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auto zone brake pads are dangerous

9K views 36 replies 22 participants last post by  Johnny-wonk 
#1 ·
so i bought some albany brake pads from autozone and my braking performance has been steadily declining since. it's getting to the point where it's starting to scare me, and im worried about not being able to stop in time.

i see two options:
1. autozone sells crappy stuff, which i believe whole heartedly.
2. i did something wrong in the install and got air or something into the brake lines.

if i got air into the brake lines, how would i go about getting it out? i assume this is bleeding the brakes...got any tips?

if autozone is teh sucks, got any ideas for aftermarket brake pads and rotors? the rotors are pretty old and in need of replacement, and the pads...yeah.
 
#2 ·
Tavel said:
so i bought some albany brake pads from autozone and my braking performance has been steadily declining since. it's getting to the point where it's starting to scare me, and im worried about not being able to stop in time.

i see two options:
1. autozone sells crappy stuff, which i believe whole heartedly.
2. i did something wrong in the install and got air or something into the brake lines.

if i got air into the brake lines, how would i go about getting it out? i assume this is bleeding the brakes...got any tips?

if autozone is teh sucks, got any ideas for aftermarket brake pads and rotors? the rotors are pretty old and in need of replacement, and the pads...yeah.

I got my pads and rotors at autozone and I have not noticed any decline in performance. Sounds like something went wrong.

I would tell you how to bleed the brakes but my friend did it for me. All I remember is that when he was doing it, he opened the cap for the brake fuid resovoir. Sorry I cant be more help.
 
#3 ·
Did you bleed your brakes? If not, I doubt that you got air into the brake lines. But if you want to be sure just bleed your brake lines and put some good sythetic in.

Also...YES autozone brkae pads probably wouldnt be the best choice for "performance braking". I have some in my car just because I needed a quick replacement. After one HARD stop they start to fade like no tommorow!

Get some AD22's if you dont have some already. Even if you have Autozone pads with AD22's they will bite hard at least once or twice before the pads heat up to much.
 
#6 · (Edited)
well i shouldn't say dangerous...but i have a bit of OCD with my car...i hear a noise? BAM it's up on jack stands getting an oil change.

the brakes DO work...but i have to press the pedal SO hard to make them work, i'd like it to be more stock feeling...or perhaps better. would you reccomend i get the OE type replacment rotors, or should i go hardcore and get drilled rotors?

94se-r: is that retailer reliable? how often do you purchase from them?
 
#7 ·
Altima master cylinder will give you a stiffer pedal feel. Flush your brake fluid out first though and see if that brings your pedal feel back up to par. New rotors arent going to help you stop quicker if they are the same as you old ones.

But if your problem is you having to push the brake pedal to hard check your brake fluid and flush it first.
 
#8 ·
Carbotech Bobcat 1521, Hawk HPS, Feredo, and StopTech are makers of good pads. As far as rotors, there are many good names. It depends on what application you want it for and how much you are willing to spend. By all means when it comes to pads and rotors, avoid EBC!!!
 
#11 ·
Tavel what you are describing is a power brake booster going bad. You have to press pretty hard to stop right? If the master cylinder was going bad the pedal would be super soft. i am sure those 10.00 albany pads are fine but they are not a peformance pad in any way. Maybe you should look into a ceramic pad. They are super clean and quiet just get a good quality rotor and you should be all set.
 
#12 ·
10.00 for pads???? no wonder you have bad performance, its most likely the cheapest pad they sell. Also they propbably squeel too. Cheap pads are not good. Spend the money, get OEM brembos, they heat treat them, so they will not warp as fast as the MEXICO MADE rotors from Raybestos. Get yourself some Axxis metal masters and break them in properly. If you are not easy to pads, they will never perform the right way. Must follow procedure for break-in.

Chris 92 classic
 
#13 ·
I did buy ceramic pads for the front wheels on my nissan from Autozone, special order 4 days. I can't remember what brand but they're awesome... no squeaky sounds, no brake dust on my wheels, I just looked at them after a year and they look brand new. They cost me about 42 bucks for the front only but they're worth it. You should bleed the brakes after you swap your pads even tho I never do and they perform well. My break-in procedure is pretty simple I hit the brakes slowly while driving around the block and drive around one more time and hit em really hard. If they pass the harsh test they're okay to me if not you can call them refunds. Oh also check for a torn CV boot... that'd throw a lot of grease on the wheel assembly... and get that fixed. I saw a guy in a little Neon pulling out his hair the other day stuck in an intersection, his wheel flew out of the CV boot and ended up in his wheel well but it looked ugly cause it deformed his front fender badly. He lost the wheel while driving and turning... so not cool.
 
#15 ·
if ur brakes got crappier and crappier then im bettin u have a leak and suck in air every time u let go of the pedal thats why theres air in there, i get pads from auto zone all the time cus they are life time garuantee even though they were out so fast.... i'll never understand that, but i have no problem takin 5 minutes out of my day to play with the car
 
#16 ·
ehh i was kinda peeved when i wrote that lol.

they started fine...but by the end of the first week were crap, and they are in the same condition now.

i know its not the power assist dying, i know what manual brakes feel like, and this aint it.
 
#18 ·
Autozone is fucking garbage...1st thing you should have did was buy oem pads from the dealer.....the best things for our cars and all other cars is oem stuff escpially since its not like a race car we are driving...if u are using stock brakes might as well use stock pads. dont u think the million of dollars they researched for our cars in development they use like really really good pads?
 
#20 ·
Bonesmugglar said:
Autozone is fucking garbage...1st thing you should have did was buy oem pads from the dealer.....the best things for our cars and all other cars is oem stuff escpially since its not like a race car we are driving...if u are using stock brakes might as well use stock pads. dont u think the million of dollars they researched for our cars in development they use like really really good pads?
OEM is good to a point. Its not the end all of brake pads though. There are WAY better pads out there. Once you start to experience fading with them you will know what I mean. My car is not a "race car" but it gets driven hard enough that the OEM pads would start to fade even on my AD22's. Fading is annoying as hell!
 
#22 ·
NickZac said:
mind you there are multiple components to brake fade guys
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/brakefluid1a.htm
keep this in mind too...

Ford C6AZ-19542 ...that is one of the not so well known secretes...this is really good and inexpensive fluid.
I agree with you 100% but really your brakes are only as good as the pad your running since thats the part that deals with the most friction and heat. You could have the best brake fluid in the world but if your pad heats up to easily your cars still not going to stop. Which is why its important to pick the right brake pad for what your doing...but thats another can of worms all together.
 
#23 ·
Johnny-wonk said:
I agree with you 100% but really your brakes are only as good as the pad your running since thats the part that deals with the most friction and heat. You could have the best brake fluid in the world but if your pad heats up to easily your cars still not going to stop. Which is why its important to pick the right brake pad for what your doing...but thats another can of worms all together.
I definately agree. I suppose when it comes to the entire braking system, the best summary is a chain is only as strong as a weakest link.
 
#25 ·
Bonesmugglar said:
i mean pads is one things.... but dont u need a good set of rotors also to help?
not really.

pad material is most important.

In the case with most autozone/pepboys brand pads.. they run a hard,hard compound. They are meant to stop A car for normal drivers,Not stop on a dime.

autozone < nissan < aftermarket ceramic/carbon metalic
 
#26 ·
SR20dee said:
not really.

pad material is most important.

In the case with most autozone/pepboys brand pads.. they run a hard,hard compound. They are meant to stop A car for normal drivers,Not stop on a dime.

autozone < nissan < aftermarket ceramic/carbon metalic
werd. unless you do some serious driving, a rotor upgrade isnt gonna be something that will give you benefit that is worth the money. nissan oe pads arent horrible. unless you upgrade to a good pad, ide always stick with oe. cheap aftermarket pads are generally not even as good as the oe.

and upgrading brake fluid is a huge help, if your fluid is older, you will notice an immense difference.
 
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