prius front brake pads

[johns]

replaced front pads 07 prius(not by me) with pads from advance auto parts store said to have been ceramic car now has brake squeal what is best to use for relacement

[mdacmeis]

Originally Posted by johns

replaced front pads 07 prius(not by me) with pads from advance auto parts store said to have been ceramic car now has brake squeal what is best to use for relacement

That's easy - replace with the OEM parts. Brake pads are part of a tuned system, believe it or not. We take great efforts to minimize noise during braking. Each component is kind of like a tuning fork - hit it correctly and it makes noise. We design the parts so they each ring a different frequencies. The brake pads you now have clearly excite a different frequency than what was designed by Toyota. The OEM parts are usually your only choice if you want to avoid noise and/or pulsation.

An automotive brake engineer.

[qbee42]

Good advice.

Tom

[SageBrush]

First time DIY front brake pad replacement on my Subaru about 10 minutes ago. I know -- kind of embarrassing, but better late than never.

I'm pretty sure I kept the inner pads correctly oriented between right and left with the clip on the top, but I am curious how much it matters. Anybody know ?

[andyprius]

Originally Posted by johns

replaced front pads 07 prius(not by me) with pads from advance auto parts store said to have been ceramic car now has brake squeal what is best to use for relacement

Have to agree with mdacmeis, everytime I have used non-OEM brake pads I have had some different reaction. squeeling, noise, slippage etc. It makes sense that the pads are designed around the rest of the assy and for compatibility. If I ever have to change pads, which is unlikely, on the Prius I'll go OEM.

[RobH]

Originally Posted by johns

replaced front pads 07 prius(not by me) with pads from advance auto parts store said to have been ceramic car now has brake squeal what is best to use for relacement

My question is why would you replace the pads in the first place? Replacing Prius brake pads is something generally reserved for cars with over 100,000 miles (or even several times that!).

[patsparks]

My front pads are still very serviceable but I have a set of OEM pads in the garage for the day I need them.
I used to use after market parts but now I'm a convert to OEM Toyota branded parts only.

[jeg]

Years ago, I bought the "cheapest non-metallic" brake pads available at Auto Zone. Auto Zone's pads are "guaranteed for life". Once you buy them, return them prior to the pad going to metal and they will give you a brand new set for FREE! I am approaching 150k miles on my 2005 and I have not paid for brake pads in the last 4 years. Furthermore, since the pads are non-metallic, they do not cut through your rotors and they don't squeal. That's a good thing!

[Boo]

FYI, a PriusChatter has reported to me that he replaced his 07 Prius front pads a couple of years ago with Hawk Performance Ceramic pads, and that he's never experienced any additional noise/squealing whatsoever.

[apriusfan]

I am the PCer who replaced the OEM brake pads with Hawk ceramic pads the moment the car rolled off the transporter (4 ish miles were on the odometer). I have had zero noise, significantly less dusting and compared to other Prius' that have been serviced by the dealer that sold me my Prius, less wear of pads or rotors. My stopping distance from 60 mph to 0 is around 115 feet, but part of that is due to the wider (205 mm) tires that are on my car.

If you are looking at new pads, Hawk ceramics (this is the 4th car that I have put Hawk ceramics on) have worked quite well for me.