# auto zone brake pads are dangerous



## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

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.


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## live4snow (Jan 5, 2005)

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.
> ...



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.


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## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

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.


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## 94SE-R_wi (Sep 14, 2004)

Brembo rotors on sale at www.nopionline.com $25.60 a piece for the frount.
-Ben


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## BII (May 13, 2004)

Autozone pads are teh suck, but not dangerous unless you're doing hot laps or something.


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

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?


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## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

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.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

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!!!


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## StevenLK (Jul 15, 2002)

did u slowly brake tthem in b'4 going around slammin on ur brakes?


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

haha, yeah. i'm not stupid enough to get green fade lol.


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## PeaNutB13 (Apr 14, 2004)

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.


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## sunnysentra (Jul 24, 2002)

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


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## Twiz (Aug 24, 2004)

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.


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## Nismo1997 (Dec 26, 2003)

http://www.sentra.net/tech/garage/brakes.php#Bleeding brakes


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## Slacky (May 31, 2004)

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


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

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.


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## kaotekXe (Nov 14, 2002)

*i work for autozone*

yeah albanys such much ass. they sell ceramic pads which are way better. yeah theyre not as cheap and dnt have lifetime warrenty but they are really good pads. i get alot of complaints at work cuz of those pads.


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## Bonesmugglar (Jan 14, 2004)

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?


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## racingfury (Oct 7, 2004)

basically you get what you pay for... less $$ means less quality!


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## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

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!


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

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.


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## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

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.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

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.


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## Bonesmugglar (Jan 14, 2004)

i mean pads is one things.... but dont u need a good set of rotors also to help?


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## SR20dee (May 1, 2002)

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


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

SR20dee said:


> not really.
> 
> pad material is most important.
> 
> ...


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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## SR20dee (May 1, 2002)

rotors No matter how they are designed all have a similar half life when coupled with a performance or hard pad.. 

pad material inbeds into the rotor to help improve braking. 

another well known fact is that many times cheap ass rotors are Manufactured by the same companys that do the more expensive flashy brands 

<--- cheap rotor beleiver.. got mine for 25 bucks each


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## aseCARDUDE (Mar 15, 2005)

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.
> ...



So tavel,

Did you get your rotors turned before you installed the questional pads? if you didn't thats what i like to call "hot spotting". don't turn rotors and you get the pads hot in the high spots on the rotors and this causes "glazing". you need to make sure you turn or replace the rotors. also any time you do ba brake job you have to evac the old stuff and put new in. brake fluid does not last forever and when you change pads you change the dynamics of your brakiing system. Get the old crap out and put fresh in, your car will like you. 

Last thought go ceramic and the pads will cool off faster when your being agresive on the brakes. you can still use the original style rotors and they will work just fine.

later asecardude


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## Pretty White (May 6, 2002)

Bendix or Beck Arnley Metallic are just as good stock at 1/2 the price. 
The Albany pads do suck....
But 10:1 you did not break in the pads properly and they are not bedded and glazed. 

Anytime you change brakes you must:
Drive to 30mph them slow down to 5mph w/o stopping at "LEAST" 10 times. 
Then let the car sit for a while. Do not go stabbing the brakes hard for a day or two.


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## floydiandays (Mar 15, 2005)

I turn my rotors on EVERY brake job. Most of the time I replace the calipers as well, which may not be a neccessity but just a preference. Common causes for a soft pedal and poor braking are going to be air in the lines or a leak somewhere. The last time I did my brakes, it took FOREVER to get all the bubbles out. You want to have NO BUBBLES. Not even 1 little bubble if you can help it, no bubbles on all 4 corners.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

floydiandays said:


> I turn my rotors on EVERY brake job. Most of the time I replace the calipers as well, which may not be a neccessity but just a preference. Common causes for a soft pedal and poor braking are going to be air in the lines or a leak somewhere. The last time I did my brakes, it took FOREVER to get all the bubbles out. You want to have NO BUBBLES. Not even 1 little bubble if you can help it, no bubbles on all 4 corners.


You replace the entire caliper??? :jawdrop:
That must cost a few bones...


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## floydiandays (Mar 15, 2005)

If I have extra money, then Ill replace the calipers. If not then no biggie. *shrug*


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## Tavel (Aug 21, 2004)

I know its old, but i've got an update for ya.

i finally got around to doing something about my brakes. i got in there and found the rear calipers were seized, c-clamped those sumbitches and free'd them up. Then i smushed the pistons in and out several times (using a piece of wood for a stopper) to break away any roughness. 

i replaced all four rotors, and the rear pads (i have ceramics on the front, they're still good from last year). put it all together and have been driving easy on them until the pads and rotors wear in. the rotors were smoking the first time i drove on them, awesomness.

but i have to say this is a world of difference, my car stops in half the distance and im having trouble adjusting to it lol. as i'm pulling up to a stoplight i accidently (almost) stop 15 yards from the line cus my brakes are so much stronger. woot!

now i just have to wait and see if the rear calipers are going to want to seize again, but i dont think they will. They seized from extreme heat caused by a frozen parking brake (eek!). disconnected the pbrake but the damage was already done.


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## Nicoli (Apr 26, 2005)

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.
> ...



Depending On what You are doing IN the car will affect Your choice of brakes.
there are four types of Brakes. Organic, Made of stuff like cellulose, which is like ground up cardboard! The cellulose is held together with a phenolic resin binder which is a heat resistant thermosetting resin. Pot handles and stuff like that is made of phenolics. Organic pads used to have asbestos to give better high temp properties but since asbestos is now a carcinogenic a no-no, kevlar, fiberglass and mineral fillers are now also used. Organic pads have a good coefficient of friction for a light pedal effort, work well at low temperatures and are very quite. They do not work so good for high performance use as they quickly wear, fade, oxidize and crumble. Organic pads are kind of old school and are common on cheap aftermarket replacement pads for older and sometimes new cars. These pads do not wear the rotors very much. Some cars have these as stock pads. Beware of these, as they are worse than the stock pads. Suspect any cheap aftermarket pad. Organic pads are usually a light brown or tan in color. 

Semi-metallic-These have some powdered metal added to the mix to help stabilize the coefficient of friction at higher temperatures. Typically powdered Brass, iron or Bronze is added. Chopped brass or bronze wire is sometimes added to help give the pad more mechanical strength. Most stock pads on newer car are semi-metallic. Usually these pads are excellent for all-around use. They can run the gamut from very little metal to almost all metal. The more metal usually means better high temp properties, more noise, more rotor wear and less effective cold braking. Semi-Metallics run the gamut from light tan with metal flecks in them to a dark gray in color. The darker pads usually indicate a higher metal content. A higher metallic content, semi metallic is usually a good all around high performance street pad. Stock Nissan pads fit this category 

FULL METALLIC-These pads are made of sintered metal with very little binder. Sintered metal is powdered metal that is pressed into a mold at high temperatures until it becomes a more or less homogeneous piece. Pads of this type are pretty aggressive with ones made of brass, bronze or copper or a mix of metals being more streetable and ones using iron being more high temperature oriented. For very high temperature use, ceramic powder is added to the pad material. Axxiss Metal Matrix pads are streetable nearly full metallic pads that are made of brass and bronze powder with a resin binder. They are very streetable but I would not consider the other pads in this category as usable or even safe for street driving. Full metal pads are noisy, don’t grip when cold or wet and chew up rotors with annoying regularity. Full metal pads also usually require more pedal effort to stop the car. These pads make killer corrosive black brake dust so clean your rims frequently! I don’t think anyone on this list, even racers should consider anything more aggressive than the Metal Matrix or the new carbon pads. These pads are usually a dark gray to black and sometimes even copper-looking with a lustrous sheen. 
Finally You have 
CARBON- Carbon pads available to us mere mortals are not the amorphous carbon-carbon exotica that F-1 cars, the space shuttle and high performance jets use. They are not "carbon-fiber" either. Carbon pads that are available to us normal people are semi-metallic pads that have powdered carbon added to them to improve there high and low temperature properties. Personally I like most of these pads. For the most part, they have the cold friction of a good mild semi-metallic with the high temp properties of medium aggressive full metallic. Even the full race, high metal/carbon pads seem to have a fairly wide effective heat range. They for the most part are fairly good on the rotors also. Since they work so well over a broad range, carbon pads seem to have taken over the high-performance street pad market. The only drawback that these pads have is cost. They are pretty pricey. In my experience, they seem to wear a little faster than one might expect also. They also leave lots of black, corrosive, yucky, sticky, brake dust which is the main reason I will not use them on my street car. The full race carbon pads seem to eat rotors pretty well too. Carbon pads are a flat dark gray to black with a flinty look. 

Auto-Zone does not specialize in perfromance anything. the only thing I go there for is maybe oil. Everything else is a gloified version of the automotive department at Wal-Mart.


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## infantsam (Dec 31, 2003)

well done post - :thumbup: 

I would just add:

Stopping well generally requires dust, noise, and wear - just think of how good tires work - in general, the stickier they are the - faster they wear, cost more, work worse cold, splat rubber all over the place etc.

But .....nail your brakes at the end of the back straight on Pocono East and dive down into the lefthander and you will GLADLY clean the rubber and brake dust later....

so the advice is - get what you need (i.e. how you drive) and going cheap rarely pays off....

And if you don't believe that to be good advice call me - I know a place you can supercharge your car for $69.99


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## blubirddet (Jul 15, 2005)

*if your cheap you get cheap!!*

MORCE ceramic pads are the way to go, the albany brakes suck, if your cheap and go with cheap brakes well you get what you pay, i work at autozone and never had a problem with my brakes, it just goes in categories, cheap, good, better, best, it seems to me you got the cheap pads and expected good quality, not gonna happen man, so next time get the good ones.


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## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

LET THIS THREAD DIE!!!!

This thread goes away for like three months and then somebody post somthing in it...


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