Non-Pontiac related brake question
 

I am going to throw pads and rotors on my son's 2018 Nissan Maxima.

He has been unhappy with the noisy brakes on the car from day one. He had continually complained about scuffing noises in the brakes that I threw on a set of Autozone pads and rotors on the fronts to silence him and the car ... that worked for a while. Now he has the typical pedal pulsing and worn pads that say it's time.

What to install??? I've browsed the following, all in the same relative price range:

Raybestos (my choice) ceramic pads w. coated/drilled/grooved rotors

S3 ceramic pads and coated/drilled/grooved rotors

Detroit Axle ceramic pads and coated/drilled/grooved rotors

Brembo ceramic pads with their plain rotors

I think Raybestos is a legit product plus they have a rubberized pad backing for quiet operation. Brembo is right around the same price but performance brakes don't necessarily make for quiet, long lasting brakes but in all likelihood will brake well but aren't so great when cold.

What are your thoughts?

My daily driver is a 2006 Cadillac STS-V, equipped from the factory with Brembos. The calipers are HUGE. The car has standard (read: no holes) rotors. I got tired of trying to keep my wheels clean and switched to ceramic pads.

I didn't do it myself (lack of time). I've also been away from doing my own mechanical work for some time, so I had no idea how hard it had/has become to find places to cut rotors. I specifically told the shop that I wanted the rotors resurfaced before switching from metallic to ceramic pads. They did not. As a result, the squeak drives me nuts. At the next pad change, I will be sure to do them myself and resurface the rotors.

So, bottom line, I can wholeheartedly recommend Brembo pads, but if switching from metallic to ceramic, scuffing the rotors is really required.

(And the difference in keeping the wheels clean with ceramic vs metallic is truly amazing; I literally just wash the wheels with car wash and a sponge.)

In years past, I never had a problem (on other cars) with Raybestos. This is my first experience with Brembo.

HTH

The pulsing is caused by the rotors. If there is enough material machine them or replace if not. I usually pick a middle grade pad. I've found that some really expensive pads don't work well cold and can be noisy.

How many miles are on the rotors and the pads? You didn't mention when you threw on the new pads, but I'm sure it wasn't when the car was brand new in 2018. Accounting for maybe a year or two, your original post indicates that this set of rotors and pads is likely no older than 4 years.

It sounds like this isn't necessarily a problem with what parts you put on the car, but instead, how it's being driven.

The Raybestos stuff is probably what I would go with personally and if the rotors are warped at all, I'd probably get new rotors. As already mentioned, the cost of rotors has come down so much that it's not longer really economical to turn rotors anymore.

But again, it sounds like the brakes are being very heavily used in this vehicle. If that's the way your son drives, then it's the way he drives, but you can't expect long life, low noise and low dust in that type of usage environment.

Years ago when doing this everyday for my living, I found out that if you wanted quiet pads on most imports, you have to buy the OEM brake pads. This goes for Honda, Toyota, and Datsun/Nissan.

I tried about every aftermarket brand of pads, with little to no success. A parts manager that had been around imports for many years clued me in on this. I have to say it was good advice, and although no one wants to pay through the nose to buy pads at the dealership, it did work.

Another thing that helps is if there is no backing on the metal pad surface, a coat of RTV when installing them helps with quelling the vibration between the caliper, and the piston side. Smear the back of the pads, let the RTV skin over for 10-15 minutes before assembling them.

:2cents:

Been there, done that, got the tee shirt.

Get OEM premium pads for the Max from the stealership NOT the value advantage pads. The dealer MAY have to order them.

Get Centric rotors from Rock Auto....the ones that are e-coated. Get new disc brake hardware from Rock Auto also....there is a suffix of Q on the p/n and they will have a rubber coating on them for isolation.

I like to use these guys for parts.....they sell to the public at wholesale prices, NOT 20% OVER MSRP like most of the stealerships do. https://www.zeiglernissanoforlandparkparts.com

The OEMs have MUCH stricter specs to meet than the aftermarket when it comes to brake pads, which is why I'm recommending you use them.

DO NOT allow a tire shop to torque down the wheels after a tire rotation...they most generally do not have a clue what they're doing.

I've had SEVERAL Maximas for daily drivers over the past 15 years and I'm telling you these things from experience.