Getting ready to replace front brake pads and rotors. Any suggestions on which brand and source?

 

Ebc green stuff pads.

 

Black magic are supposed to be top notch. Otherwise, if you want to buy local Carquest or Napa Premium.

 

This is something you'll get 18 different answers, OP. Its all opinion based. Posi ceramic goes on the work vans and i use napa premium brake pads front and rear on my xj. Work well and last. If you go ceramic pads, i believe you need a rotor that is made for them. This i always forget. Me, i have the napa slotted front rotor and standard napa rear rotor

 

It depends what you're looking for. If you just want good OE or better replacement pads just about anyone's "premium-grade" (NAPA Premium, AdvanceAuto "Wearever" Gold, Autozone "Duralast" Gold, Wagner Thermoquiet, Raybestos Professional Grade/ Advanced Technology, Bendix TitaniumMatalic, etc.) semi-metallic pads will be just fine.

If your rotors are in good shape there is really no reason to replace them, if they are thin, warped, scored, cracked, etc. then they do need to be replaced again just about any "premium-grade" rotor will be fine.

Cheap pads and rotors (value/budget grade) are best avoided, cheap pads tend to wear fast, and be very dusty and noisy, cheap rotors tend to be thin (often just the minimum legal thickness) and prone to warping.

If you're looking for an "upgrade" EBC pads and slotted rotors should yield an improvement.

 

Looking for improved stopping power and rotors that are not prone to warp.

The $ difference does not seem that great between top and bottom (excluding racing stuff) quality.

Don't mind replacing pads from time to time if they have better stopping power. But don't want hard pads tearing up rotors just so the pads last longer.

I think my XJ has original rotors, looking at the big grooves in them.

 

I have powerslot rotors and ebc green stuff. They'll lock up my 35s. They work fantastic. If you don't need that ridiculous of an upgrade I always liked ceramic pads from oreilly with the OEM style rotors. Which is still and upgrade over OEM pads but the pads are half as much as the ebcs.

 

if I remember correctly, it is difficult to find any American made rotors anymore.

 

Once you do install your new pads and rotors make sure to hand torque the lug nuts to 100 ftlbs to keep from warping your new rotors. It's also a good idea to take a wire brush to the hub mounting surface and knock all of the rust and crud off before installing the rotors.

 

Virtually impossible, almost all rotors are made in China now including most major "name" brands such as Wagner, Bendix, Raybestos, etc. (a few may be made in Mexico, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, etc. as well).


About the only way to get American made Rotors is to find some NOS (new-old-stock) ones on Ebay or get some old (and I do mean old, just about anything made in the last 10 years or so will have the made in China stamp) US made ones from the Junk Yard (and those probably won't be in very good shape).

 

I would guess 90 percent of the cars you see on the road passing you by every single day that are old enough to have worn off their OEM pads.. are running cheap parts store pads and rotors.

When most independent repair shops replace their customers parts.. they are getting the bottom dollar replacement parts from the chain stores unless the customer specifies otherwise.

The cheap stuff gets ragged on... and I am no fan of them either, but they are out there, they are the majority on the road, and they aren't killing everyone...

If you walked into a parts store and laid out every pad option available for your jeep starting from the cheapest... you will notice as you go through them, that the material and backing plates/sound reducing get better as you pay more.

Usually the cheap brand Chinese rotors are no thinner than the premium options. But the premium options usually have a coating on them to prevent rust, while the cheapies are not coated.

 

Whatever you get, Google "brake pad break-in" and do it.

 

^this^

I have el cheapo autozone rotors and 1 step up from cheapo autozone pads on my xj from when I was in grad school and poor.

That was 4 years and 40,000 miles ago and the pads are about 1/2 left and the rotors are fine because I properly broke them in.

They can be a little squeaky but no more than any other part of my jeep going down the road so I ignore it just like I do the other noises.

 

If you're not going to replace the calipers, I'd at least replace the guide pins/boots and lube them with silicone grease. Check the knuckle for wear where the pads rest, if there are deep grooves they can cause the pads from moving (uneven wear/dragging).

Depending on your mileage consider replacing both brake hoses.

 

Omg people don't know how important this is. Easy to do too