im about to change my front brakes this weekend. I search the forms for a while and came up with a few things. But i still have a few questions. I came to find that Autozone's PERFORMANCE FRICTION pads come with shimies on them. (1) Would this mean that i would not use the OEM shimies when i replace the pad????? (2) if i buy the axxis pads would i need to buy new shimies??? (3) and if i buy the PepBoys Raybestos Quiet Stop would i need new shimies and hard ware??? fyi im running stock rotors and they were replaced 7months ago. (so they are staying)

help me out here... Thanks..

 

1) The Performance Friction pads get great reviews from several users here. The only reason you would need to replace your OEM shims is if there starting to show signs of ware. They tend to rust/rot a bit and break apart. If yours are in good shap, you can reuse them.

2) See above shim statement. I just did my brakes over, went with the Stillen Kit, drilled rotors, and Metal Axis pads. The pads work great, I reused my old shims, there was nothing wrong with them. They don't dust much at all (big plus) and I think they stop better then OEM pads do. Some say the performance friction stop even better then the Axis pads! I don't know.... I think the Axis pads stop excellent.

3) Quiet stops are quiet for some, noisey for others and do dust quite a bit. Again see above statement regarding shims.

Performance Friction pads are not available for the rears on our cars. Thats one reason I went with Stillen and the Metal Master pads. I have the same pads on all 4 corners.

Tom

 

Hey thanks alot for the advise, i think im going to go with the autozone Perfom Fric. pads for the front.. ive had alot of sweeking from my front right and left brakes so thats my reason for the replacement of the pads. But the rears have not given me any troubles or sounds yet so i guess "if its not broken dont fix it"..

Thanks again..

 

I replaced the rear brake pads on my SE w/ Autozone Performance Friction a few months ago and they work great, + that red color looks cool behind the stock 16" 5-spokes IMO

 

Did both of you guys bleed your breaks after installing them??? And Wht98SE did you need new shimies for your autozone pads. cus i heard they come with shimies already on them???

 

Well I guess I was wrong about the rears, perhaps they just introduced them At any rate, this is good info!

 

i used autozone carbon metallic, are these different than the performance friction??? They have good stopping power, but they tend to squeal from time to time, maybe its something i am doing or not doing though, i dont know. I believe they came with shims as well. Are shims the thin piece of metal on the back side of the pad?? Mine came with that.

 

A word about the shims. Changed my brake pads last summer. Shims looked fine... maybe some signs of rust but nothing I was too worried about. Porterfield pads were great and quiet. Then this summer, started to get a squeel from the front left and then the front rights. When I took the pads out, found out that the shims were heavily rusted and fell apart like paper! Had to clean off the pads and buy new OEM shims. If your shims are old, it may pay to just spend the $16/pair or whatever for new shims because redoing the brakes isn't any fun and your old beat up shims may not last the life of your new pads. Nothing is worse than squeeling brakes to make your car seem like a POS... especially when everyone at a stop light turns to look at whose POS is making all the racket!

 

thats what i used i think they SUCKED. MAJOR brake dust, NO difference from oem as far as stopping power, and on top of that they didnt last me but 10 monthes!

 

thats what i used i think they SUCKED. MAJOR brake dust, NO difference from oem as far as stopping power, and on top of that they didnt last me but 10 monthes! [/QUOTE]

What are you using at the time... and what would you recommend???

 

Brake Fluid is Hydroscopic (absorbs moisture) and should be replaced at every brake job. This will ensure a firm pedal and long system life.

Don't just bleed them, flush your brake system completely. One large bottle of fluid is all you'll need.

 

What are you using at the time... and what would you recommend??? [/QUOTE]the same friggin' pads (im replacing them this weekend) im undecided on what to use right now. i dont have the extra money for anything fancy since x-mas is coming up

 

Ya i deff dont want to spend alot of money on some brake pads.. i mean im an agressive driver but i dont go to the tracks or anything... ive been to the 1/4 a few times but not religiously...

 

I looked in the Chilton Manual and it mentions nothing of flushing the brake system, only bleeding. How is flushing different?

 

It is essentially the same thing. When you bleed your brakes you don't let the lines get completely empty because then you would get air in the lines, which is bad. You bleed them until the new fluid comes through.

 

I agree. Shims are so cheep, I never see a reason not to replace them. Go to your local dealer and ask for a "Brake hardware kit". It comes with all new shims, retaining clips and springs (if required).

I get a new kit every time I change pads.

Oh, and I think Porterfields are the best pads that money can buy. I won't use anything else.

 

DON'T get the Axxis metal master pads! They squeal really bad and dust out the ***. I just replaced them with Raybestos quiet stop ceramic pads and they are silent and work really well. The problem with the metal masters is that they are semi metallic and they wear down the stock rotors much faster than the stock ceramic pads! These cars do come with ceramic pads from the factory for a reason, because the rotors are thin and vibrate alot when pressure is applied, thus coupled with the extra dusting caused by the metalic pads causeing a squealing sound. So If I were you I would go with either factory Nissan pads, or another type of ceramic pads, "IE only one company actually makes the ceramic pads, and distributes them to other companies to put there name on them for sale". Just my two cents..

 

someone answer me this...
the shims are the little thin metal pieces on the back side of the pads right? The ones my pads came with from autozone already attached to the pads.

 

Hey do any of you guys have step by step instruction on how to actually bleed the brakes,, is it that hard,, or am i just getting to worried over nothing....From what i heard maxima brake pads are easy to change,, but im starting to think other wise..

 

Yes. Some brake pads may come with shims already, but most don't.

 

My max just turned 80K, and it has the original brakes on it - but a few days ago, I get this intermittent "squeal" when I apply the brakes...but a couple of times I heard it when the brakes weren't applied. Hopefully, it's just the shims (wishful thinking???). I'll go have the pads/shoes/shims replaced tomorrow, and hopefully, that will be that. I guess that was my POS at the stoplight making all that noise, and it's embarrassing as hell!!!

 

I got the Raybestos Quiet Stops for the front and back from Napa. The fronts came with a shime, however the rears didn't. I used this stickey metalic thing on the rears. I did a very bad job putting the stuff on there because it sucked. Now, when I back up a little bit, then hit the breaks to slow down the wheel harmonically vibrates the entire car the entire time I am touching the breaks. Other than that, everything is fine.

I recommend the raybestos pads, very little dust, same power as OEM, and pretty inexpencive. For all 4 I paid $88.

My 2¢

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