New Brake Pads -- Suggestions?

After some hair pulling, Subaru of America has agreed to replace my brake rotors (turned twice already). The regional rep that looked at them said that my brake pads are just about done so I should think about replacing those in the same service.

 

Since my local Subaru dealer damaged my engine and I'm basically waiting for the car to die, I'm not looking for any performance upgrades.

 

For the money, would I be better off with the OEM brake pads or should I go aftermarket? All of the rotors will be replaced with new OEM rotors.

 

Thanks!

The OEM pads use an organic binder that cooks out after a hard stop to a standstill and deposits on the rotors. That's what causes vibration under braking, not warped rotors. Turning the rotors will fix the problem, but it only lasts until the next hard stop. The solution is aftermarket pads. I like Hawk HPS pads, but they do dust noticeably (less than OEM). They bite better, and have a firmer pedal feel due to a different silencer shim design (don't try to use Subaru shims - they won't fit). The only annoyance I've found is a low rumbling/scraping sound during the first light stops of the day; they're silent after a firm stop from 40 mph or so. If dusting bothers you, try Hawk Ceramics; they give up some bite, but usually don't leave visible amounts of dust.

OEM pads suck.

 

Get a set of Hawk HPS ($160). Great for street and less dust than stock. Give them some good brake fluid to use...Motul or Super Blue.

 

^ I believe ceramics are noisy.

Get my Endless pads I have for sale!