Front Pads for my '96 Cobra

greenscobie86

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Hey all,

After having gotten used to absolutely ZERO brake dust from the AC Delco pads on my GT I feel spoiled.

I am looking for a front set of pads for my Cobra that will not make my Silver bullitts absolutely black with dust after a few days of driving.

I don't feel like tryin Delco for this car though, does anyone else have any experience with non dusting front pads for the Cobra?

Oh, I'd rather stay away from ceramics, so that I don't hurt the rotors too much.

Thanks ALOT SN95Forums! :headbang:
 

justinschmidt1

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I didnt know there was such thing as a "non dusting pad" seeing as that is how they work.
 
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greenscobie86

greenscobie86

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Pardon me... I meant I would like a pad that has the least dust possible.

Thanks for the correction though!!!!

So anyone have any experience or input?
 

Crone

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I don't really have expierience with low dust pads, but I do have some advice... do not buy cheap pads!!! My previous cars rotors glazed up within a month using the cheapest pads availible from advanced auto. I don't see cobra rotors being very cheap to replace if they don't have enough to be machined lol, good luck!
 

2slo95fiveoh

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In my personal experience, Organic pads (usually cheapest) will dust the most, and squeal the most.. They are decent for driving around town, but
frequent highway trips (slowing down from higher speeds) will cause them to glaze over faster, causing squeal and brake fade. Semi-Metallics
are probabaly your best bet, although a little more expensive, they will have considerable less dust, less noise, and better performance.
The "Silver" or "Gold" standard of pads your local parts store should be perfect for your needs, assuming you're not Road Racing on them.
 

MrNiceGuy

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i have hawk hps all the way around and i love them! they don't leave that much dust either
 
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greenscobie86

greenscobie86

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Thanks for the replies!

Has anyone ever heard of some "special" OEM Cobra pads that come from Ford(not Motorcraft) and have very good bite/low dusting? I remember reading about these somewhere but don't remember where.

I kinda feel like I should spend the money when it comes to brakes on my car. I know Hawks are good. Anyone dealt with Akebono? EBC line?
 

Venomous96Cobra

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i have used ceramic pads they offer good stopping and low dust! now i just have to see if they make them for use on the Cobra brake system...
 

P51CrazyHorse

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I feel the need to clarify something here, as I have worked around the auto parts industry for quite some time and have a good "insight" into brake pads.

First off, I want to point out that Ceramic brake pads do NOT "tear up rotors". This is a very common misconception. In reality, the "damage" people seem to see on a rotor is not actually something defective on the rotor at all. Ceramic pads do have a habit of leaving an imprint of themselves on a really hot rotor under hard braking circumstances when at a complete stop, and it's this imprint that causes a *bad spot* on the rotor. It's not actually damage to the rotor itself, but a lump of brake friction material that has now stuck itself to the rotor surface. This can easily be fixed by lightly sanding the rotor surface with some light grit sandpaper.

Now, to the differences between the pads themselves.

Organic - Cheapest friction material available, O.E. on some cars, not often anymore however. Will dust up fairly quickly, prone to squeal, and will have a much more noticeable "brake fade" than ANY OTHER disc brake material on the market. Usually only sold in auto parts stores as the "OE Replacement" for various cars.

Semi-Metallic - Best stopping capability of all the friction materials on the market today. Causes a significant amount of brake dust, but the trade-off is the much higher stopping power and improved heat dissipation over all other materials. If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving and value your car I recommend these. If you have a car that's mostly a "show-and-go" car, use Ceramic.

Ceramic - Least amount of brake dust. These are best recommended for show cars with flashy wheels to keep them clean, especially if the vehicle isn't driven much. Ceramic does NOT stop a vehicle near as efficient as semi-metallics (and even some organic) and does have a bit of "brake fade" when really hot. They do not dissipate heat as efficiently as semi-metallic pads do, and will occasionally stick to the rotor when really hot after coming to a complete stop, leaving an imprint of the pad material on the rotor (also causing a slight pulsing effect from the brakes afterward, usually blamed as a "damaged rotor").

So, in conclusion, your ceramic pads are best for keeping your wheels clean, your semi-metallic pads are best for stopping ability. I hope this post is of help to you all, and if you doubt what I have said here I urge you to research the material on your own. It's your car and your life, so it's your decision.
 

RoadZOmbie

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I have some hawk hps pads for 76.00 bucks plus 9.85 shipping if your interested. Hps pads use ferro-carbon friction. I have them on my set-up and they kick ass! Good info from P51 though.
 
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greenscobie86

greenscobie86

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Appreciate the info guys!!! And yes it certainly is my car and my life(not mention other motorists on the road) so I take all my maintanence very seriously. the current pads on the Cobra stop fine, it's just the dust that bothers me. Hence this post. :)

I think that a semi-metallic pad is obviously the answer for me as i drive my car daily. I guess my question has now become somewhat more narrow.

What semi metallic pad has the least amount of dust?

@RoadZombie: Let me get back to you on that man. I need to recop some money as I just bought the car recently and need to do some other stuff before I touch the brakes. Appreciate the offer though!
 

P51CrazyHorse

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Everything I've managed to find, if you want the BEST pad try and find a set of semi-metallic Wagner ThermoQuiet. They're available at Advance Auto, not sure where else.

Even the ThermoQuiet Ceramics have much better stopping power than the ceramics of other brands, due to the way they're engineered. I got to meet with some people at that company and had a long discussion about their pads. I'd say what you're looking for would be met and surpassed with a set of the TQ Ceramics. You will still have the safety assurance of a good quality pad, and it will keep your wheels clean.

Just my recommendation. Hope it helps!
 
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greenscobie86

greenscobie86

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It certainly does help! Thank you!

I've had them on my 97 Jetta and liked them. Never thought about trying them for this application however.

THANKS FOR THE HELP!
 

NERD

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Bam!

P51CrazyHorse said:
I feel the need to clarify something here, as I have worked around the auto parts industry for quite some time and have a good "insight" into brake pads.

First off, I want to point out that Ceramic brake pads do NOT "tear up rotors". This is a very common misconception. In reality, the "damage" people seem to see on a rotor is not actually something defective on the rotor at all. Ceramic pads do have a habit of leaving an imprint of themselves on a really hot rotor under hard braking circumstances when at a complete stop, and it's this imprint that causes a *bad spot* on the rotor. It's not actually damage to the rotor itself, but a lump of brake friction material that has now stuck itself to the rotor surface. This can easily be fixed by lightly sanding the rotor surface with some light grit sandpaper.

Now, to the differences between the pads themselves.

Organic - Cheapest friction material available, O.E. on some cars, not often anymore however. Will dust up fairly quickly, prone to squeal, and will have a much more noticeable "brake fade" than ANY OTHER disc brake material on the market. Usually only sold in auto parts stores as the "OE Replacement" for various cars.

Semi-Metallic - Best stopping capability of all the friction materials on the market today. Causes a significant amount of brake dust, but the trade-off is the much higher stopping power and improved heat dissipation over all other materials. If you do a lot of stop-and-go driving and value your car I recommend these. If you have a car that's mostly a "show-and-go" car, use Ceramic.

Ceramic - Least amount of brake dust. These are best recommended for show cars with flashy wheels to keep them clean, especially if the vehicle isn't driven much. Ceramic does NOT stop a vehicle near as efficient as semi-metallics (and even some organic) and does have a bit of "brake fade" when really hot. They do not dissipate heat as efficiently as semi-metallic pads do, and will occasionally stick to the rotor when really hot after coming to a complete stop, leaving an imprint of the pad material on the rotor (also causing a slight pulsing effect from the brakes afterward, usually blamed as a "damaged rotor").

So, in conclusion, your ceramic pads are best for keeping your wheels clean, your semi-metallic pads are best for stopping ability. I hope this post is of help to you all, and if you doubt what I have said here I urge you to research the material on your own. It's your car and your life, so it's your decision.
 

NERD

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Also never buy brakes from advance auto. i used to work there and their brakes suck!
 
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greenscobie86

greenscobie86

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sxynerd said:
Also never buy brakes from advance auto. i used to work there and their brakes suck!

Yeah, I am not a huge fan of the Duralast or Advance Auto brakes. i've always felt those pads were for the "budget" car owner in mind, one who doesn't care about much except for service life and price lol.
 

P51CrazyHorse

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Now to be sure we're all on the same page, I'm not talking about buying Advance Auto's "Wearever" brand pads. Those are their version of AutoZone's Duralast.

I'm talking about Wagner brand ThermoQuiet pads. They're not exclusive to any one place, and really are the top rated pad on the market today.
 

justinschmidt1

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I dunno about you guys but id rather have my car stop with some good pads and have to clean my wheels every week then the other way around.

ive used cheapo napa brake pads and they feel sloppy compared to some of the better pads
 
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greenscobie86

greenscobie86

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^
Which is exactly why I made this thread!!! Except I kinda want the best of both worlds here... :headbang:

The OEM PBR pads are supposed to be good as well, based on the word of mouth advertising I've been engaged in for the last couple of weeks.
 

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