98 V70 NA base - affordable brake pads Topic is solved

[scot850]

I am going to be working on a friends car soon, and it needs front pads (I already have rotors if needed). I normally use Akebono pads on my cars or possibly Brembo as I find Volvo pads leave so much dust on our alloy wheels. These brands work very well and do not squeal in use. I now some brands are not good to use, but what more affordable brands are out there that work well in a daily driver? I see Bosch, Pagid, Bendix. Are any of these any good these days? Bosch in Canada I can get for less than half the price of Akebono for example.

I also have one general question. Why do some companies (Rock Auto for example) list different pads for 15, 16, and 17" wheels. As far as I now Volvo spec'd the same pads for all. The calipers are all the same even on the larger rotors?

Thanks,

Neil.

[BEJinFbk]

Some things are worth a few extra bucks...
I'd stick with the Akebonos.
CHEAP insurance!

[scot850]

I like Akebonos, but no matter where I buy them from they are around $80 US up here with shipping. No local suppliers. Actually Napa can get them at nearly $200 CDN ($150 US) just for the fronts! Rock Auto want $95 with shipping assuming that UPS don't find some stupid charge to add on (Rock Auto claims shipping includes border crossing charges and Tax (yet to be determined when UPS are involved!!).

The owner is not a crazy fast driver, so we don't need high performance pads, but would like to avoid squealing and dust if possible.

They have several brands at Rock Auto on sale and with about $20 in shipping and taxes are available for less than $60 CDN. Interestingly they list Akebono as 'Daily Driver' and Bosch, Powerstop and Raybestos (one variant) as 'Premium' but they can be bought for $60 all in??

Still can't get my head around them specifying different pads for 15, 16 and 17 wheels?? Why?? What have I been doing wrong for the last 25 years of P80 ownership??

Volvo pads which I have not used for years as they produced so much dust on rims, can be had for $130 with shipping and taxes CDN.

I can locally get Textar pads on clearance and Bosch for $60 + Tax.

I'm paying for these parts out of my 'Pay-it-Forward' slush fund as I know the owner can't afford it just now. I have already paid for the rotors so I'm trying not to blow my whole fund on one person!

Most pads these days don't seem to squeal like they used to on P80's, but I don't want to buy any known bad pads that others may have had the misfortune to have found.

Neil.

[454cid]

I can locally get Textar pads on clearance and Bosch for $60 + Tax.
Neil.

Textar is what was on the front of my S70 when I had a caliper lock up. The only reason I didn't re-use them is because I had a clip break off when trying to get the clip to fit into the piston.... made too small for some reason. I was super disappointed having a little worn set of pads that could not be re-installed. I had never heard of the brand before, but I'd buy them. I used Akebono because I already had them on hand.

[scot850]

Thanks for that. Textar was also the parking brake shoe supplier for many years. There are many brands out there that have or had good reputations. Problem is if you don't have recent user information, can you trust the quality of the product any more?

Also, I have to hope most brands have improved their products as many more not have integral anti-squeal shims as part of the products.
The downside to all this is that using something I don't know on someone else's vehicle is hard to do. Maybe I just buy the Akebono's and have to ask the owner for the $30 difference to a cheaper set. I have a lot of money going out to help others just now not on just car stuff and we are on a fixed budget so money only goes so far for us too!

I've had offers to use good known brand used pads. I may have considered that option, but would you use them on new rotors or even used rotors on someone else's car?

Nope, I think I have my answer so will order the Akebono's.

Thanks for the help and advice!

Neil.

[454cid]

To clarify, the piston was too small on the inside diameter of the rebuilt caliper. I don't think there was any problem with the pads since they had been on the car working fine with the old caliper. I ended up cleaning the old caliper since the new one wasn't built to size correctly.