Rear Brake Job
 

I have a 2008 Volvo S80 and I need to put new pads on the rear. It seems there are a number of different brake pads that can go on this vehicle. Is there a way to determine which specific pad goes on the car withought first tearing it down to look? Thanks. I am also curious what the specs are for replacing the rear rotors.

the specs for the rotors are stamped right into the edge of the rotor. You can probably google to find out what's the value. Generally speaking, rotors are disposible these days - it costs more to resurface than to simply replace. Shop a Volvo friendly web site like eeuroparts or FCPeuro to see what aftermarket brands are available. Personally I usually stick with Brembo, Bosch or Zimmermann. For your cars rear rotors you need to know if you have the electronically operated parking brake or not. If you aren't sure, have your VIN handy and call them for a look up.

In terms of the pads, the differences are in the pad compounds. OEM are generally "organic" pads which provide the best compromise between feel and wear but may tend to give off more dust. Next you have semi-metalic which improves resistance to heat and brake fade in hard driving. Finally there are ceramic brake pads which throw off the least amount of dust and have the most fade resistance but they have the least amount of feel (ie it takes a harder pedal to grab initially). So if you do things like driving mountain roads where you have extended braking or tow a boat etc, you may want to consider the semi-metallic or ceramic pads. If all you do is normal around town driving or some country roads, I'd stick to OEM / organic pads.