Jeep Cherokee 1984-2001: Brake Pad Reviews

This article applies to the Jeep Cherokee XJ (1984-2001).

Picking the right brake pads can be daunting with so many choices available to us. Should we go generic or aftermarket? Will this be good enough to stop me on a steep hill? How much noise and brake dust is this going to make? There are different types of brake pads with different purposes. It's important for the Jeep Cherokee driver to know what they want and what matters the most to them. This review should answer all of your questions and give you an idea of what's available out there.

Brake Pads

Power Stop Z16/Z23 Evolution

Price – $45-$59 per pair of brake pads; $82-$130 per rotor

Material – Ceramic

Performance – Street

Dust – Low

Noise – Moderate

Warranty – 3 year/36,000 miles

Power Stop offers good performance at a stellar price. Their Z16 brake pads are designed to be quiet, dust-free and are targeted to those who are just looking for an OEM replacement. It has Kevlar enhanced ceramic and features a thermal scorched surface for shorter break-in time. These pads are great for daily drivers, but not much else. When put under heavy use, they will get loud and will put more strain on your rotors than other ceramic brake pads. Overall, the Z16 is a solid street brake pad. Recommended if you're looking for OEM replacement.

StopTech Street Performance

Price – $82 per brake pad set

Material – Para-Aramid Composite

Performance – Heavy Duty

Dust – High

Noise – High

Warranty – 3 year/3,000 miles

StopTech is probably more known for their rotors than their brake pads. The Street Performance Brake Pads have incredible heat resistance, making it a great option for heavy duty applications. It has very high stopping power that's comparable to other popular brands, such as EBC and Hawk. However, it does have a few weaknesses. Firstly, it will make some noise when put under a lot of use and it generates more dust than other brake pads. Its surface comes scorched for a quicker break-in period. Unfortunately, considering the dust and noise, it's hard to recommend over other similarly priced performance brake pads. Recommended if you're looking for heat resistance pads and you don't mind the noise and the dust.

Centric Posi Quiet

Price – $46-$61 per brake pad set

Material – Ceramic and Semi-Metalic

Performance – Street

Dust – Low

Noise – Low

Warranty – N/A

Centric Posi Quiet brake pads promise a quiet and comfortable ride with little or no dust. This promise holds up as these are some of the quietest brake pads on the market. There are three flavors of Posi Quiet: the standard ceramic pads, semi-metallic pads, and extended wear pads. Each has their advantages. The ceramic pads are the quietest, but they are less durable. Semi-metallic pads last longer, but they are noisier. The extended wear pads are the most durable, but have a lower temperature threshold. For daily use, the ceramic pads are the best option recommended for quiet and durable braking with low dust. Recommended if you're looking for quiet, durable brake pads.

EBC Green Stuff

Price – $70-$82 per brake pad set

Material – Aramid Organic compound

Performance – Heavy Duty

Dust – Moderate

Noise – Moderate

Warranty – 6 month/5,000 miles

EBC is a popular brand known for providing instant stopping power. EBC Green Stuff, which is meant to be used on light trucks and SUVs, has some of the highest stopping power available on the market. It features a rust resistant powder coating, and comes with a "brake-in" coating to make the break-in period relatively painless. What is truly impressive about EBC Green Stuff is that it brakes well with little trade off in dust or noise. While it won't be entirely dust or noise-free, it is good enough that even a daily driver looking for comfort can enjoy driving with them. Recommended if you're looking for heavy duty brake pads.

Hawk LTS/HPS

Price – $80-$88 per brake pad set

Material – Ferro-carbon Composite

Performance – Heavy Duty

Dust – Moderate

Noise – Low

Warranty – Lifetime

Hawk is another popular and well-known brand that provides excellent quality brakes. The Hawk HPS brake pads is their flagship performance brake pad and is popular for all kinds of heavy duty track and rally use. The Hawk LTS is their light truck and SUV brake pad, which offers higher heat resistance for braking on steep hills. Both have some of the best stopping power available on the market, coupled with the lowest dust and noise generation of any other performance brake pad. The only negative is that they are also the most expensive. Recommended if you are looking for the absolute best quality brake pad.

Related Discussions

• Power Stop Pads - CherokeeForum.com
• StopTech Pads - CherokeeForum.com
• Posi Quiet Pads - CherokeeForum.com