Ceramic Brake Pads

[ron350]

My 96 Regal needs new front brake pads and rotors.

 

Does any one know if AC Delco made a 171-xxx series ceramic front pad for a 96 Regal?

 

 

[Imp558]

A good semi metallic will stop it nicely. RockAuto has a couple of options for ceramic pads for our cars.

[55trucker]

My personal preference is a ceramic pad, they are on my *other* vehicles, but with the GP's propensity for *poor stopping characteristics* I have kept carbon metallic pads on the 4 corners. Yes the carbons dust up more & they are harder on the rotors but they have a better cold bite ability than the ceramics do, if in a panic stop situation the carbons react better on the initial get-go, and I'd rather have more stopping ability and wash the wheels more often rather than less braking ability & wash the wheels less often and my wheels are white.

 

Keep in mind that the pads themselves are not totally to blame for the cars braking characteristics.

[Schurkey]

I had NAPA ceramic pads on my K1500 front brakes for far too long.  I despised them, and they just would not wear out.

 

Stopping distance was hatefully long.  I was so glad to finally replace them with semi-metallic pads.

 

Mind you, this was a long time ago.  Ceramic pads may be better now.

 

If you've got a firm brake pedal and poor stopping distance--and you suspect something other than crappy brake pads or the non-vacuum ABS system (Powermaster IV???) --you've almost certainly got a partially-failed vacuum power booster.  Replacing the boosters on my two Luminas made a tremendous difference in the stopping power.

[White93z34]

96' was a totally different booster, won't apply to him

 

Powermaster III was gone after 91'