Fox Brake Pad Material Suggestions

[7991LXnSHO]

Hey everyone! I need to talk about tech. That ought to get the moderator’s attention.

I need to know what company, brand and line of brake pads and shoes have better than factory grip without a lot of dust mess and a low amount of squeaks. I am not currently working behind a parts counter or managing a parts department, so calling up a product or supplier rep is not as easy as it used to be.

I want something for my Mustang and probably our other cars. Right now, our big minivan, my 65 GM A body and my Grand Marquis have what I guess to be whatever Carquest or Napa had the best markup on that month and a low return rate for the general maintenance shop I trust.

On the van, the wheels are coated black between car washes, and we have to clean the wherls by hand first to get them looking nice. This gunk is nearly evil.

On my fancy cop car Mercury, the wheels stay cleaner, but l could join the band, Squeally Dan, with their intermittent antics.

On my power drum A body, everything but the booster was replaced with stock spec parts, and while stopping in town is now great, 75 mph, quick panic stops are not happening, no matter how hard I stand on the pedal I will warp a drum trying a Motor Week brake test, and Grandpa used to trailer a boat with it! On Wheeler Dealer, Ed upgraded the shoes on an oddball car, and Mike thought he might have put power brakes on. That’s the type of shoes and pads I want, but I did not see the box or brand in the episode.

So, as an upgrade to my stock 91 5.0 LX brakes, what is a really good material (until I do a SN spindle swap)?

Raybestos now has a Fleet Metloc line that looks like a possibility. The EBC Brakes line includes a lot of material options - they make the Red/Yellow/Green stuff lines.

So what have y’all found for great brakes? Thanks!

 

[RaggedGT]

I’ve been a Wagner fan for many years. Pretty much all my cars have had Quick Stops on them.

With the exception of my F150, I ordered a set of Raybestos service grade pads last year (they where cheap lol.) they squeal,they throw dust like Crazy,and in less than 12 months,need replaced.

Wagner has come out with a New line of pads,supposed to be an upgrade to the QS line, I’ve instalked a couple sets at my last job. They seem like good pads

 

[FastDriver]

Ceramics. They don't dust like organics, but they also aren't gonna be any good as track pads because they're more prone to fade if run really hard. Not sure about squeal.

Otherwise, the best pads also tend to dust. I think it's a trade off.

 

[7991LXnSHO]

I have seen where some hot ceramic pads leave transfer marks on rotors when parked hot, even when stopped at red lights. Hopefully better mixes overcome that.
In order ranking, better stopping less rotor and drum wear and no squealing are more important than dust and pad material wear to me. Just as it is not as bad as the wheel that looks like it is using black makeu like on these van pads.

. @FastDriver do you have a favorite brand of ceramic and racing pads?

How have the EBC red green yellow been working out?

 

[7991LXnSHO]

I’ve been a Wagner fan for many years. Pretty much all my cars have had Quick Stops on them.

With the exception of my F150, I ordered a set of Raybestos service grade pads last year (they where cheap lol.) they squeal,they throw dust like Crazy,and in less than 12 months,need replaced.

I have always thought Wagner looked like quality parts, from the hardware kits to the boxes. I also remember when Raybestos about lost it with the asbestos lawsuits. (Now you can gueluess my age well since it was at a summer job we received a popular shoe number, and there were 4 lengths or lacement of brake material in each box. We re-ordered, set them all out, and came up with some matching stes and warrantied the rest that we could not find two matching shorts and longs. Quality control slipped badly. But I am intrigued about their fleet line. If it works for route trucks, kid driving duty and occasional sporty driving should be no sweat for them.

Wagner has come out with a New line of pads,supposed to be an upgrade to the QS line, I’ve instalked a couple sets at my last job. They seem like good pads

I will check them out.

 

[MustangIIMatt]

I know that @LaserSVT and I both recommend and install Wagner Thermoquiet and O'Reilly Brake Best Ceramic (unless that's changed on his end). (Him for customers at his shop, me for friends and family).

At my job we use Advance's Carquest Wearever Gold ceramics almost exclusively (when not available we use their Platinums, Akebono, or Wagner). I've had zero noise out of them when installed, but I don't see the car again later, so I don't know how they are for dust. I actually have Wearever Platinums on my mom's Taurus because O'reilly didn't have theirs in stock. They are less dusty than OE, but for that matter, so are sawmills and deserts.

A word of advice, check the friction codes on the pads you install.

http://faculty.ccbcmd.edu/~smacadof/DOTPadCodes.htm

Effin' short version is, you want "FF" code brakes regardless of material for the best performance from an OE-style replacement.

 

[FastDriver]

I've run hawks for years. Plenty of dust, but both their racing and street pads are excellent performers.

 

[General karthief]

Someone makes a spray on product that is supposed to help keep the brake dust from building up, have not tried it yet, I think it Maguire

 

[Mustang5L5]

I actually prefer Motorcraft pads. It's what I run on the DD.

On my Fox I have motorcraft rear pads, but am running a ceramic up front. I think "wagner". You can see the difference in dust with the rears producing more, but one thing I hate about them is I need to get a little heat into them before they really start gripping well. I pretty much pull out of the driveway and do a couple 35-0 stops to build some heat and then they grab excellent!

There is no Motorcraft front pad option for the GM-specific PBR's unfortunately.

 

[MustangIIMatt]

I actually prefer Motorcraft pads. It's what I run on the DD.

Depending on application, Motorcraft pads are either excellent, or really ty.

On the F150, they're REALLLLLLY ty.

There is no Motorcraft front pad option for the GM-specific PBR's unfortunately.

You'd be surprised, the hard part is finding a Ford dealership counterperson that isn't too much of a lazy to check the non-Ford-application Motorcraft parts catalog. After Mopar and AC-Delco got into the business of providing service parts for virtually all makes and models to help their dealerships out, Ford followed suit.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Depending on application, Motorcraft pads are either excellent, or really ty.

On the F150, they're REALLLLLLY ty.

On the Taurus they are quite good. This car brakes quite well, and I have yet to do the SHO 14" brake upgrade up front. the Police pads are supposed to be an excellent upgrade too, at the expense of some additional noise. I think i'll stop short of those however.


Not seeing any motorcraft options for a 1999 Corvette though

 

[Dan02gt]

I run Hawk HPS and other than some brake dust they perform well.

 

[FastDriver]

On the Taurus they are quite good. This car brakes quite well, and I have yet to do the SHO 14" brake upgrade up front. the Police pads are supposed to be an excellent upgrade too, at the expense of some additional noise. I think i'll stop short of those however.


Not seeing any motorcraft options for a 1999 Corvette though

If the calipers are the same as Cobras, why don't they sell pads?

 

[Mustang5L5]

If the calipers are the same as Cobras, why don't they sell pads?

Cobra has the 4th Gen vette caliper. I'm running 5th gens.

 

[FastDriver]

Ah, gotcha.