Brake advice

[thewizard16]

Since brakes are a subject I know little about, I figured I'd ask you guys for opinions/input on this. It's about time to put some new brakes on the Camry (front pads as well as rotors) and I'm likely to do it myself this time (I did pads myself last time, and won't be buying those pads again- dust machines....), so I have some options on what to put on there. My questions are as follows:

What should I put on for rotors? There are plenty of generic "OE" replacement rotors out there, but I'm not opposed to putting something a bit nicer on their either if I think I'll actually notice a difference/benefit from nicer rotors. Thoughts? For a point of reference, I've been browsing this site: http://brakeperformance.com/brake-rotors/Premium-Dimpled-and-Slotted-Brake-Rotors.php and Tire Rack so far. I know nothing about the first place and likely won't order from them unless one of you knows more about them, but I'm open to suggestions on where to order from too.

What type of pads should I look into? I just have normal semi-metallic pads on there now, and although they do the job well enough, they put out a crazy amount of dust and it's quite annoying. The pads on right now are just from Autozone, nothing fancy. With that as my baseline and my general distaste for brake dust, would I be better off going the ceramic route, or should I just stick with semi-metallic and maybe go for a bit nicer pad this time? The braking performance is adequate now, but I'm always interested in better.

And finally- where should I buy from? Autozone carries pretty standard stuff, but if I go for something a bit nicer I might have to order online. With that in mind, where would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

[SVT_Power]

It's been a while but from what I remember, Toyota's OEM brake parts are actually pretty good. I don't remember if they charge a lot more than aftermarket companies do, but it's definitely something you should consider.

[Byteme]

Since brakes are a subject I know little about, I figured I'd ask you guys for opinions/input on this. It's about time to put some new brakes on the Camry (front pads as well as rotors) and I'm likely to do it myself this time (I did pads myself last time, and won't be buying those pads again- dust machines....), so I have some options on what to put on there. My questions are as follows:

What should I put on for rotors? There are plenty of generic "OE" replacement rotors out there, but I'm not opposed to putting something a bit nicer on their either if I think I'll actually notice a difference/benefit from nicer rotors. Thoughts? For a point of reference, I've been browsing this site: http://brakeperformance.com/brake-rotors/Premium-Dimpled-and-Slotted-Brake-Rotors.php and Tire Rack so far. I know nothing about the first place and likely won't order from them unless one of you knows more about them, but I'm open to suggestions on where to order from too.

What type of pads should I look into? I just have normal semi-metallic pads on there now, and although they do the job well enough, they put out a crazy amount of dust and it's quite annoying. The pads on right now are just from Autozone, nothing fancy. With that as my baseline and my general distaste for brake dust, would I be better off going the ceramic route, or should I just stick with semi-metallic and maybe go for a bit nicer pad this time? The braking performance is adequate now, but I'm always interested in better.

And finally- where should I buy from? Autozone carries pretty standard stuff, but if I go for something a bit nicer I might have to order online. With that in mind, where would you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

Since it's a Camry I assume you aren't doing any driving that really taxes the brakes, like slaloms, autocrosses rallys, etc.  I'm also assuming you find no deficiencies with the stock brakes.  I'd go with OEM or equal replacements.   

[Mustangfan2003]

Wagner makes pretty good stuff. 

[thewizard16]

Since it's a Camry I assume you aren't doing any driving that really taxes the brakes, like slaloms, autocrosses rallys, etc.  I'm also assuming you find no deficiencies with the stock brakes.  I'd go with OEM or equal replacements.  

I guess I should include that kind of information when asking for advice too.

No, no slaloms, autocrosses, or anything terribly fancy, but a lot of city driving on a lot of hills in mixed weather with a lot of people that like to run red lights or are otherwise oblivious to their surroundings. Pavement quality ranges from mediocre to chuckwagon-trail grade. The terrain, poor roads, and the general obliviousness of some of the drivers, has led to more emergency level braking situations in the past several months than I've had in a long time, so I'd appreciate at least somewhat improved brakes.

It's been a while but from what I remember, Toyota's OEM brake parts are actually pretty good. I don't remember if they charge a lot more than aftermarket companies do, but it's definitely something you should consider.

I'll have to call the dealer and ask. I've actually been very pleased with Toyota parts all around- their oil filters are extremely good, they use some of the best coolant (as far as keeping the system clean and running a long time) I know of, and I've tried to use the same parts they use when having belts replaced/etc. because of this previous good luck with them. The car has been pretty bulletproof in reliability, and I'm sure a lot of that has to do with quality parts.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'd go with OE parts if the prices are reasonable. If not, I'd go with Napa's best replacement rotors and ceramic pads. If you want something with a bit more performance, you may consider Hawk's Performance Ceramic pads.
Another point is that your brakes can only be as good as your tires, so upgrading your tires will ultimately lead to better stopping power.

[thewizard16]

I'd go with OE parts if the prices are reasonable. If not, I'd go with Napa's best replacement rotors and ceramic pads. If you want something with a bit more performance, you may consider Hawk's Performance Ceramic pads.
Another point is that your brakes can only be as good as your tires, so upgrading your tires will ultimately lead to better stopping power.

The tires on the front are brand new (and reasonably nice), and the backs will be replaced before the time for a rotation comes up, so I think I'm pretty covered on the tire front. Thanks for the suggestions though, I'll look into those.

[NomisR]

I'd go with OE parts if the prices are reasonable. If not, I'd go with Napa's best replacement rotors and ceramic pads. If you want something with a bit more performance, you may consider Hawk's Performance Ceramic pads.
Another point is that your brakes can only be as good as your tires, so upgrading your tires will ultimately lead to better stopping power.

I'm looking for new brakes on the RDX too, it's due.. since the OEM is pretty weak, I want something better.  Looked at Hawk but looks like they only have rears. 

[Secret Chimp]

Get NAPA blank rotors. Anything else is a waste of money, unless you have reason to go slotted or something.

[Speed_Racer]

I put Brembo OEM rotors and Hawk ceramic pads on the MR2 and they've been great. A notable improvement over the semi-metallic pads I used to have.

The pads stop strong and quiet, though I don't know about dust because my wheels are powder-coated gunmetal grey. Fade only occurs when I'm continuously hard on them (track occasions).

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'm looking for new brakes on the RDX too, it's due.. since the OEM is pretty weak, I want something better.  Looked at Hawk but looks like they only have rears. 

Check http://www.porterfield-brakes.com/
They have brakes for almost everything. They even have performance drum shoes.

[S204STi]

The plain Brembo OE replacement rotors are great, as are the Napa ones.  As far as pads, you get what you pay for.  Ceramics will obviously have lower dust, but not quite as much bite as the semi-metallics, so if you cheap out you may end up with marginal pedal feel and so forth. 

My .02

[Eye of the Tiger]

The plain Brembo OE replacement rotors are great, as are the Napa ones.  As far as pads, you get what you pay for.  Ceramics will obviously have lower dust, but not quite as much bite as the semi-metallics, so if you cheap out you may end up with marginal pedal feel and so forth. 

My .02

Yeah, don't get cheap ceramics, and don't get cheap "organic" whatever crap. I prefer the performance of a good semi-metallic, and will live with the dust. I'm not a clean freak.

[S204STi]

Yeah, I'm a function over form sort of guy myself so I don't care about dusk.  Just stop me in a hurry and I'm happy.

[NomisR]

I think my only choice is the R4-S, everything else only comes in rears.. if i'm reading it correctly.

[Eye of the Tiger]

I think my only choice is the R4-S, everything else only comes in rears.. if i'm reading it correctly.

That is the high performance street compound.

[NomisR]

That is the high performance street compound.

Everything pretty much is called High performance even if it's just regular street... so it that any good? 

[Eye of the Tiger]

Everything pretty much is called High performance even if it's just regular street... so it that any good? 

I have not used them, but I'd trust that Porterfield's high performance street is actual high performance.
The high performance street pad that I have used is the Hawk HPS, an excellent high performance street pad, and the HP+ which is even more excellent but makes TONS of dust.

[NomisR]

What about rotors?

[Eye of the Tiger]

What about rotors?

Brembos, or the most expensive NAPA ones.

[NomisR]

not available for the RDX

[Eye of the Tiger]

not available for the RDX

no rotors available?

[NomisR]

Not brembo, not sure what the hell the other ones are.

[Eye of the Tiger]

What year is it

[The Pirate]

Get NAPA blank rotors. Anything else is a waste of money, unless you have reason to go slotted or something.

I'll add a vote for NAPA blanks.  I've been extremely happy with them (put them on a few cars over the years).  I'm running PBR ceramic pads from NAPA as well.  Virtually no dust (which was a problem in the past) and they bite fairly well and do stop the car very quickly.

[Rupert]

What year is it

Dude, it's 2011. Did you just time-travel, or something?

[thewizard16]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Aside from the obvious of getting Napa rotors at Napa (I'll have to find one around here- I have yet to see one in Little Rock despite tripping over Autozones and Advance Auto Parts, but I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Come to think of it, I haven't seen an O'Reilly here either yet, but I'm sure it's hiding around here too.) or Toyota parts from Toyota, where would you suggest shopping for rotors/pads if I did so online?

[The Pirate]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. Aside from the obvious of getting Napa rotors at Napa (I'll have to find one around here- I have yet to see one in Little Rock despite tripping over Autozones and Advance Auto Parts, but I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Come to think of it, I haven't seen an O'Reilly here either yet, but I'm sure it's hiding around here too.) or Toyota parts from Toyota, where would you suggest shopping for rotors/pads if I did so online?

Brembo blanks from www.tirerack.com

They aren't the cheapest, but the service is very good and they are always happy to talk and full of good information when I call.

[NomisR]

What year is it

2008