Recommend brake pads

[davidyal]

My dealer says I need new rear brake pads on my O7 M35, and I was going to have a friend help me change them. Can someone recommend which brake pads to buy? Is there a difference between generic and OEM?

[M45Runner]

I would go with OEM if you do not race / drive very aggressively. The OEM is designed to be quiet, with minimum brake dust and can stop the car relatively quick. Most generic brand will cost less, but, will not perform as good on a luxury car that weights 4000 lbs. It is either lack of stopping power, or not as quiet, or generate a lot of dust - which will cover your wheels pretty bad.

Be careful when changing the pads and make sure you do not mess up the ABS sensor though...

[davidyal]

thanks for the reply. funny you are in Carrolton..I'm in Dallas.

Where do you recommend I buy pads- online or locally?

I was going to have a mechanic friend help me, but if the ABS is very tricky maybe I'll just go to the dealership.

[EniGmA1987]

if you do heavy stopping I recommend the Hawk HPS series pads.

[M45Runner]

I doubt you can find the OEM pads locally - other than dealership. I would just check the price difference and buy from whoever is selling it cheap - if you still want to do it with your friend.

I have not changed pads on my M45 yet, so I do not know how tricky it is. On my 2 previous cars, I just need to get a very detailed instruction and make sure the ABS sensor stays where they should be, it would be OK.

But, it would be a PITA to get the ABS to work if it is moved - I don't know what the risks are for the M - make your own judgement after you read the instruction I guess.

[szh]

Best prices for OEM pads: http://www.everythinginfiniti.com ... ask for Joe Tsensky if you call them and let him know you were recommended to them by NICO. He sometimes can help in ways ... like ship overnight for low cost, etc.

Z

[EcstaSPT]

Do the rear calipers have a screw in piston? Those are such a pain in the a** sometimes.

[jbillion]

on the 04, the calipers are not screw in, you can use a clamp to depress them.

[InfinitiMe]

I have about 500 miles on my Hawk HPS pads and they're brilliant. The moderate and high speed braking especially is smooth and powerful. I drive a little over 40 miles a day to work so I make great use of them. Depends on your usage I guess

[AtlM]

I have Akebono ceramic pads on my M3 and on my M45. Had them on my 7 series that I sold to buy the Infiniti. These are great performance pads and leave almost zero brake dust. Needless to say, I highly recommend them.

[davidyal]

So, I got the OEM pads from InfinitiPartsUSA.com, but may need to find someone to install them for me...

For the DFW area folks: do you know a local shop I can trust to put them in?