# Replacing front pads



## Patman (May 7, 2011)

Anybody else replace front pads? If so what brand did you go with? As of this weekend, I replaced mine a total of 3 times. First time bc they were hanging up and wore into my rotors and killed my MPG. Then after @ 10K I couldn't stand the pads I bought from Advance they were dusty and noisy. Replaced those with pads from Napa(not sure if ceramic or not) but with the dust they put out and wear after @ 15K I think they were semi metallic. Yesterday since it was so warm I replaced the dust makers with ceramic pads from O Reilly's. I looked it up and they are made by Bosch. From what I read so far(even on a Corvette forum) they like O Reilly's ceramic brakes. I also put a set on my wife's car since the car wasn't stopping that great and noisy. So far so good only $52 for mine and 36 for wife's. I can already notice an improvement with both cars!!! I enjoy doing brakes so I offered to my brother in law but he said no, didn't need them. So...... I figure, get it done before Winter hits so I don't need to be doing this in the cold!


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

I only use factory or Centric posi-quiet.

I never get less than 50k on a set.....Coming up on 30 k and the Cruze pads might be only a third (or less) worn......these might go 70k.(still OE)

Rob


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## BowtieGuy (Jan 4, 2013)

I'm at 42k on the original front pads.

For ceramic pads, I like Akebono.
For semi-metalic, I like Centric Posi-Quiet.

Rotors, Centric Premium blanks for the G3500 material.


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## Rockhead (Jul 10, 2014)

I replaced my front pads and rotors around 45K with Hawk HPS pads and AC Delco rotors. The system has about 25K on it now and still feels good. The pads do get a little noisy if I don't stay on top of washing off the brake dust every now and then.


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## 170-3tree (Nov 4, 2014)

Depends on what I'm trying to get, but typically hawk hps, hps 5.0, or hawk street perf. I might try some carbotech pads this time around.


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## jmsanti (Feb 4, 2015)

The Hawk hps pads are a good upgrade though their can be more brake dust compared to ceramics.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

I used to be very hard on brakes in previous cars, but the cruze being able to coast so well has taught me to let off sooner and coast down more of my speed when approaching a stop. Typically if I'm doing 60mph I will coast down to 35-40mph before I even touch my brakes, currently I'm at 88K and still on the factory brakes all around.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

OK as all remembers, I had trouble with the first set of pads on my car, something caught between the pads and the rotors that scored the rotors and had me driving more or less with the brakes constantly on. After fixing that problem, I have not been able to find a decent set of replacement pads(supposed to be ceramic or not) until this set I put on from OReilly's . $52 for ceramics from BrakeBest and they are working well!!! At first I was sceptical but after @ 1000 miles, no Brake dust and the car stops better than ever before. I even did the same for my wife's car and all is well.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Did you not try another set of OE pads? I had mine checked at 65K miles and they are worn only about a quarter of their life.


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

obermd said:


> Did you not try another set of OE pads? I had mine checked at 65K miles and they are worn only about a quarter of their life.


No probably should have went to the dealer or bought via Rockauto. But I got caught up in the maze of crappy quality from the local parts stores and they were open and available at the time. Of course they tell you their brakes are better and other than they are and sounded good at the time, . Now that I actually found a set of decent ceramics, I am going to leave them alone probably till @ 100K and then probably go with OE pads again. But as the sales pitch said: I have "lifetime" pads. So in a perfect world these pads will be stopping cars long after I am gone! Funny in all my years of selling or buying auto parts, I have never used the lifetime warranty. It more boils down to how bored/unhappy with the performance am I at a given time to cause me to replace them. LOL


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Lifetime warranties: who's or what's lifetime? :question:


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## Patman (May 7, 2011)

obermd said:


> Lifetime warranties: who's or what's lifetime? :question:


It's a sales gimmick to get you to buy (and pay more for) something in hopes it will last a long time(long enough to allow you to forget the warranty). If it does not last the part manufacturer is counting on one of 3 things happened:1) You are out the money and it costs them nothing to replace(certain); You lose the receipt(warranty) or most likely you don't have the car anymore! Several times at Nationwise Auto Parts where I worked as a kid: people would come in with a bad starter or alternator and have a receipt for a warranty on such part that was in the car when they bought it off their neighbor. It was easier for us to exchange the part than to try and argue the point. So......


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## Robby (Mar 1, 2013)

Lifetime warranty:

In the U.S. the average length of time a first owner keeps a car is seven years, second owner average is three/four years.
The law of averages is on the side of the provider of the lifetime warranty.
Using brakes as the example, the odds are the car is sold before the second (warranteed) pads are worn out.

There will be a few owners that get a freebee replacement and the price assumes and is configured for that.
Same applies to every 'Lifetime' warranty......a game of odds.

Lifetime is a freely bandied about term in our world.
My favorite is components, found on our cars, that are maintenance free.....such as 'Lubed for life' ball joints or tie rod ends.

Years back I kept pressing engineers......what IS 'Lubed for Life?' What does 'Life' mean in this context?

Well, the answer is 'It is lubed for the life of the part'.........uh, Ok.........so it is simply lubed but will wear out.....therefore, its life has ended.......hence, 'Lubed for Life'.......get it?......got it.

This warranty for life thing brings up a story 'I got lots 'O' stories' you readers may get a kick out of.

In the late 70's early 80's, J.C. Penny had auto departments, just like Sears does today and they sold the same TBA and services.
They sold a 'Lifetime Warranty' auto battery.......playing the seven year odds of course.

One of my 'car guy' buds purchassed two of them......one for his 74 Charger, and one for 70 Javelin.
He still has both cars, some thirty odd years later......the Charger has under 20k miles, the Javelin is just under 40k.

Penny's, who no longer sells automotive, is STILL buying him batteries, under lifetime warranty.
He must provide current registration and they give him a purchass order......he chooses whatever battery supplier he wants and that supplier gives him the battery in exchange for the P.O.
He thinks he has gotten eight or nine batteries so far!

What a great story IMO....I see this guy every week for breakfast and lease some space to him in my hangar......story is ligit.

I keep telling him Pennys probably has a 'hit' out for him.......they probably keep scanning the Obits.

Anyways.......an example of the 'odds' not panning out for the supplier, heh heh.

Keep your Cruze for 30 some odd years and you can get many sets of free brakes I suppose.

Rob


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## DVSLTZ (Apr 12, 2013)

my 2012 ltz has 150,000 kms and still has original brakes all around even the dealer is impressed .Had the brakes checked and they say maybe in the spring still have 30% in the front and 60% on the rear .ive only had to replace the air filter cabin filter and waterpump great car


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## ChevyGuy (Dec 13, 2014)

obermd said:


> Lifetime warranties: who's or what's lifetime? :question:


Let's just say the life of the car gets real short when the brakes fail.


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## BradSt (May 2, 2013)

I know I'm late to the thread, but Akebono makes the OE pads. I replaced mine with their aftermarket version. The material looks slightly different, but there is no dust that sticks to the wheel, and the bite feels about the same. Think I paid $45 from Rock Auto. I can't stand most parts store's friction material, so I've quite buying from them. I want to know exactly what I'm getting...and for dust free, Akebono does it right.


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## Hazlitt777 (Nov 2, 2013)

Very late to this thread but.... I now have 128,000 on my 2014 eco with all the original brake pads and parts yet. Is that impressive? Or is there someone out there that got even more life out of them than that?


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## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

The record would be 200k.. All highway miles


Back in the 90s.


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