Brake pads Akebono or Raybestos

I've used akebono aftermarket pads twice in the past. They work fine.

I did a full weekend around 90 min per day of track time on a set of Akebono Euro pads. I had expected to wear them out, but wear was minimal even with every lap having a 120-40mph full ABS brake. A bit of odor, but no fade on my E46 BMW 330i.

Ran these for four years on the redsport better then the stock Akebono. Only changed the pads once

I recently replaced my factory Kia front pads with some EHT's. Did not replace rotors, just cleaned and removed some rust on them. Applied some caliper grease to the proper areas and these pads so far have been really nice. A VERY noticeable difference vs. the factory pads in stopping power. My only complaint was that Raybestos did not include new pad retainer springs in the box.

Akebono ceramic - been great for daily

Recently changed rear pads on 2020 XT. Akebono makes OEM pads. Can get Akebonos on RockAuto. Took less than 1 hour. Need hex socket. I think size is 7mm but don’t quote me on that. Guide pin torque is 18 ft-lbs. Brake hose bracket torque is 24 ft-lbs if you take it loose. Lug nut torque is 88 ft-lbs. I didn’t replace the rotors.

I run the Akebonos on my B8.5 S4 for my daily. I also had them on my A4. Great daily pads with minimal dust.

The most budget+quality friendly package we offer is Akebono Brake Pads and Brembo Brake Disc.

I use these pads (and rotors) on my FX35. A couple things I have noticed:

1). There have never been appropriate rattle clips included with any set of pads that I have ever purchased for this car…ever. I am still on OEM stuff at 180k miles. That isn’t just Raybestos. I even ordered Centric hardware…no dice. Not even close. Mind you, I always order model-specific hardware. No idea what the issue is, but it is clearly for the wrong car.

2). These pads take a few stops to heat up, which I kind of expected. I am satisfied with them on my daily, but the rotors are another matter entirely. They all warp within a month or two. That is odd considering they advertise the construction as Dura-Bar. That should be pretty resistant to that kind of thing. They definitely don’t hold up like Centrics do.

3). The shims have a nasty habit of falling off. Not while driving, but during service. You have one maybe two removals before they go MIA.

Other than that, I am not sure that I have noticed an issue with the pads being either wrong or out of tolerance. That is very not what I would expect from a brand like this.

Btw i did Akebono pads after replacing my rotors and it squealed really bad, ended up going to lexus dealer and had to get oem pads.