stanen8871

I need to change my 1999 altima's frt disc pads and am not sure which
type to use, non-asbestos organic, low metallic, semi metallic, carbon semi metallic or ceramic. I want pads that are good braking, low noise.
Anyone out there know which are the best for nissan products.

ReVerm

Don't go by composition. Go by pad type. There are some semi-metallics that will grind your rotors away worse than some full metallics, and there are metallic pads that will produce more brake dust than many organic pads.

What kind of driving do you do?

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Captain Slow.

stanen8871

Normal street driving. I want pads that have good braking, quiet no squeal with little dusting.

ReVerm

Well, believe it or not one of your better options would be the OE Nissan pads. The ones for their small cars have an incredibly wide heat range and is pretty good with noise and dust.

If you want to go aftermarket, you're going to have to spend a fair amount. The reason is that the pads that would best fit your needs are all in the "ceramic" and "deluxe organic" categories (they aren't necessarily ceramic or organic. They just tend to be called that), whose price range sits around $50~$65 a pair. I've heard good things about the Akebono ProACT and Axxis Deluxe pads, though I've never used them on my car. They're definately not high performance pads though, despite the former being in the "ceramic" category. Don't bother with the cheaper Autozone/Pep Boys pads. They may offer somewhat satisfactory braking performance, but they overheat way too easily, are incredibly noisy, and are too hard for some colder days (the AIMCO metallics that Autozone uses also aren't very good with rotor wear).

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Captain Slow.