Rotors and Pads recommendations

[NC Tom]

Was told recently to use "premium rotors and pads" on my 88 MJ. Premium? As a cynical former Art Director to me "Premium" just means they are shiny or the box is printed in four colors.

 

I've read good things about Black Magic pads, but they don't make pads for my 88.

 

I'm open to brand suggestions. Please suggest!

[watchamakalit]

Avoid semi metallic pads. Ceramic much better braking and alot less dust. can't speak for rotors. You could get some fancy drilled and slotted rotors to help with heat disapation, however I don't feel it nessecary. In my meager experience over torqued lugs are more often the cause of warped rotors on the xj/mj platform.

[AZJeff]

If I was buying the stuff, I would go with Wagner pads from Rock Auto (semi-metallic) for $25.

 

For rotors, don't bother with cross drilled and slotted stuff for a small 4WD truck.  Unless you drive like you are on the Baja, you won't get them hot enough to notice any benefit.   Again, from Rock Auto, Raybestos can be had for $29 each, but there are other comparable brands (Centric, Bendix, etc.) for similar prices.  

 

I would stay away from auto parts stores "house" brands like Autozone's Duralast stuff.  They tend to be mediocre quality at premium prices.

[pizzaman09]

I'm personally a huge fan of the Power Stop brand that Rock Auto sells.  After years of cheap rotors on my Oldsmobile that would warp a month after installing them, I finally purchased some nice Power Stop components, they fixed all the warping issues.  I haven't had to do rotors on my Comamnche but I did upgrade the front pads to some Hawk performance pads as there was a killer memorial day sale on Qradatec.  I'm very pleased with them, they have definitely improved the braking performance of the stock brake system in my Comamnche.

 

Additional tip, if you live somewhere in the salt belt, get the coated parts for corrosion resistance, it helps considerably.

[75sv1]

I run the NAPA Adaptive-Reactive Pad and rotors on one of my XJs. I think they are the same as the Raybestos or Wagners. The rotors do have squiggly  grooves. I think they do OK. I'd probably try Raybestos or is it Wagner Thermo Quiets. Then possibly Centric rotors. 

[ghetdjc320]

18 hours ago, NC Tom said:

Was told recently to use "premium rotors and pads" on my 88 MJ. Premium? As a cynical former Art Director to me "Premium" just means they are shiny or the box is printed in four colors.

 

I've read good things about Black Magic pads, but they don't make pads for my 88.

 

I'm open to brand suggestions. Please suggest!

Here is some info regarding brakes. General info on pads and rotors is covered in one of the paragraphs: 

 

[NC Tom]

2 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said:

Here is some info regarding brakes. General info on pads and rotors is covered in one of the paragraphs: 

 

Thank you. I actually read this post earlier. However, Black Magic doesn't sell a pad for an 88.

[gogmorgo]

Premium means different things for different brands.

What Napa calls premium rotors (and drums) are significantly more corrosion resistant than the cheaper ones for not much of an increase in price. They also have a level or two above those. Same with pads, the “premium” ones are a step or two above the cheap ones with a bunch more options. 
The cheapest rotor option they sell is more prone to warping than the “premiums”, the cheap pads also tend to make more noise and definitely aren’t as heat tolerant. Not ideal in the mountains. My boss liked ordering the cheapest possible option. The rest of us spend an extra little bit of coin and didn’t have to deal with the extra work from buying cheap parts. 
To be clear I’m not saying everyone should be getting the most expensive parts out there, but when you buy the cheapest possible you end up having to deal with the cheapest possible. Whatever parts store you go with you typically will be presented with a range of options. Going with something in the middle of the road from a respected brand will usually get you something that is more than good enough for a daily driver. Unless you’re doing something high-performance, it’s not always worth paying for the high performance products.

 

[ghetdjc320]

1 hour ago, NC Tom said:

Thank you. I actually read this post earlier. However, Black Magic doesn't sell a pad for an 88.

Centric Posi-Quiet are the next best when it comes to parts store options. 

[NHMJXJ]

My two bits from a non-tech guy.  Buy ceramic pads.  Are they more expensive?  Yes, but no squeaks and you stop good.   

 

  

[NC Tom]

Unfortunately, I'm not finding any brand name ceramic pads to fit an 88. The Centric posi-quiets may be my only option. They have some extended wear versions that may be better for all my hilly mountain driving. Rotors are even more frustrating.

 

I'll just try NAPA Premium Pads and Rotors and see how it goes.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

[ghetdjc320]

38 minutes ago, NC Tom said:

Unfortunately, I'm not finding any brand name ceramic pads to fit an 88. The Centric posi-quiets may be my only option. They have some extended wear versions that may be better for all my hilly mountain driving. Rotors are even more frustrating.

 

I'll just try NAPA Premium Pads and Rotors and see how it goes.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

Whatever you go with, make sure to follow the procedure for break in. Make a big difference in performance