# Brake pads for 2002 Nissan Altima



## vaibhavkolhe (Jan 22, 2006)

The front brakes produce a screeching noise when I press the brake pad. I have noticed that the sound comes from the driver side. Not sure about the passenger side. I took it to the mechanic and he suggested changing the brake pads & polishing the rotors, if necessary. 

1. Do I need to got for a OEM replacement of breake pads? If yes, does anyone know what is the OEM for 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S?
2. I hear that ceramic brake pads are good but costly. Any suggestions on which ones should be preferred?
3. Do I get this job done from a dealer or mechanic. Needless to say getting done from a dealer would be a hole in the pocket!!

Suggestions welocme


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## Darktide (Jul 29, 2004)

that is most likely the warning sensor mounted on most brake pads to let you know that your pad is getting low. 
With ceramic pads what you need to realize that they only really go into a league of their own when they are super hot as that doesn't bother them versus the semi-metalics which will no longer do the job so well.... but unless you're drag racing down a strip with a lot of lights or doing some seriously hard stops back to back its not really an issue. On the other hand, ceramic pads are very very hard, which means they will wear less... it also means they will wear your rotor faster, and in my opinion that's retarded. Pads are far easier to replace than rotors. 

This leaves you with 1 other choice really. With 2 sub divisions. The Semi-Metalics, hard and soft. 

Soft - More brake dust, less squeeling, faster wear time

Hard - Less Brake dust, more squeeling, slower wear time 

Regardless of Hard or Soft you want to make sure the pads either come with shims or have shims, and Auto Parts Stores sell a tacky substance that helps reduce squeeling. My preference lies towards the soft because like I said before, I'd rather have my pads go than my rotors.

As for brands, Bendix is a harder pad but many manufacturers use them as OEM pads. I don't know which brand Nissan uses though.

If you go to an Advance Auto Parts or a sub-company of them my suggestion would be the Wearever Gold series (soft semi-metalic with a shim pre-mounted for you). I would highly advise AGAINST ceramic pads unless you do some serious braking and then you would want to upgrade the rotors along with them. 

Anywho, if you go into any auto parts store you should be able to ask for a "soft semi-metalic pad with a set of shims", if they look at you like you're a 9 headed serpent ask to talk with someone else, it may hurt their feelings but you want to get the right pads the first time. Another suggestion, if you have another car, is to remove the pads before going down to compare pads. Mark which pad was on the inside of the caliper and the outside so you know what was where. Good luck.

Darktide


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## cdmorenot (Dec 22, 2005)

Darktide is right about the ceramic.. and he really did break it down so i really don't have much left to say... anyway just wondering ? how many miles on the car and is it the first time you're looking at a brake job ? how hard are you on the brakes ? 

take all these factors in consideration before you purchase anything...
in my case.. i am 18 so that says alot about me i'm very hard on my brakes i like taking side streets which means a bunch of turns, stop and goes at high speed... so i went for ceramic and slotted cross drilled rotors all around.. very expensive...
i don't think you need such stuff in your car unless you are very hard on your brakes like me... if you're not i would suggest getting the OEM pads straight from the nissan dealership to be honest if you are going to stay with the same kind of pads and rotors and don't want anything that is high performance buy genuine nissan parts they will last a little longer...
if you know any basic mechanic skills the brake job on an altima is not hard at all.. you need your basic rachet-socket set a C clamp a jack jack stand, gloves and all the materials CRC makes a red glue like compound called squeaky stop.. if your pads don't come with it buy it.. anyway.. whatever you choose to do... the same labor a mechanic is going to do the nissan dealership will do for a higher price so forget nissan for service .. but i would highly recommend them for parts.. good luck .. and if you choose to do the brake job your self let me know and i will try to guide you as best as i can..


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

i swear by ceramic-carbon pads over semi-metallics even for street usage. i would reccomend the carbotech bobcat 1521s to anyone as well as the hawk hps. i have the carbotechs on two of my cars and the hps on one. rotor wear is not bad at all (although i have upgraded stoptech aero rotors on one). both heat up quickly, do not fade, are more predictable to medulate than semi-metallics and are quiet making them a rather streetable pad. the biggest issue is dust as that ceramic dust is black. it is all a matter of choice but i would say go with ceramics.


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## WATSON1 (Jul 9, 2005)

I was gonna post my opinions on this, but it seems everyone has pretty much summed it up already. Go with ceramic, for the reasons already posted.


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## vaibhavkolhe (Jan 22, 2006)

*Brake pads for Nissan Altima*

Thanks for all your suggestions!

Now here are some quick facts abt my car

2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 S 
Engine: QR25DE, 
Chassis: L31
Mileage - 37,000
Type - Used car

When I purchased this one, the brakes squealed, but not much to bother me, but after about 4 months of driving, they have started giving out sounds that drive me crazy!! So I want them replaced. 

I am not very hard on brakes but yes I do drive a lot. It looks like the rotors are in good shape but I am inclined to choosing the ceramic ones over the semi-metallic ones because I have been researching and everyone suggest that ceramic ones beat the rest. 

I did a quick look-up for the type of Brake pads(OEM) and for Nissan Altima they have suggested the following

Akebono Brake Pad Set - Front 
Nissan Altima 2.5 (base) Brake Pad Set
Application: Front 
Fits: 08/2001 - 08/2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 (base), transmission: N/A
Important Fit Details: Vehicles made from 08/2001 to 08/2004. 
Transmission Type: N/A 
Brand: Akebono 

It seems that Akebono brand has one of the best brake pads as far as ceramic are concerned and have been proven to cause minimum rotor wear. 
Although, I understand websites would glorify them for sale, but my personal preference would be to go for ceramic ones. 

Now I have the following queries

- If I replace the brake pads now and assuming I drive 5000 miles/year, how long are these expected to last?
- If I am suggested to replace the rotors as well, what is the approximate cost am I looking at?




Zac said:


> i swear by ceramic-carbon pads over semi-metallics even for street usage. i would reccomend the carbotech bobcat 1521s to anyone as well as the hawk hps. i have the carbotechs on two of my cars and the hps on one. rotor wear is not bad at all (although i have upgraded stoptech aero rotors on one). both heat up quickly, do not fade, are more predictable to medulate than semi-metallics and are quiet making them a rather streetable pad. the biggest issue is dust as that ceramic dust is black. it is all a matter of choice but i would say go with ceramics.


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