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Need new breaks, any recommendations?

1K views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  stevesrt8 
#1 ·
In need of new breaks i can literally feel them grind sometimes when i hit the break slightly when parking & they are VERY squeaky. any recommendations? nothing too expensive but nothing cheap lol
 
#3 ·
The pads you buy from the mfgr are rarely the same pads that came on your car.

Use a top of the line pad. Autozone's Gold pads are excellent ceramic pad that is smooth, quiet, and cheap. Akebono are some of the best but a bit pricey.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Really! I thought my dealer would put on OEM brake shoes and disk rotors. Anyhow, I agree that they are damn good and last a long time, and are smooth and quiet for a long time but... I have the so-called rotor warping problem after 25K miles or thereabouts. I gather the rotors do not actually warp, and that this is really a materials problem. Do the Autozone's Gold pads migrate onto the disk rotor and cause uneven or even shakey response? If they don't, then I think I could get away with just replacing the pads since my rotors become smooth again after a few very vigorous applications of the brakes.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I think that what Steve alludes to is the "value line" replacement parts sold by dealers. They are cheaper than the OEM items and often of inferior quality in order to compete with the AutoZones of the world. For instance, I bought replacement windshield wipers from my dealer that I rejected as not OEM quality. The counter man then produced the real item at a few bucks more and explained the "value line" concept to me.

If you go with dealer parts be sure they are original Chrysler of original spec. BTW I don't think our car used ceramic pads as standard. Do not go with ceramic before educating yourself on the pros and cons of changing over. I put AutoZone Gold ceramics on my Jag XK and they were quite different in character. Given what I expected out of that Jag it was no problem but I would NOT put ceramics on my 2012 Chrysler 300c. The 300 has remarkable blend of ride, handling, performance and quietness that I really appreciate. If you are of a similar mind be careful screwing around with it.
 
#6 · (Edited)
I think that what Steve alludes to is the "value line" replacement parts sold by dealers. They are cheaper than the OEM items and often of inferior quality in order to compete with the AutoZones of the world. For instance, I bought replacement windshield wipers from my dealer that I rejected as not OEM quality. The counter man then produced the real item at a few bucks more and explained the "value line" concept to me.
I'll bet you're right. BTW the same darn thing happened to me with the stupid value line windshield wipers. ;)

BTW I don't think our car used ceramic pads as standard. Do not go with ceramic before educating yourself on the pros and cons of changing over. I put AutoZone Gold ceramics on my Jag XK and they were quite different in character. Given what I expected out of that Jag it was no problem but I would NOT put ceramics on my 2012 Chrysler 300c. The 300 has remarkable blend of ride, handling, performance and quietness that I really appreciate. If you are of a similar mind be careful screwing around with it.
Interesting. OK, on your recommendation I'll eschew the ceramic brake shoes. What do they do on your Jag? Noisy?

And if not ceramics, do you have any recommendation on brake shoes that won't migrate into or onto the rotors and cause uneven braking?
 
#7 · (Edited)
The pros and cons of ceramic brakes have filled the automotive forums of all brands for years. I'll give you my unprofessional take on the subject. If you expect high performance situations or high heat situations the ceramics have less fade, last longer and work better. The trade off is a harder peddle before the brake components warm up together with a less modulated feel to the peddle in most conditions and they are harder on the disks. That last one is questionable as I did not see inordinate disk ware. For guys who want a more aggressive character to their car short of all out road racing, semi ceramic or semi metallic pads are available.

I have no opinion as to what suits your needs re to pads, but if you are not satisfied with the OEM setup on your car perhaps the semi ceramic/metallic are in order. I understand that Northern VA traffic can be hard on brakes. For me, at 35,000 miles with no noticeable brake ware/issues I think I'll stick with the OEM stuff (whatever it is) when the time comes. AutoZone/Advance has 3 or 4 levels of pad available. Ceramic at the top and on down and all reasonably priced. I think they deal in Wagner brand as well.
 
#8 ·
As an aside, note that I love Stoptech's proprietary blend on my SRT8. But SRT brakes are huge and rarely get hot unless at the road course.

For a regular 300C I still like those Gold pads from Advance. I have put them on a Silverado and a couple of HD service vans, plus my son's Yukon. They are smooth and quiet, with a nice feel. I would not call them aggressive at all. Ceramic is actually over used now as a marketing term, some may only have a percent or two yet still be sold as ceramic.

Remember that pads are like ice cream, over a million flavors! And if you fret about pad deposition on your rotors the ceramic formulas are far less likely to do so than a regular semi metallic pad.

Read the Stoptech white papers and learn how to bed your brakes properly for best performance.
 
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