What Are The Best Brake Pads? Cheap vs Expensive Tested!

*Important Note* Lots of questions about the materials for each pad! It's honestly a very difficult thing to determine, which is why I left it out. Regulations allow for such a wide variety of materials that unless you do some sort of chemical analysis, I'm not sure there's much meaning behind it. For what it's worth, the cheapest pads were "semi-metallic" (again, vague, but that's all they tell you), while the other four pads are "ceramic." There's a wide variety of what can be included in pads, regardless of the material stated. Also, material alone doesn't show a strong correlation with all tests (both ceramic/metallic can do poorly in sound, corrosion, shear, etc), so it's difficult to determine what's the cause for doing well/poorly based purely on material.

It would be interesting to see rain testing. I had some cheapos and they seemed to absorb water and cause a huge brake lag after getting my bike washed or in the rain, it was dangerous. I switched to name brand pads and it made a massive difference.

Would be nice of their website worked. Two different browsers and "Select Your Vehicle" doesn't work.

What company made rhe OEM pads?

I need to know the brand of those mid-tier pads.

16 minutes summed up in 1 comment- Only buy the expensive stuff.

Does ceramic pad works better?

I like OE brake pads but not their calipers and rotors 😂

Heyall, does anyone recognize the manufacturers for each pad?

Some months back I replaced the front calipers on my tundra because they were dragging. At the same time I replaced the front pads with NAPA premium Adaptive One pads and their upper tier "Fleet Grade" rotors. Fast forward about 10k miles and I've got a nasty shudder in the front end that causes my steering wheel to move side to side, especially at higher wheel speeds. I will preface the rest of this post by saying that when I did the brake job I thoroughly cleaned the hub surfaces of rust, and that I always torque the wheels to manufacturer specs. Lifting the truck off the ground the wheel turns freely with no drag so I tried to reburnish the pads thinking that the deposits on the rotor surfaces were uneven. Zero success. I decided to just go ahead and do what I should have done from the outset and buy OEM pads and rotors. Changing out the NAPA rotors shows a pristine driver's side but when I get to the passenger side I see burnt pad material on the outboard side of the rotor, and a groove on the inboard side of the rotor so deep I can get a fingernail into it. The pads on the passenger side themselves appear to be in otherwise good condition, but there is a groove through the inboard pad that corresponds with the groove in the rotor.

After replacing everything AGAIN, i took the truck out and bedded in the new new pads and rotors🙄 and to my delight the brake shudder is gone. I'm not quite sure at this point if the quality of pads or rotor on the passenger side are to blame, or if the piece of road debris that broached the groove through the pad and rotor is to blame, or if possibly the caliper is to blame. The caliper is a 4 piston design and I had considered that uneven application of brake pressure is to blame (IE two pistons apply more pressure than the other two). I think at this point my best bet is to bleed the brakes again and keep a watchful eye on the rotor surfaces for anything abnormal. I would like to blame NAPA as it would be the easiest option, but im not entirely certain that the blame belongs with them. Time will tell I guess.

Question; What manufacturer makes the OEM pads, and what is the price comparison between OEM and NRS ?

I'm now going to conclude no matter what....brake pad quality actually does matter A LOT.

This was just, let me say it...amazing. I have 4 kids, and have had endless cars, and did brakes on all of them to save money. Brake pads, I really never knew the real truth and always but always wondered what was the real truth. Now I know. When you need things to WORK, you really NEED THINGS TO WORK. End of Story.

Cheapie pads should be banned outright. The risk is too high for not only the driver, but for other users of the road.

In California, rust is like the boogie man. Everyone talks about it, but no one ever sees it! 😂😂😂

It seems like the NRS burrs would slice into your rotors once the pad material is worn down enough. How long are they?

Not a good test because brands are different.

So that meets or exceeds oe specs printed on all those boxes is BS smdh

Mechanical bonding has the dis advantage of damaging the brake disks if the pads are extremely worn down which is not uncommon, secondly loosing 2-3 mm of pad material in the same scenario due to the protruding spikes.

wondering if my eBay brakes are even this good

They are great pads. If you are a spirited driver such as I, their severe duty pads are more long-lasting when exposed to track days and general spirited braking.

I remember watching this video 3 years ago ❤ really enjoyed both brake pad videos! Thanks!

Super helpful ! Extraordinary detail !! I learned lots !!! Thanks mate !!!!

Retail Top modelling shows at sears except knot like nick

we wants brands not tiers....

My OE is Brembo, I'd be crazy to change that 🤪

Validates my belief that for Toyota/Lexus OEM pads are the best you can get. Keep in mind Toyota usually has two tiers of pads. An economy and the top of the line. Most are unaware. Part number and price is a dead giveaway 👍🏻

Thanks for such a great video, really appreciated,. I am also a MECHANICAL ENGINEERING STUDENT and follow you for a long time.

So on quality alone, one is subject to the OEM of the vehicle correct? For example, the impeccable (dare I say indestructible) build quality of a Ford Ranger, will FAR surpass something like a cheap Bentley when it comes to OEM pads?.. got it!..

Will go for brembo any day😂

OEM Anyday ❤❤🎉

Darn! Coupon code no longer works lol

I'm curious as to how these tests work on high performance cars, not hd pickups. How much better are carbon ceramic brakes than the best regular brakes? And how do slotted, drilled and slotted and drill rotors affect them differently? And do the OEM's have different pads for different rotors and calipers? That's the biggest issue I see with aftermarket pads, the compatibility with your specific car and parts that it works with in the entire system and weight.

So my first car (a mini) had a single leading shoe drum brakes, did it stop? Just, but major fade.
Second car ( mk 1 cortina) Disc at front drums to rear, did it stop? Hell yes and little fade.
Nowadays anti skid brakes a whole new world.

So the cheapest brake pads are fine if you are just commuting to work? I can't think of a time where I do hard braking more than once per drive.

I remember the tv show legendary motor cars doing a segment on the very same thing essentially. They stated at that time that in North America that there were only two brake shoe manufacturers. That all the North American and few of the import brands that had assembly facilities in North America used one or the other. Many of the aftermarket brands used them as well. Of course, with rebranding.
Great presentation as usual.

Could you compare friction material from NRS to Akebono and other well known brands in a follow up video?

I’m surprised the comment section wasn’t disabled.

the critical factor to consider here is the presence of sodium chloride, commonly known as salt. This compound is responsible for accelerating the deterioration of brake pads. If you reside in regions without snowy conditions, opting for cost-effective brake pads suitable for daily driving is a viable choice. I personally employ inexpensive semi-metallic pads(raybestos),cheap $30 eBay rotors, and they have demonstrated exceptional longevity under these conditions.😄

So let me take a big guess who has the best brake pads

Props to NRS. brakes for having the cajones for their product comparison.

We need to know the name of those "mid-tier" pads that are incredibly good for their price =)

Oh, and BTW, these OEM pads are the best of all after all...

Is this Mark Robers voice?

My goodness can you imagine the smell on that test room, thank goodness they have great ventilation

So whats the brand and price on the mids?? Is that not allowed in a sponsekrd video?

What's mid tier brake pad brands please

Destroy some drum breaks

проведите тест всех китаских вело колодок !

The good ol Duralast Golds from AutoZone do fine for me.