I need to replace the front brake pads on ny 01' Acura 3.2 TL and I have been getting the run-around. Some dealers call the pads are ceramic, some say semi-metalic. NAPA is about half the dealer price but they call theirs full ceramic. What are the OEM pads and which are the best. Any tips also, thanks.

 

oem arnt necessarly the best, but they will cost you the most(at least for the oem set up)
dealerships give you semi- metallic (i just asked the mechanic so i know he isnt lying)

 

I believe the OEM pads are made by Nissin. Buy them from anywhere else then the stealership. Make sure you do the rotors too, either machine them or get new ones. Brembo blanks are the norm. Ceramic or organic pads as they are sometimes known, are less likeley to squeak than a semi-metallic pad. I'd just go with Nissin pads and brembo rotors they seem to work best for daily point A to point B driving.

 

The OEM pads are not necessarily the best pads, but they are optimized to give good stopping performance while staying nice and quiet and providing decent wear/relatively long life. Replacement brake pads are similar to tires in that there are many choices out there and each one represents a compromise of sorts.

If you want better stopping performance (higher friction) you can get that but usually at a trade-off for increased squealing or more dust. The OEM pads are always expensive at the dealer and are the devil that you know. YOu can find those same pads from on-line retailers for less. The TireRack sells pads and they are pretty good at providing real-world advice on performance of particular pads (but these will not be OEM type).
HIgh performance pads can stand higher temps before they begin to fade, but will almost always squeal more when cold and might put out more black brake dust.

Also, new rotors are always a good idea when putting on new pads as stopping ability is a function of how much heat the rotors can absorb and that is a function of the mass (amount of cast iron the rotor contains) and worn rotors have lost some mass. So new rotors will have more mass than old, worn rotors. Getting the rotors resurfaced cuts even more mass from them, so they might be flat after resurfacing (getting then "turned") but they won't be as efficient at stopping your car.

 

Before I replaced my stock rotors, I was running Axxis metal master pads on them for 4 years and stopping distance was night and day difference compared to stock pads. Most people will tell you the metal master pads will eat up your rotors, not true at all. My stock rotors never warped and they are still within factory specs. If you want better braking and pay less for the pads, you can't go wrong with Axxis metal master pads.

 

I use EBC brake pads, they work great even with the stock rotors, except they squeak like hell sometimes...