Best brake pads for a tow vehicle?
What are some of the best brake pads you can get for a two vehicle? Something that can stand up to hard braking, without fading on you. I have a set of cheap pads on my Ram 1500, and had them fade t...
Forum Discussion
OP,
First, it's hard to find the one size fits all brakes for trucks that are used for double duty. Brake pads and rotors are like tires. You have ones that are for everyday driving , ones for performance , and ones that are for hard heavy use. There is going to be improvements in one thing and losses in others depending on what you choose. As a Fleet manager that takes care of a lot of trucks ranging from trucks that are commuters to trucks that never move except heavily loaded. These trucks are also only driven by guys that don't care how they treat the truck because they don't pay to take care of them.
I personally get good results from Napa brake pads and rotors. I run their Fleet and Ultra premium Severe Duty pads and rotors. You can't however mix them. You can't put the heavy duty pads on standard duty rotors.
If you go with heavy duty pads the down fall is they won't be as responsive in everyday driving because it takes more for them to heat up. You will fine yourself having to push harder on the brake pedal to get the same results. The plus is you can stand on them when stopping heavy and they won't fade. I have smoked mine with no ill effects.
I would change the brake fluid though just to make sure there is no moisture to boil. Another thing to think about is how you apply your brakes. If you apply enough pressure to just hold you speed constant and ride them to the bottom of the grade then you will smoke just about any material out there. The best way is to slow the truck down quickly to a speed below your comfortable speed and then release. Allow them to cool for a couple seconds until you reach that comfortable speed again then reapply to slow down again.;)
First, it's hard to find the one size fits all brakes for trucks that are used for double duty. Brake pads and rotors are like tires. You have ones that are for everyday driving , ones for performance , and ones that are for hard heavy use. There is going to be improvements in one thing and losses in others depending on what you choose. As a Fleet manager that takes care of a lot of trucks ranging from trucks that are commuters to trucks that never move except heavily loaded. These trucks are also only driven by guys that don't care how they treat the truck because they don't pay to take care of them.
I personally get good results from Napa brake pads and rotors. I run their Fleet and Ultra premium Severe Duty pads and rotors. You can't however mix them. You can't put the heavy duty pads on standard duty rotors.
If you go with heavy duty pads the down fall is they won't be as responsive in everyday driving because it takes more for them to heat up. You will fine yourself having to push harder on the brake pedal to get the same results. The plus is you can stand on them when stopping heavy and they won't fade. I have smoked mine with no ill effects.
I would change the brake fluid though just to make sure there is no moisture to boil. Another thing to think about is how you apply your brakes. If you apply enough pressure to just hold you speed constant and ride them to the bottom of the grade then you will smoke just about any material out there. The best way is to slow the truck down quickly to a speed below your comfortable speed and then release. Allow them to cool for a couple seconds until you reach that comfortable speed again then reapply to slow down again.;)
