Its time to get some new pads. Ive done a search and there are so many different kinds I dont know which ones to choose. The Performance Frictions Z rated pads dont have good cold stopping power and take a while to break in people say. The other choices all rate high. Raybestos Brute Stop, Stillen Metal Matrix, or Bendix Titanium Metallics. Which to get..... Thanks

Try the Bendix Titanium's. You won't be disappointed. Great pad IMHO.

I'm also getting ready to change the brakes in my car. Which pads don't dust that much? I'm still running the stock pads and they dust more than I'd like.

I'm curious to see what gets recommended.
Thanks

I went from summit's VGX pads (crap) to raybestos brute stop and i was stunned at the difference. Once the brutes were bedded in they do everything better than the VGX and everything good. They work cold, they work hot and they don't suddenly go away at 120 MPH like the VGX's. For a pad that is available at local parts stores ( pep boys gives a lifetime warrantee) they are very good.

I've had the Performance Friction Z rated pads before and they do take a long time to warm up. I know have a set of the Hawk HP+, those are for street/club/autocorss. They are really grabby so far, still don't have 100 miles on them yet. I've heard other good things about them for other applications. Jeg's sells their normal replacement pads that are still much better than stock.

I've found the Hawk's very "grabby" as well. A freind of mine had the on the rear of his 1991 Iroc which we were Autocrossing during a two day event. We were getting huge wheel hop from the rear. Had a spare set of Bendix TiTanium's at home so we installed these for the next day. Probelm solved. Much better modulation and retardation just as effective. Very little " dusting " withthe Bendix TI pads as well.

Bendix Titanium Metallic. Awesome pads. These replaced a set of crappy Performance Friction pads. I will never buy PF pads again. They suck. Cold stopping power is non-existent.

Tim

I agree. And usually someone will cut my off right away too. I did like the lifetime warranty on the PFs from Autozone though. But I have the Hawk HPS pads now and they are much better. I plan to try a set of their + pads in the future.

Which brands also make rear shoes for drum brakes?

Bendix and Raybestos. Bendix Premium brake shoes very good as well. have no experience with Raybestos shoes, so cannot comment.

So those are the only 2 aftermarket brake shoes for our cars?

No...just the only two that make shoes out of the four in this survey.

To the best of my knowledge, Hawk, PFC, Stillen do not make shoes. Most specialty MFG's only make pads. Of course there are dozens of Aftermarket mfgs that make shoes..... a lot of them are off shore cardboard crappola. At least with Bendix, Raybestos or Factory GM\AC Delco you will get a quality brake shoe.

Probably some other good brands as well.... but it's 1:00AM and it's beddy bye time....ZZZZzzzzzzz

lol, sorry for the confusion. Thats what I meant. I know there are lots of other companies out there. My fault for not saying it right. In your opinion, who makes the best brake shoes?

I cannot comment on who makes the best brake shoes because i haven't had a performence car with drum brakes. I can tell you that i have always had good experiences with raybestos and a friend of mine always swore by bendix. Check their web sites and see if they market a higher quality performance version of their shoes

I stand by my Stillen pads. I have tried Hawks (crap), EBC's red blue and green, PFC's, Mintex(very good), Porterfield (same as EBC) several others over the years. I have never tried the Bendix Titanium (Would worry about rotor wear)

Stillen and Mintex are very comperable pads. Both have a very smooth and solid initial bite, and both have a very large sweet spot. You can come down on the fast and hard and they remain very predictalbe. I use Stillen because I can get them easy.

EBC's are much more "touchy" with their initial bite and seem to be less pedictable with heat variance. I use EBC reds on the rear, reds require Jusy a small bit of warmup but stay more predictable than the greens for street use. My car warms up fast with the 10.5 rotors, and small pad surface area- they are at operating temp within 2 stop signs at slow speeds- front pads don't need warmup.

My 2.8 cents.

The Bendix TI series are very easy on rotors. The Titanium is a special coating that just beds the pads and rotors. Gone in a very short period of time. Your decription of the Stillin's feel took the words right out of my mouth about the Bendix's. Stillin's hard to find up here...so I go with Bendix.

BTW...as for performance. On the track day that I mentioned in a different thread Here , the rear pads that I used were Bendix Titanium. The rear pads and rotors held up no problem at all...and I run a lot of rear brake Bias. The Bendix TI rear pads are " FF " rated BTW.

Don't want to sound like a broken record ...but they really are an excellant pad. Sounds like the Stillin's are as well. What's the price comparison I wonder?

Where do you buy the Bendix Ti pads ChickenmanÉ
and how much$$$
I got the regular Raybetos pads and they suck.

I used to get them from B&J parts, but they're no longer a Bendix distributor. Lordco is however. The one on Westwood street has them. Can't remember what I last paid for them. I get everything at jobber price.

Just bought some Bendix TI pads for my 84 Cavalier Wagon ( Parts getter ) about two weeks ago. My cost was $59.00, Retail was $83.00. Non-1LE pads would probably be about the same price.

Wilwood (pick your level of pad for your app ) for track stuff and I have had *OK* results from the PFC Zs for the street.... The Wilwood Bs that I have used seem fine for rotor wear. A little aggressive, but they are a *race* pad. Wilwood does have some street oriented compounds as well but I have not tried them - yet .

And who gives a rip about rotor wear (aside from total destruction) when replacement rotors can be had for cheap??? Well, unless you are wasting your time drilling them out and such I suppose .

I absolutely HATE Brute Stops. They dust like a race pad, squeek like a race pad, but perform like a street pad!!!???? Actually I hate all Raybestos pads.... They have just flat out sucked in every application I have used them on.

I had the same experience as TRAXION.
I got my Bendix Titanium pads from Fastundercar for $32 including tax. Front pad p/n MKD154
Check their website fastundercar.com for more info., maybe they can ship the pads to you.

(laughs) So I was about to ask for a part # for these bendix titaniums, and I'm already using 'em? MKD-154's? Cool. That titanium coating started 4 or 5 years ago; there's a little piece of paper in the box that talks about a titanium coating to help pad-break-in... and the way it's worded, and looks coated, I betchya lunch that the titanium coating is just a coating, and wears off. All my old pads look just like semi-met's underneath.

I thought you guys were talking about something more exotic!

Yep the Titanium is just a coating to aid bedding. Burns off very quickly. But it is what underneath that coating that counts. And what is underneath is very,very good.

i just put a set of the Bendix Ti on and they are great. i can lock them up without any effort. They seem to squeek a little but it's worth it.

Hmmm..shouldn't squeek.

Did you apply some of the Spray on " Disk Brake Quiet " to the backing plates before assembly? The spray on Blue stuff that is like Hi Tack?Also did you pinch down the upper anti-rattle tabs with some Water pump pliers after installation? The Bendix TI pads normally don't squeek at all.

Thanks for the confirmation, Chickenman. I've been using the MKD-154's since 1994, even before that titanium coating, and before the added anti-squeak shims on the backing plates- and they were always an awesome pad. That's why I keep using them.

I bought generic pads once, and they almost killed me... they were well broken in, and I was doing some highway speeding; came up on my exit, no problem, hit the brakes and got into the turn-off lane. Midway into the lane, my pedal went to mush, and I smelled my brakes burning. Took a hell of a lot of downshifting to avoid rear-ending the dude in front of me. Since then, I've never gone cheap.

I told that story to one guy at an auto parts store, he said another thing that helps is the thick backing plates, that they help dissipate heat better; don't know if that was just his "guess" or not.

I always meant to try one of these fancy pads that are mentioned here, but after this message, I'll stick to what I've been doing.

I did the tabs but not the Disk Brake Quiet stuff. i used that stuff before but it never seemed to work so i did not put it on this time. i think is the rust on the edge of my rotor rubbing the pad when i hit the brakes. The squeeking seems to be going away with more miles.

The spray on stuff works very well. The red or blue " Goop " that you squeeze out of a bottle does not work as well IMHO. Yeah...if the edge of the rotor has a rusty edge on it that can make the pads squeek. Probably best to machine the rotors if you see a condition like that. Next time.

When Bendix started putting the black shims on the back of the MKD154 front pads, they stopped including a squeeze tube of anti-squeak. So I believe those shims -are- the anti-squeak. I always used to apply their anti-squeak to their pads; when the shims appeared, I stopped using anti-squeak- and never had squeaks.

Yo guys, any problem using the Bendix Ti MKD154 pads on the rear of my 1988 J65 car? The normal rear pads are organic D154s. Any problem using the Tis on the back? Thanks!

Nope, no problems. Great pad for the rear. Have used the Bendix TI pads, front and rear, for many years when the car had J65 brakes. For proper balance, I'd recommend running the Bendix TI on both front and rear.

Thank you for your prompt and to the point response. Appreciate it.

do you have to get the same type of pads for the rear and dothey make Bendix Titanium Metallic Pads for the rear? and were to get em i needa replace front and rear pads

Bendix makes many different sizes of the Ti pads. J65 cars use MKD154 pads front and rear. 1LE cars use MKD413 on the rear.

What brakes does your car have?

You can order Bendix parts online at www.kragen.com . Free shipping for orders over 50 bux. Better prices than in the stores.

i have the stok iroc disc brakes i guess its the 10.5 rotor?? not too sure but thanks

whats 1LE AND J65?

THANKS