Best pads for a 2011 Pathfinder??

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marc515
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Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:23 am

Best pads for a 2011 Pathfinder??

Postby marc515 » Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:22 am

I need to do my brakes, and am wondering what you guys have found to be the best pads for a 2011 Pathfinder.

Also, I need to have the rotors turned down; do they come off easy?

Thank you


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:31 am

It's a floating rotor, so, "yes," they come off easy. Remove the caliper and mount and it'll come right off. You may want to consider replacing the rotors rather than resurfacing them. I'm a former Nissan Master Tech and I believe Nissan used some low quality steel in their rotors in the 2000's, as warpage problems started occurring around 2001 on many of the floating style-type rotors. Resurfacing means that the rotors will be slightly thinner, meaning that they could warp even easier than when they were new. I recommend a good set of aftermarket rotors and have had good success with both Wagners and Raybestos Professional Series rotors.

"Best" is subjective. I've had genuine Nissan replacement pads, with are make by Hitachi, and had a lot of issues with low speed squeak, despite the rotors having been resurfaced and them being lubed several times with copper slip. The original equipment pads are ceramic type.

I've been very happy with Akebono PRO ACT Ceramic pads which I picked up from Rockauto.com and comes with shims, moly lube and hardware. Akebono has been an original supplier of brakes to Nissan for decades. I have them on two R51's. They perform like original equipment and have had no issues with noise or dust. My second choice would be Raybestos Professional Series Ceramics.

marc515
Posts: 74
Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:23 am

Postby marc515 » Wed Nov 12, 2014 2:41 pm

Thanks.

I was a little concerned about resurfacing the rotors; I figure if they are warped now, they will warp faster when they are a little thinner.

What rotors have you found to be the best? Does anyone make stainless steel rotors?

Thanks again!

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:21 pm

What's best is subjective and everyone has their own opinions. A quality, name brand, cast iron rotor is fine for everyday driving. I doubt most people can tell the difference while driving between one rotor and another...and I certainly can't tell any difference between the Wagner and the Raybestos Professional Series Advanced Technology rotors used on my two R51's. Other than resistance to rust, I don't see a whole lot of benefit of stainless steel rotors, but if you drive your vehicle every day, then rust shouldn't be much of an issue. For those that want to go all out, you can get a big brake kit for the front for around $1900.

nismofan
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Postby nismofan » Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:58 pm

I have the EBC pads and they work great. Have no issues at all and absolutely minimal dust.

marc515
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Joined: Thu May 05, 2011 10:23 am

Postby marc515 » Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:39 am

Good news for a change......

Our 2011 Pathfinder which had warped front rotors, is out of warranty by 6 months, but only has 30,000 mines on her. I talked to our Nissan Dealership, and they installed new rotors as Goodwill. We only had to pay $59 for new pads.

It's nice to know there are still some great dealerships out there.


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