Hello everyone i own a 2007 volvo s40 2.4i i need to change the brake pads and rotors and I was looking for any suggestions on some good brands out there I live in the boondocks so the majority of the time i spend on curvy country roads so I bought some Pirelli Cinturatos to help my cornering but now I need pads and rotors also I had some concerns with my suspension if that really is where the problem is. Whenever I apply the brakes on a bumpy road it feels like the tire bounces up and down and the steering wheel shakes pretty bad if anyone has heard of any issues like that and how to fix it please let me know.

 

re brake pads - the choices are more based on compounds vs brands. OEM pads are on the soft side which gives you a nice progressive feel but tend to throw more dust and are less resistant to brake fade (fade is caused by the pads giving off gas when they heat up during hard driving/racing). So if you really drive normally and only hard brake when needed, OEM pads are fine. After that you can go to (semi) metallic and on to ceramic where specific materials are added to the pad material to harden the pad and make its braking action more resistant to heat. Also note the harder the pad, the more wear they will put on the rotors. Many brands have a range of materials so you need to look at each product specifically. As to rotors, the "big name" brands are Zimmerman and Brembo. I've always had good luck with both and always use new rotors with new pads (just not worth the cost of cutting an old rotor - most shops charge only a bit less than replacement rotors..). For my style of driving, I've actually returned to stock Volvo with Brembo or Zimms as the rotors. You can also find cross drilled and slotted rotors. The idea there is they vent the hot gas better and let the pad grab the rotor a bit more during hard braking. Unless you are driving really hard, there's not much value add IMHO.

last thought - the tire bounce is likly caused by worn shocks. check for oil leaks/scores on the piston etc. When you press the brakes it loads up the front suspension and unloads the rear which can expose weak shocks/struts. You may have some tire cupping issues as well so you may want to try rotating tires front to rear to see if that changes. You didn't note how many miles you have... PS - when it comes to struts I also favor the Boge/Sachs OEMs. Didn't find Bilsteins to be worth the extra coin...