Folks,
Has anyone used non NIssan pads and been pleased with the results? Reason I ask is I've had good luck over the years on most vehicles buying aftermarket quality pads.

We rarely see any problems caused by aftermarket pads, even cheap ones. The only thing to watch out for is to make sure you give the rotors a light cut if switching from ceramic to organic or metallic, or vice versa. Ceramic pads actually deposit a film of melted material into the rotors, so switching over without at least a light "glamor cut" can be unwise. With Nissan brakes, make sure to lube the pad "shoulders" and not just the backs, they'll be much less prone to noise. FYI, Nissan OE pads are almost exclusively organics.

Got it thanks! Reason I posted is I've done quite a few brake jobs over the years with good brand name parts and all was well, except for a Buick Rainier. What a pain. I ended up having to pull all the pads out and hit them with the CRC orange goop. That fixed the violin screeching apart from one wheel that would still give a two second screech just before the vehicle came to a full stop.

Thanks for the info.

You're most welcome, happy motoring!

Any suggestions for a quiet pad? I recently replaced pads and rotors (should’ve went coated) replaced them in feb 2020. Pads are squealing now and need to replace. Should I replace rotors and pads again or just do pads? I used power stop pads (ceramic) and power stop rotors when I changed in 2020. Thanks

Have you tried lubing the pad backs and shoulders? The shoulders are where most noise in Nissan brakes originates, regardless of whose pads you're using. Power Stop rotors are usually bulletproof, I have their drill-and-slots on my DD ('04 Altima) and they stop great and haven't warped at all through a whole lot of nasty rush hours. Cut them if they need it, leave them alone if they don't, but I can't imagine you'd need new ones after 25 months.

VStar650CL wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 30, 2022 7:46 pm

Have you tried lubing the pad backs and shoulders? The shoulders are where most noise in Nissan brakes originates, regardless of whose pads you're using. Power Stop rotors are usually bulletproof, I have their drill-and-slots on my DD ('04 Altima) and they stop great and haven't warped at all through a whole lot of nasty rush hours. Cut them if they need it, leave them alone if they don't, but I can't imagine you'd need new ones after 25 months.

I have not. The squealing only happens when reversing, is this a sign of bad pads or will the living help. Have to check them out soon

If it's just when you back out first thing in the morning, there may not be much you can do. Lots of Nissans do that just "because". I'd try greasing the shoulders anyway, it usually helps even if it might not eliminate it.

I used raybestos eht rotors and pads on everything. Here in the salt belt they seem to hold up very well against corrosion. I just got in my wife’s rogue yesterday at detroit airport and the brakes were froze solid for a split second. Of course the car had set in the parking garage for almost 3 weeks. Flat spots in the tires and surface rust galore on the rotors.

I’m hearing a high picked squeal while driving, seems to be coming from the passenger rear, this is usually a sign of shot brake pads isn’t it?

jokerstone wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 03, 2022 6:31 am

I’m hearing a high picked squeal while driving, seems to be coming from the passenger rear, this is usually a sign of shot brake pads isn’t it?

There's a noisemaker on the OE pads and most aftermarket ones, so yes, you're probably hearing a wear indicator.

Nissans rear pads are insanely undersized for same odd reason. I replaced the wife’s brakes and rotors on all 4 corners @45k and the back was at maybe 20% while the front was at least 50%. My 09 Altima is the same way. If I was that person who only fixed things when needed, I’d assume the back would be done twice to the fronts once.

D1dad wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 10, 2022 4:15 pm

Nissans rear pads are insanely undersized for same odd reason. I replaced the wife’s brakes and rotors on all 4 corners @45k and the back was at maybe 20% while the front was at least 50%. My 09 Altima is the same way. If I was that person who only fixed things when needed, I’d assume the back would be done twice to the fronts once.

Like everything else in engineering, they're a compromise. Most people wear them out slightly before the fronts. but that depends a lot on how you drive. Keep in mind that because of weight shift and unloading of the rear tires, front pads do somewhere between 65~80% of the work on any vehicle. FWD cars run closer to the high end because there's so little load on the rear wheels. So rear pads are a lot smaller simply because they do a lot less work. However, most ABS's deliberately engage the rears a bit before the fronts in order to prevent nose dive, and the harder you brake the longer that delay generally lasts. During that time the rears are doing all the work. So driving style and the smoothness of your brake foot usually has a much greater effect on the relative wear rate than anything about the hardware.