Recommendation or choice for brake pads

I need to change brake pads for my Toyota Sienna and wanted to know if anyone can recommend good brake pads. I have used Wagner Thermaquiet and PowerStop. They are good but not the best i think. Any other brands which are great Ceramic or non-ceramic. I don't mind spending money even it is higher then other
Thank you very much for input.
Regards,
S2kFixit.

 

I have used duralast gold from autozone, price around $55.00 per set and akebono ultra premium ceramic from amazon around $55 to $60 per set.
You didn’t state the year and miles on your Sienna and wether you need front or rear or both. I would recommend that you also replace the rotors or at least then check the runout and thickness, but if they do need machining just replace them and with a good quality rotor. You can get an idea of the different quality rotors available on Amazon. Cheap rotors rust quickly and give a “shushing” noise when driving, I know from experience.

 

If you want good braking performance and no noise then go with OEM parts.

OEM's spend a lot of time and money validating!

As an ex OEM brake engineer replacement pads have little to none actual testing, they simply use a generic formulation and make it to the shape of the pad.

Might work for one vehicle but not the other!

 

I'm also partial to Duralast pad/shoes. I especially like their lifetime warranty.

 

You said you didn't mind spending the money, so pick up the Toyota pads and call it a day. They will be the best performing pad for everyday use.

 

Thanks everyone.
@grandspan - I have 2011 Toyota Sienna LE 3.5 L with 125K miles on it. I checked the rotor and they are fine as no roughness to the rotor front and rear.
@Marksr - Thanks for confirming about Duralast. I thought about them but wasn't sure.
@ Marq1 & tomf63
When i changed the rotor I was worried about other brands so i used OEM rotors and pads. But OEM pads wears quickly so was looking for alternative.
I am ok to put OEM rotors if other products do not match OEM.

 

This is why your rotors are in such good shape. The better the pads wear, the more they wear the rotors.

 

"This is why your rotors are in such good shape. The better the pads wear, the more they wear the rotors."

^^^ THIS

 

Just for clarification and understanding!

The only time rotors wear is when you have metallic brake pads!

You only see these on high performance vehicles and can tell because the wheels get black from the metal being ground off the rotors.

99.99% of cars use what is called an organic pad, these pads do not have the metal content and thus they are very friendly to the rotors.

When you get judder/pulsation what is happening is the organic material from the pads is being deposited on the rotors and this uneven deposit causes the pulsation which is fixed by turning the rotors!

So the better the pad, the less deposit, the longer the rotors last!

One disclaimer, there are differences in rotors, good metal, good dimensional quality, good machining and good corrosion protection do play a part.

Many rotors have coatings that help with corrosion and hardness which lead to longer life!

 

Turn rotors? Haven't had a car made in the last 25 years that came with rotors thick enough they could be turned....

 

Today with fuel economy you might get one!

 

I have found the Centric Premium to be a very high quality rotor, not sure there is truly better out there, and yet it is at a reasonable price. Widely available, via Amazon, etc. Centric is also the manufacturer of Stop Tech and Power Stop I understand. Most of those rotors are bought by people who want the slotted or drilled option, which I do not think is a good choice but for the appearance which some like.

CENTRIC PREMIUM BRAKE ROTORS

For the best braking the OEM pads are rarely bettered by the aftermarket, unless you truly need high performance, ie. for racing or maybe for trailer towing. Not too many Sienna drivers go racing! Many aftermarket pads have low initial bite when cold, which can give the feeling of weak braking for the majority of the time brakes are used in City driving. The softer pads that give good cold bite do wear quicker, but the brake feel is hard to beat.

Akebono is probably the OEM supplier to Toyota, their ProAct Ceramic brakes would be an alterative to OEM. Might be a bit harder compound.

 

Thanks everyone. Changed the pads and it works great. Its feels great to have good ideas and picking the right things when you have such a forum.