Performance Friction brakes!

[E.B. Cornburner]

Oh, baby!
That's all I can say about how nice these pads work. I had them on my Durango, and they were the only ones that didn't warp the rotors, and made the brakes feel acceptable to me.

I'm not sure what composition of pads the Explorers have on them from the factory, but they felt like ceramics. Squishy pedal, and no "bite" whatsoever. Stopping distances were longer than the Durango, and that weighed about 600# more, not to mention it only had drum brakes in the rear.

Well today I decided to tackle replacing the front rotors that warped profusely. While I was in there, I figured I might as well do the pads too...The originals were less than 1/2 there, so it was getting to be about time.

Doing the front brakes on these is very easy. The design is almost identical to that on my old Grand Prix, except these have dual piston front calipers. Took me about 45 minutes to do everything. Took it out for a road test once I finished, and did the bedding procedure that Performance Friction outlined...Basically, stop the vehicle as hard as you can from 30, 40, 50, and 60 MPH consecutively, then allow them to cool completely.

Once more, I have to say these are far and away the best brake pads regardless of price. You can stop this thing from 60 MPH now with your big toe! The pedal no longer has that "mush" feel to it either...It's nice and firm with excellent modulation.

The only place I know of that sells these pads is AutoZone. As much as I dislike that store, I will use them for products that nobody else can get, such as these. One thing to remember though...If you do want them, ask the counterperson for "Carbon Metallic", not by their brand name, Performance Friction. For whatever reason, that's the way they're listed in the computer, and most AutoZoners don't have the ability to think that far outside the box to know that's what you mean. They'll usually say they don't stock them, or don't carry that brand. Also, don't let them talk you into a different brand. Their Duralast (Morse) brakes are horrible.

Price was decent too...I paid $38.99 for the front set. The part number for the front set is 0833.20
I'm going to be doing the rears early next week too. The dealership had new rear pads and rotors put on before I bought the vehicle, but I want the pads to match. Who knows what kind of junk they put on it. The rears are $44.99 in case anyone wants to know.

If you're looking for new brakes, definitely give these a try...You won't be disappointed. Since discovering them years ago, they're the only brand of pad I use now for my own personal vehicles.

 

[jrford]

What Rotors? Mine need fronts soon,
Thanks for the info

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

What Rotors? Mine need fronts soon,
Thanks for the info

I just used some stock replacement Duralast rotors from AutoZone. A rotor is a rotor for the most part. I just don't like the cheapie "value" lines. Slotted and/or drilled rotors are a waste of money, IMHO. I've had them, and they aren't any better than a stock replacement.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I agree with you about these pads being the best. There is another pad which is very similar to these which I've used for years before I discovered this brand. It's the Wagner SX series semi-metallic severe duty pad. They are hard to get. I've installed the Performance Friction pads on other people's vehicles, and they felt a huge difference compared to whatever they had in there previously. Here is my product review: http://www.explorerforum.com/reviewpost/showproduct.php/product/230/cat/500

 

[aldive]

If you're looking for new brakes, definitely give these a try...You won't be disappointed. Since discovering them years ago, they're the only brand of pad I use now for my own personal vehicles.

You must not have tried Hawk pads.

 

[410Fortune]

performance friction carbon metallic or Bendix fleet grade are the only pads I will use on my trucks as well, great price, great performance.

Ceramic pads work awesome IMO as well but they tear up those duralast rotors in nothing flat

Carbon metallic also = no brake dust

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

You must not have tried Hawk pads.

Tried Hawk HPS pads on my Grand Prix. They stopped it like a grappling hook was being thrown out the trunk, but only once they warmed up...They felt lackluster until you were about 2/3 of the way stopped, then they really kicked in. The next stop was much better, if you were needing to do one before they cooled off again. Some of the best stopping power I ever felt, but they were noisy, dusty, and actually ruined a set of very expensive BBS wheels. I tended to drive that car like an insured rental, and on one of my late night 100+ MPH floggings, I got the brakes so hot that I was seeing hot embers flying past my windows! When I got home, the pads were smoking, and the rotors were glowing red hot! The next morning I saw the aftermath...The brake dust was so hot that it actually burned the paint off the wheels in areas where it collected the greatest.

Upon tearing the brakes apart, I also noticed that the pad material had cracked, and chunks were missing. It was then that I put Performance Friction pads on it, front and rear along with new rotors. The overall stopping power was almost equal to the Hawks, but they were consistent hot or cold. They also produced virtually zero brake dust, and with the same type of abuse I described above, they held up beautifully. I had them on the car for two years and 65,000 miles later until I traded it in, and they were still better than 75% there.

The only other pad that I really like is Bendix TitaniuMetallic. Put them on my dad's Dakota with new Brembo rotors, and it really woke up the braking power on that truck. Another friend put the same combo on his Bonneville and loved it.

So far, Performance Friction has been hard to beat. They're one of the few pads that really makes a difference over OEM.

Don't even get me going on Raybestos...I loathe them as much as I do Fram oil filters. Worst pads on the market, IMHO. I'd rather put cheap AutoZone Valucraft pads on a car before even Raybestos' premium top of the line pads.

 

[CDW6212R]

Boy, lots of absolutes flying around here!

It is extremely unintelligent to toss around blanket generalities like that, suggesting nothing else can possibly be the case. That is ignorance, we all have it, don't suggest that you don't, don't suggest that you know everything.

Performance Friction brake pads suck, for a 91-94 Explorer. I know this from experience with three sets in a row, lasting less than nine months per set, only about 6000-9000 miles per set. The PF pads were horrible about making noise. I've had lots of cheap brakes cause noise, those were the first more expensive set which did, and I couldn't reduce/stop it. The PF pads failed in such a short time by being worn out, thin and cracking, falling off of the backings. I had Ford pads before those, and they lasted about 20,000 miles.

There's the proof that the worshipping going on here is not completely worthy. I first used Performance Friction pads on a 1986 Crown Vic police car. I had two sets of those last about 20,000 miles each. Ford pads lasted about 20,000 miles on that car. Cheap Autozone or other parts store pads lasted 6-9 months, less than 10,000 miles, and the pads fell apart. I first discovered better pads on that car with Super Stop pads, and another version later from Motor Products, they were Raybestos I believe. Those all lasted a good 20,000 miles also.

Without being redundant, I went through a bunch of brakes in that 86 Crown Vic, from the 85k mark to 335,000 miles. I knew well what worked and what didn't.

Today's pads are not necessarily the same, I had the bad Performance Friction pads on my 93 Explorer from 2003 to 2005. I'd like to condemn all PF pads, but that would be ignorant. Every vehicle is different, and its usage is more important than the car. The driver can destroy brakes depending on how they drive the car.

Another example, I like EBC pads, they were my first on my Mountaineer four years ago. Those lasted almost 40,000 miles, one of my rear calipers wears one pad more than the others(sticking). But still, other people have had horrible experiences with the "same" EBC pads, the pads evidently have changed over the years. I have those same part numbered EBC pads on my 99 Explorer right now. They are doing fine, I've only got 4000 miles on them so it's too early to say if I'll get 9000 miles out of them, or 20k miles.

I tried Hawk pads on my most recent brake combination, because they came with the calipers. Those Hawk pads were their toughest series of pad, some 1400+ degree pads. Laugh, those sucked for my usage, they only lasted about two months, if that. They literally wore out, and were extremely noisy doing it. I bought EBC red version replacements for those, so far they are doing very well.

Be much more careful guys about the blanket generalities, they are not accurate. I've bought and used more brakes than 95% of the people on these forums. I have not condemned any except the cheapest crap that parts stores sell. I tell people what is most likely the truth. Factory OEM brake pads are a very good choice generally, that should be the baseline. Avoid the lifetime crap from local stores, those should only be for emergencies. Plan ahead and buy pads which cost more from a major brand, regardless of warantee. Most quality pads aren't available from local parts stores, some are but they are rare. There are many good brands, there are many bad brands, but don't assume that one is perfect, one is always horrible etc, that would be wrong.

Now back to your worshipping and damning.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

How long ago did you use PF pads on your Explorer? I do know they've changed formulas within the last 5-7 years. I bought a set for my '94 Intrepid, and they were dusty and noisy. But...they stopped like a brutus.

Fast forward 5 years or so to my '96 Jeep Cherokee that got a set when the OEMs wore out, and they were night and day different. They still had good "bite", but not like the ones on the Intrepid. They were most likely the same composition that's still being sold today. They also produced little to no black dust. If you know about Jeeps, you know about how badly they warp rotors. These pads didn't warp the rotors nearly as bad as the OEMs...They still warped in time, but I had two sets (one under recall) warp with the OEM pads. At the time I never gave different pads a thought, and just got mad at Chrysler for producing such junk rotors.

Everyone's experiences may vary, but I too have tried lots of different brands of pads, and so far, PF has been towards the top of the heap.

Years ago, there was a company called Durilon that made a Kevlar compositon pad. Those things wore like iron! Put some on my mom's Jimmy, and she put 90,000 miles on them, and they were still like brand new when she got rid of the truck! I think the company went belly-up some years ago...Probably made the pads too good, and never sold any replacements!

Don't take my posts as "worshipping" or "damning"...I'm just basing off my own and friends/relatives/customers experiences and posting what I know here. I won't throw something under the bus unless I feel it really deserves it...Such is the case with Fram oil filters, and my experiece with Raybestos brake pads.

Edit: I thought I was hard on brakes! What sort of environment are you subjecting your vehicles' brakes to? Only time I ever heard of someone going thru pads that quick was some of my customers that used their vehicles for rural mail or newspaper routes.

 

[BrooklynBay]

I once had a bad experience with Bendix, but not everybody here has. It was about 10 years ago. I wonder if they are made better now?

 

[aldive]

I am out of here; more testosterone than brake dust flying.

I do like my Hawk pads.

 

[E.B. Cornburner]

I am out of here; more testosterone than brake dust flying.

I do like my Hawk pads.

Seems to be a rational enough discussion. I've seen some threads that turn into big wee-wee contests, but this one seems tame enough.

Hopefully I'm not giving you that feeling with my rebuttal...I didn't have good experience with Hawk pads. Others I talk to love them, you included. Like was mentioned, everyone's personal experiences will vary...I whole-heartedly agree.

 

[CDW6212R]

Very good, much better, it was going in the wrong direction momentarily. Back to reality, yesterday wasn't such a good day, moving on.

You have the right idea Mike, I'm a rural carrier, and I've been through four Crown Vics(two as backups and my latest 95 I didn't like). I started a 91 Explorer for snow, the A4LD is not good, I threw my 93 Explorer on the route full time in 2003.

It did fine for about a year, until I installed the PF pads to replace the Ford pads that I started with. The drivetrain was showing signs of needing a lot of money soon, and the Performance Friction pads were not doing well. The first set failed, a pad fell apart at the 9 month, 6000 mile point. I had to drive 20 more route miles that day, and I installed new rotors and pads. The warantee may be nice to have, but doing brake jobs just before or after a failure is not good.

The 91-94 Explorers have inadequate brakes for heavy duty use. Those 4500 pound 4x4 trucks don't do well on a mail route for long. My 99 4x4 weighs the same, but the calipers and pads are better, and the Sport Trac spindles/rotors help some.

Buying quality brake parts is very important, don't skimp on any of it. Buy the best pads, fluid, and rotors that you can afford. Do brake bleeding every time, and in between if you don't drive many miles per year. Regards,