Brake Pads

I have a set of high performance Ceramic Brake pads already by Friction Master.

I’m looking to buy a set of rear performance brake pads for my rear end. The brakes are made by Hawk’s & I’m stuck on either their ceramic brakes or the other high performance brakes. They both have the same amount of thickness and are the same brand. Here are the 2 links….

http://www.amazon.com/Hawk-Performance-HB112F-540-HPS-Brake/dp/B000CO71W4/ref=au_pf_ss_13?ie=UTF8&n=15684181&s=automotive&carId=001

http://www.amazon.com/Hawk-Performance-HB112Z-540-Ceramic-Brake/dp/B000CO71XI/ref=au_pf_ss_14?ie=UTF8&n=15684181&s=automotive&carId=001

It would be OK to have different pads on the front and year but the ceramic pads would be the better choice unless you intend to be doing a lot of hard stopping from high speed. Ceramic pads are quieter, produce less dust which might damage the finish on the car and wheels, and do not wear away the rotors. The other pads are semi-metallic which might give a bit more stopping power and will last longer but they will wear the rotors away faster and produce more noise. I doubt you would get much benefit from semimetallic brakes in the rear because the rear brakes usually less than 30% of the brake force.

There are four general types of brake pads for cars:

Ceramic: These are composed of ceramic fibers, nonferrous filler materials, bonding agents, and possibly small amounts of metal. Lighter in color and more expensive than other Brake Pads, ceramic pads are cleaner and quieter, and offer excellent braking characteristics without wearing down the rotors.

Semimetallic: This formula, containing about 30 to 65 percent metal, typically includes chopped steel wool or wire, iron powder, copper or graphite mixed with inorganic fillers, and friction modifiers that bond all the ingredients together. These pads are more durable and have excellent heat transfer, but also wear down rotors faster, can be noisy, and may not perform optimally at low temperatures.

Nonasbestos organic: Sometimes listed as organic or NAO, this type of pad is made from fibers, such as glass, rubber, carbon, and Kevlar, with filler materials and high-temperature resins. These pads are softer and create less noise, but they wear faster and create more dust.

Low-metallic NAO: These are made from an organic formula mixed with small amounts (10 to 30 percent) of copper or steel to help with heat transfer and provide better braking. With the added metal, there is more brake dust and they may be slightly noisier.

In the United States, the Big Three are experiencing financial problems due to reduced sales as Japanese brands had increased their stake in the U.S. auto market. These problems have resulted to a massive workforce reduction. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler also closed down plants and reduced working hours and production to recover from losses that they suffered.

But the U.S.’ Big Three are not the only car companies which have announced that they will be cutting down jobs. Nissan, the third largest Japanese car company, has recently announced that they will be implementing a voluntary retirement program which will reduce their workforce by as much as 1,500 blue and white collar jobs.

The said program will commence in June this year. It will be available for workers aged 45 years old or older and holding non-managerial positions. The said program is the effect of declining domestic sales for Nissan. In Japan, the sale of non-mini vehicles is experiencing a sharp decline as the demand decreases and the competition grows stronger.

Aside from the retirement program, Nissan will also be reducing their production in two of their assembly plants in Japan. This announcement came after the Japanese company announced that they will be opening new plants in Japan to meet the demand in the United States. Last September, the woes being faced by Nissan led to the closing down of one of the three lines at one of their facility in Southern Japan. In the United States, Nissan also resorted to offering early retirement program to recover from the losses it has incurred the past year.

Last year, Nissan suffered terrible losses and especially during the last quarter of 2006. During that period, the Japanese brand posted 22 percent reduction in terms of sales compared to 2005. It is only in recent months that Nissan appeared to be gaining popularity once again among American car buyers as their sales figure has been increasing month after month. This improvement on their sales in the United States may be the result of the turnaround plan being implemented by Nissan.

Currently, under the restructuring plan, Nissan aims to sell 4.2 million vehicles all over the world until the year 2009. If Nissan’s sales performance for the first months of 2007 is an indication of what’s in store for them, the success may act as efficient EBC Greenstuff Brake Pads are in arresting Nissan’s downward slide.

One of the reasons for the declining Nissan sales in the United States and in Japan is the scarcity of models. This means that consumers have fewer choices with Nissan unlike Honda and Toyota which offers a wide range of exciting vehicles. In the United States, Nissan’s inability to provide hybrid vehicles has hurt them and let Honda and Toyota leave them behind. To turn their fate around, Nissan announced that they will be offering a diesel powered Nissan vehicle in the year 2010. Nissan has also offered a Nissan Altima Hybrid for the 2007 model year.

Anthony Fontanelle
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/nissan-to-cut-down-jobs-in-japan-138468.html

Brake Pads on the car (2001 Forester Subaru) are thicker than the ones that were purchased at the store.

No, as long as there is pad left on them , there OK !