Can anyone recommend a set of good brake pads(and the best place to buy em)--ones that are pretty stiff but low dust. I currently have on mintex reds and they sqweek all the time and put out a lot of dust.

Any thoughts on rotars are also appreciated.

 

My 2 cents the stock parts are prety much the best.
Others don't agree but thats my opinion.

 

We all have our favorites...............look at other models on this forum. But......................the primary reason your pads squeak is mainly because you have not either sprayed the backs of the pads with CRC Disc Brake Quiet or synthetic brake grease. I use CRC on the fronts and grease on the rears.

 

I bought autozone pads and change them every 30,000 miles and they work great. Lifetime warenty to.

 

After investigating Brake, pads and Rotors a bit I came to the conclusion that the stock (although quite dusty) are actually best for my S40. I looked into High performace rotors vented, slotted and vented and was scared off after I was told that on a cool day you might end up blowing your first couple of stop signs as the vented and slotted rotors need to warm up considerably before they perform. If I am out to lunch let me know.

 

I've hear/read where some have used aftermarket rotors, but most everybody on all the message boards I have visited swear by the OEM Pads. I use nothing but OEM pads and rotors. They cost a little more, and I have to clean my wheels more often than I like, but I am confident when I step on my brakes, and I never get those damn squeals like I did the one time I tried some other brand.

 

Yes..................to use your terms...........you are out to lunch on the vented rotors!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have used vented and drilled rotors for years on both my track autos and the daily drivers. In fact, Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes use them as original equiptment. The purpose of a drilled rotor is two fold. One reason is to release the gas that is built up between the pad and the rotor. The second is to keep the rotor cooler than a non ventilated or drilled rotor. The rotor is a heat sink for the pads and the "holes" help in cooling. So, since drilled/slotted rotors are considerably more costly than OEM, you simply will not find them on a "normal" auto. As for pads, look into EBC GreenStuff. Contrary to what has been offered, most 'good' aftermarket pads are at least twice as costly as original. Once again, it is because the manufacturer does not want to put the money into the base cost of the vehicle. If cost was not considered, then all autos would have as standard equiptment: anti lock brakes, auto dimming mirrors, defrosting outside mirrors, electronic brake force, and the safety list goes on and on.

 

Thanks for the info Reg. I must admit I got that information from someone else comments regarding brakes. Scared me a bit and I didn't want to have a problem. Next time I have to do the rotors might upgrade.

 

Zigzag, you will actually notice a great improvement in the stopping distance............ I use Brembo drilled rotors on my c70 and use a street ceramic pad. The difference over stock is 'unreal'. On my BMW I use a cryo treated rotor...............that is not necessary on the Volvo. My wife drives a Japanese auto that comes stock with oversize rotors, strut brace, and the like. I replaced her pads with a ceramic composite and there is a noticable improvement. When you do purchase drilled rotors.............don't fall into the trap of buying the least expensive. The holes MUST be chamfered and NEVER NEVER turn down a drilled or slotted rotor!!!!!!

 

so I currently have the mintex red pads on my car; however, I kept the stock pads that I took off and they still have plenty of wear left, would it be stupid to put the oem pads back on?

Also, how often do I need to replace the pads and rotars (ballpark--i know it varies based on driving conditions, style etc.)

thanks for the info so far.

 

Use some CRC brake pad anti squeal on your old pads. Your problem is not the pads............the issue that you are experiencing (noise) is from the lack of either brake grease or CRC aerosol on the backs of the pads. The rears need the grease also..........but the most common cause of noise with them (850 and 70 series) is the "missing" shim that goes between the caliper and the pad.

 

You can reinstall the old pads if you want to it won't hurt anything.

The rotors should last you quite a while.There is a spec and they will need to be measured to make sure they are within specs.

I have seen many get replaced do to warping.Not really due to below specs.

 

OEM pads are semi-metallic? I recall that on the 240, they were organic.

Either way, the S40 now has some really warped rotors, so I'm going to give slotted rotors w/ semi-metallic pads a try. I'll report back with the results.