Looking for opinions on the best brake pads for an 2003 xjr. Had ebc redstuff on my 2002 vdp and was not really impressed. Anyone have good luck and performance with a certain brand?

 

have you looked at Akebono before? or even Hawk pads? i ran Hawk HPS pads on my old GTI, and it stopped the car so fast, the computer thought it had a brake failure

 

+1 on Akebono EURO

 

I put Centric Posi-Quiet Semi Metallic pads on the rear. No issues, no squealing, no dust. They seem to be wearing fine too. I'd definitely buy them again. Note that these are standard OEM replacement pads though - not for performance or track use - since I use my car for business, they are perfect. Centric manufacturers many different grades of pads, so you should be able to find some that fit your needs.

 

Front Brake Pads - Akebono EUR394A Euro Brake Pad Set - Ceramic, OE
$70.72 free shipping Auto Parts Warehouse.com

They are long lasting, quiet, no brake dust, excellent users reviews.

 

I like the Akebonos. Cleaning the brake dust off the wheels is a thing of the past, thankfully ! and they are quiet.

 

Match them with the coated Brembo's (front) and you got the best brakes in town

 

Add my "+" for Akebono pads. They're great. Fierce grip, easy to modulate, no noise, no dust.

The only caveat I can think of is that they give a somewhat soft pedal feel. A few others have mentioned this over the years as well. Not a problem, really, just something to get accustomed to.

I wouldn't want to mix-n-match them with a different pad, though, personally. Do fronts and rears at the same time, if that wasn't already part of the plan.

Cheers
DD

 

thats funny as i ended up choosing the akebonos

Akebono EUR394A Brake Pad or Shoe Front | eBay

cant wait to have clean chrome rims for longer than 1 drive. lol

 

I will second the not being so impressed with my RedStuff pads. They are squeally and dusty. They have good bite and decent fade resistance for a street pad, but I drive a friends 02 XJR with the Akebono Euro pads, and while the bite was a TINY bit worse, they were dead quiet and he doesn't have to clean his wheels every 3 days like I do. When it's time to replace I'm definitely going with the Akebonos.

 

My experience is the same with the red stuff pads. Not terribly impressed.

Even though my pads are new, I just ordered a set of the Akebonos from your link. I'll let post when they have broken in to report my opinion then.

 

i will say the ebc redstuff pads were paired with rotors on my 02 VDP with 80 k miles, but to me they were way too noisy and tons of brake dust. i felt they even made my rotors worse quickly. i have been impressed with brakelabs drilled and slotted rotors no noise and i havent even broken them all the way in yet...adding them next to my xjr this weekend with the akebonos