A little brake squeal doesn't bother me. I drove over a year with squeaky brakes in my last car. I know I won't get the cheapest pads available. I have been reading lots of reviews and lots of people claim the aftermarket pads get better grab. Spending extra money on pads doesn't bother me if I get more performance.

 

If you can find a set of Performance Friction pads for your application, they are worth their weight in gold!!! Tremendous increase in pedal firmness, amazing bite and no fade. I was blown away by the set I put on my '10 Civic and I also used powerstop cross/slotted rotors but brakeperformance also has good rotors and pads as well

 

Thanks everyone for your input. I never realized there were so many aftermarket brake manufacturers. Now the search begins....

 

When it came time to replace my 99 Accord brakes I purchased Brembo rotors and PBR/Axxis Ultimate pads. After doing this I was amazed at the difference. The stopping power was fantastic! This is a daily driver my wife uses and even she noticed the difference. The car would stop quickly without wheel lock up. Just make sure you "bed" your new brakes to get the most out of them.

 

You also know that when the wife is Happy that you are also Happy..Good post.

 

LS that is exactly what I want.
I don't think I can afford brembo this time around.
I see some people put in bigger calipers too.
Is that necessary or are the stock calipers fine?

 

I currently use Duralast gold pads and Wearever rotors.
Advance Auto parts has nice coupon codes. Duralast gold pads are ceramic and have lifetime warranty.

I am a daily "hard on the brakes" driver.

 

Bigger calipers aren't necessary unless you're doing some serious racing or modding. Think of it as more weight for your engine to haul around.

If brembo is outa your budget then stoptech/centric or ebc are the next cheapest.

 

A good explanation thank you.

 

Regardless of which pad you choose, proper conditioning will help them work well, and last longer. With the exception of racers, I don't know of a single person who "beds" their brakes properly. I am sure they are out there, but it's few and far between.

From my perspective, slotted and drilled (aka precracked) rotors are a useless gimic to get people to spend more cash for zero return. In my 5th gen race car that sees use extremes a street car never will, gets the bottom of the barrel cheapest rotor I can find. I replace them with every pad change and bed them correctly.

I can't comment on pad choice as my application is different. I yield to others on that.