I just put on some new Performance Friction Carbon Metalic brakes tonight, and thought I'd write about it.

First the installation: I have never installed brake pads before, and I thought it went pretty well. It took me probably about 2 hours. The second one took me like half the time because I knew what I was doing better. Once I got the calipers unbolted and the old pads off, I hung the calipers up with a wire. I then put the "backing plate" on the inboard pad and put on the spring. Installed both pads, didn't see a tab to bend over on the outboard pad so I didn't have to bend that. Is this right? After that I cleaned up the bolts with brake cleaner and cleaned up other parts of the caliper. Chiltons said to put silicone grease on the bolts and bushings, but I didn't have any so I just cleaned them up reel well. Once the bolts were clean I installed the caliper and torqed the bolts to about 30 ft-lbs. and put my wheel back on and did the other side the same way.

Pre-Driving procedure: Chiltons said to pump the brake pedal with the engine running 3 times before moving. Well, the first time I did that, the pedal went to the floor and I found out that my brake light works But with the next few pumps, the pedal got harder and harder until it was just right.

The Drive: At first I did a few easy brakes to make sure I installed them correctly, then I did the big one. I got my camaro up to about 75 on a back country road, and just stood on the pedal. She slowed down really quick It was awesome! I felt some much more confidence in my car now. The pedal feels a lot better and the stops are definately shorter. And best of all, no more brake fade! They just grab. No sqeaks either. Probably the best $30 I ever spent.

 

Where did you buy these pads and what was the cost????

 

Hey what a coincidence, I just installed my set of Performance Friction pads yesterday too.

By the way I don't think it's a good idea to do any hard braking like that until you've given them time to break in.

 

I got them from National Fleet Parts. www.nationalfleetparts.com They were about $30 including the shipping.

grafx- what do you mean they have to break in? Did I do something bad?

 

Matt
Thanks for the Info. Where is national fleet located??
Were they p/n 0154.20 and was that for all 4 Pads for the front
Axle at that price? Thanks

 

Just do a search on Bedding brake pads their is a procedure to bedd them so you get longer life and more performance out of your pads. It shouldnt have hurt anything by stepping on them. They will be okay

 

Matt
Thanks again for the National Fleet website. I ordered the PF Z-Rated Pads for my front 10.5 and rear 11.655 discs These should
be a improvement over what I have. Also at a good price. Will let you know how they work after install in a couple of weeks.

 

I have the same pads and noticed that they respond better when they get a little hotter. You will probably want to pull the calipers back apart and lube the slider pins. The pins hold calipers, and let them slide in and out. They might bind and wear inner or outter pads faster than you would want.

Good luck and happy braking. Our cars can pull roughly 1.3 g's under braking load.

 

I just installed some bindex titanium pads on my monte this weekend and have noticed a HUGE difference in braking performance. They were 28 bucks and supposedly don't need any break in time. Any one else try these pads and like them?

 

my .02 worth .... STREET brake pads ....

do you mean PF pads , like the bottom of the line at Autozone ???
those are the worst crap I've ever used .. they lasted about 15k
miles on my WIFE'S Astro Van !! dusted like Raybestos Brute stops !! and faded pulling a trailer on the first stop !! I have since switched to the BENDIX titanium metallics , on both the Astro and
my 4g driver ... HIGHLY recommend these over just about every pad I've run .. the brute stops are better but now they are $99 an axle :\ .... the Bendix are about $40-60 an axle and the PF's are $20-30 axle ... my second choice are Wagner's MX ??? 30-40 an axle and VERY good wear ....

 

Well well well. I too just installed the z rated PF pads this weekend. The girl @ Autozone was like "you want the expensive ones???? Well yeah....I also needed to check the front end and see why I had so much steering wheel shimmy. Turns out, my theory was correct. When I did the brakes, calipers, lines last summer I didn't tighten the spindel nut enough. There was just enough play to make the steering VERY sloppy. I installed new rotors (which were already prepped with cross scuffs out of the box) inner and outer bearings, and pads. New calipers go on as soon as my speed bleeders get here. Best 180 I've spent yet

I'll NEVER buy a part from PepBoys again!!!!!

 

TVP, in response to your dusting problem. I too had a set of pads that lasted about 5k miles. I run a paper route in my Cavalier. The route is 30 miles long with 220 customers, all to mailboxes. That equates to about 150 stops in about an hour. I replaced a set and was running late the next morning, (up too late working on Cavalier brakes). So I wound up beating on the brakes, no chance to bed in the pads. Very important process!! And they lasted about 5k miles. I wound up buying the same pads and giving them a gentle break in (bed) process and they are still on the car after 15,000 miles of abusive braking. In a nut shell bedding is a very important process for new pads.

 

For the record "performance friction carbon metallics (non z rated) need no break in period."...this was sourced from a sort of tsb that PFC sent out to alot of stores that stock them.

 

How bad do the Bendix pads "dust"?

 

Just install PF Z-rated Pads on on all four corners of my IROC.
First impression was it firmed up my brake pedal over the previous NAPA Pads, also they do need to be warmed up. Will be breaking them in for about fifty miles before the real hard stops.
I am going to monitor the brake dust to see if its a problem with
my wheels.

Since I have a 89 9-bolt axle with the PBR single piston calipers &
11.655 rotors you need to get the 1le/2-piston Pads for this application p/n 0413.10.

 

yeah .. right .. I don't know how to bed pads in
that's generally how I drive .. bedding or not

TVP



TVP, in response to your dusting problem. I too had a set of pads that lasted about 5k miles. I run a paper route in my Cavalier. The route is 30 miles long with 220 customers, all to mailboxes. That equates to about 150 stops in about an hour. I replaced a set and was running late the next morning, (up too late working on Cavalier brakes). So I wound up beating on the brakes, no chance to bed in the pads. Very important process!! And they lasted about 5k miles. I wound up buying the same pads and giving them a gentle break in (bed) process and they are still on the car after 15,000 miles of abusive braking. In a nut shell bedding is a very important process for new pads.