I have read all the posts on brake pads multiple times and still don't know what pads to get. When I pick a set I find out that they are not available for the '06 sedan.

I am about to put on my 5th set of pads and rotors at 66K miles. The pads don't wear out, but the rotors warp or get pad deposits on them. In the past I have always replaced pads and rotors together since they were apart and I drive about 800 miles a week. This time I figured I would get the rotors machined and put the original pads back on. It worked fine until I slowed down from 100-75 the other day on the way home from work. Now they vibrate and pulse again. They were smooth about 1,000 miles. In the past I have tried sanding the disks with garnet sand paper, have scrubbed them with motorcycle brake glaze breakers. Never any luck

The lugnuts are always torqued properly. Bed in has been done gently and by the stoptech methods.

My problem seems to be pad deposits? - I am guessing that my pads are not high temperature enough for the type of driving I do. The rears are always the first to go.

I don't care at all about brake dust. I would like to have the rotors last longer, although I am sure that even aggressive pads if working properly should last longer than my luck with OE. I would prefer if the brakes didn't squeal. I don't mind if they make noise at speed. The OE pads always made grinding noise after getting hot.

I have ordered DBA 4000 series slotted rotors. Primarily because the OE are not working for me.

I am considering the following pads:

G3 motorsports - haven't heard anything about them, kind of nebulous specs but might be interesting. Tempted to try them. Are they something else rebranded?

Stillen Metal Matrix - don't know if these are Axxis deluxe/ultimate. I have been tempted to try ultimates, but couldn't find them for this car. Not interested in the Deluxes.

Project U B-Force, HC+, NS - not sure which one is most appropriate - conflicting reviews of eating rotors or being gentle. HC+ sound interesting - worried about noise.

Endless - lots of choices, don't know which would be the best. Maybe one of the CC series?

Carbotech?

Others?

I occasionally do track days, but I didn't on the last two sets and they still didn't make it to 15K. I do tow a motorcycle trailer with two sportbikes through the mountains fairly regularly, but I am very easy on the brakes w/ trailer- rarely ever smell them.

I would like comparable initial cold bite to stock. I very rarely experience brake fade - I am generally pretty smooth and try to conserve my speed.

My daily driving consists of the cruise control set at 92 for two hours each day. Occasionaly I will run at 110-120 with blasts to 145ish - but I do that less than once a week.

 

Brakes won't work without the microscopic [thin] transfer of pad material to rotor as cast iron alone has very poor coefficient of friction...........some call this transfer bedding in the pads but it is actually a transfer to the rotors.

Abrasiveness of pads must be MATCHED to rotor cast iron grade and the formula different foundries use in making the rotor blanks.

The only combo that was tested and otimized is oem. However some pads work ok with some rotors by the luck of the draw.

 

Yep, that is why I specified that I have ordered DBA rotors. I see a fair amount of people running them, I am hoping someone has found a good combination.

DBA doesn't seem to recommend any specific pads, or maybe they did and they aren't available for this car.

Stillen sells the metal matrix pads for use with these rotors, but I don't know what their goal or operating parameters were.

The OE combination may be optimized, but they are not optimized for me. In contrast, I had a '97 maxima SE which I drove much the same way and towed the same trailer. I had to replace the pads and rotors at 45k, 90k and 120K miles. My 2000 Maxima SE I replaced the pads twice before I sold it at 80K. On both maximas the brakes worked fine until the rotors would get small cracks in the center of the disc which would happen about the same time the pads wore out. And those cars were known for having vibrating/pulsating brakes which I never experienced. The first maxima I did a number of track days with no problems.

My last vehicle, a Toyota Tundra V8 4x4, went through a lot of pads and rotors, but I was towing a 5,000# trailer with it, I still got about 25K per set of front pads and rotors and replaced the drums and rear shoes 2 times in 220K miles. I would be happy if I could get 25K now.

And if I didn't mention it before, the OE pads still have the chamfers on the leading and trailing edges when I replace them. Very little wear, but my logic is to replace the pads and rotors together even though the pads still probably have plenty of life left.

I may be hard on my brakes sometimes, but I also go 200 miles a day and only use them once or twice during that time. They should be lasting 40K+ like the smaller maxima brakes did.