer story shorter, I installed the pads on Saturday and have not heard a squeal yet. Also, I have driven about 100 miles (including bedding process) and there is no visible dusting. I think I am in love with these pads, as now I can creep to a slow pace and enjoy the sweet sound of the V8...without the squeal of the brakes.

Performance wise, the immediate bite of the OEM pads when brakes are applied is not as apparent, but don't get me wrong....these are very capable pads. Granted, I don't track the car, but I enjoy the spirited daily driving experience...and I am not disappointed with what these bring to the table. I will report back in about 1000 miles, and/or if there are any developments to this experience.

https://www.boschautoparts.com/en/au...mic-brake-pads

My comments on these.

I put them on my car last fall. Initially I also found them to be quite good for street use but one of the major beefs I have is that they click and clang a lot. Every time I press on the brake pedal, I hear them click into place. One time I was driving slowly in a parking lot and a friend standing outside said he could hear the brakes clacking as I went over small bumps. I can hear it inside the car as well. Lately I have also noticed that they will emit a growling sound t very low speed/force like when backing out of a parking spot. The OEM pads make the same sound, except louder. The brake dust issue is definitely much less pronounced with these pads.
I also paid less than a $100 for these so in the end I would say they are acceptable. Next spring I might try using more grease to see if it quiets them down

Another clicking pad story. What the heck is it with pads clicking/clunking on this car? Is there something odd about the pins that hold the pads in place of the F? I’m still waiting on a replacement set of Mus because mine clunk so badly. I replaced the pins and clips and still they clunk. Very odd.

The clicking is very peculiar. I had a look at the brakes the other day when I had the wheels off and everything seemed nice and tight. The flat spring clips seemed quite secure and firm. The pads did not really move if I tried wiggling them. I even tapped the brakes with a rubber mallet and did not hear anything. It's certainly not readily apparent what causes these noises.

Here’s the video of Lexus mechanics diagnosing my clicking NS400 pads

That's exactly the same noises with the Bosch units in my car. Next time I have the wheels off I will try pushing the pads the same way as shown in the video.

Thanks for posting.

I also replaced pins and clips, but I used the silicone grease very liberally.....so hopefully that will aid in minimizing/eliminating the clunking.....

I will report back.

Is that a video of the fronts and rears? My rear NS400's do the exact same, going to go and check my fronts right now hehe!

Just fronts. The rears shift as well, but you can’t hear them as you can the fronts.

And if they didn't move, they'd seize in the calipers when they get hot. All pads have this motion, they have to.

Is the top spring installed correctly? Was it replaced when the new pads were installed (per the factory service manual)?

Thanks for the post. I think I'm probably going to give these a shot too. Even if they end up clicking I'd rather have that than squealing.

Mine clunk when I'm driving on the street when i go over bumps. Is that normal?

How do you know it is the pads making this noise?

The clunking noise happened after the rotor and pads got changed. I brought it back to the Indy shop that installed it and they verified that everything was installed correctly and that the issue seems to be the pads.

Did they replace the big flat spring on top of the pads? I am starting to wonder if this isn't the root cause of a lot of these because we never heard about this in the beginning, but are hearing a lot about it now that the cars are much older, and I know plenty of shops reuse the existing hardware to cut costs.