So was time to replace the brake pads on my Alcon equipped 2008 XKR and so I spent a few days browsing the forums for ideas on which pads to use, without hurting the wallet too much. Turns out, not a whole lot of options for the Alcon outfitted cars. I did manage to find and settle on Centric PosiQuiet pads from rockauto. They were reasonably priced and, at least in description, was exactly what I was looking for. Supposed to be an OE formulated pad with some sort of special coating that removes glazing and minor imperfections on the rather hard to find expensive rotors. Very little dust and as good or better than OE performance.

Well I'm here now to update and pass on what I've learned since installing these pads. In a word, don't. They about as dusty as the OE pads, maybe even more so. Maybe I'm being too picky, but having to clean off brake dust every few days is a bit tedious. Also they tend squeak after driving a bit, which is annoying and a bit embarrassing. On the plus, they do grab quite well even in rainy wet conditions (which honestly the OE pads didn't do so well) and pedal feel is at least as good as OE. I was just gonna leave them and deal with it, but sadly however I am beginning to suspect they are wearing the rotors much more quickly, which is a huge negative against these pads. Rotors were in pretty good shape before. Felt smooth, no discernable grooves or ridges. Now however, I run my finger across the friction surface of the rotor and can now feel small grooves/ridges beginning to form.

To that end I will be replacing pads again soon. And will also be avoiding the Centric brand. Maybe they work better with aftermarket rotor??

Just FYI for anyone looking at brake pad options for Alcon equipped Jags.


After not a week with new pads.

Gives the wheels a tinged or dusty/dirty appearance.

At least it wipes off fairly easily.

Will likely stick with OE or quality aftermarket pad. Any suggestions? I know EBC has some options?

What they looked like cleaned up, during new pad install.

 

well, the squealing and dust wouldn’t bother me. The scaring of the pads would.
Actually, there was a period where I too went down the path of trying other discs and pads .

Been there, done that, finished with that. The factory solution suits me best.

 

doublecheck the part number on the side of the box? did you order semi-metallic but receive metallic?

 

I have yellow EBC in my Alcons. They work pretty well (especially once warmed). But they are dusty...

 

My Porterfields stop really well, and there is less dust than the OEM pads. I'm quite pleased with them.
I have not done any brake fade checks at all, I don't drive hard for extended periods. I'd LIKE to some times, I just don't have a place.

 

Monte Cristo on a weekday or a Sunday morning.

Porterfield makes pads for Alcon brakes and brakeperformance.com makes rotors. I've got the Porterfield R4S pads and cross drilled brakeperformance rotors all the way around. I had the rotors cryo treated before install, and once the black coating on the rotors wore off and the pads bedded in, I gotta say... they fit the general split personality that the car is capable of very well in that they'll play nice if you're gentle, but giver 'er the rough stuff and they'll give you whatever you ask for. I've yet to fire up the 'ole accelerometer to see how many G's I'm pulling on the brakes, but they'll function test your seatbelt lock if you're not ready for it. They're probably the most brutal set of daily driver brakes I've ever experienced.

I've used Porterfields on every car and truck I've had for the past 25ish years. Never had an issue with dust, short life, noise, rotor wear, or any other nonsense I keep seeing you guys talking about here with that welfare-grade Rock Auto ****. Cold and warm bite is considerable, modulation is superior, and they feel linear at all times. They're a really good daily driver, weekend canyons/autox, and occasional 8/10ths track day pad, however, they're not a full on race pad. While it's really hard to do on the street due to the size of our brakes, you can overheat them if you do a bunch of threshold stops from highway speeds. Basically, you have to want to make them overheat and really work at it to get it to happen.

The only downside is the price... you mentioned reasonably priced, so I don't know what you're willing to spend, but the approximate grand I spent on my brakes was worth it to never have to screw with them again (did I mention the pads last a REALLY long time?).

BTW- here's about 700 miles of daily driving and 150ish miles of hard canyon runs worth of dust.

 

Monte Cristo on a Sunday morning?
Don't mind if I do!
.....wait. You're talking about the sandwich, right? It's a brunch all-star!

 

i used them on 8 pistons on an amg

just wait a while and they will stop being super dusty

 

Decided to replace my fronts about a year ago as I had about 68K miles on them. Much to my surprise Autozone had Duralast Gold pads that fit. They are ceramic and are quiet and pretty much dustless. Good part is that they have a lifetime warranty, so any replacements from here are free. My 6 other cars all have Duralast on them and I change them regularly for no cost. This includes a 26 year old SUV. Must have chaged those a few dozen times over the life of the vehicle and only paid for the origainal replacements. FCP Euro has the same warranty, but you have to ship worn ones back. Why pay for pads over and over.

 

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...10/#post472565

Happy with the Porterfield R4-S.
Not "dustless," but I doubt such a thing exists. They'd probably be hard on the rotors if they did.

 

The dust is iron from the rotor; notice the dust on the OP's wheels looks like a dusting of rust? Dustless would be the opposite of what you're thinking there.

 

Double checked, they are semi-metallic.

 

Thanks for all the feedback. Looks like I'll be looking into EBC or Porterfields.

Any thoughts on Pagid? Read they are OE on some German makes, found a set for the Alcon equipped X150s.

 

Would use Autozone stuff in a pinch if need be, but I've have quite a few Duralast brand components fail prematurely or just outright not work. Then again, occasionally I've replaced parts and they have been perfectly fine. Guess the Centric brand stuff isn't much different haha More the reason I came back here looking for better option for pads.

 

I have 7 cars dating from 1995 to present. All have either Duralast or Durlast Gold pads. I change them all about yearly as they have free lifetime warranty. Never had a problem with failing or not working. Never a problem swapping old for new at my local Autozone. That is proof enough for me on the Duralast pads. I was a bit skeptical when replacing on the XKR, but am more than happy with the performance. We are talking brake pads, so not generalizing on Duralast brand. The free replacements seal the deal for me. I would buy from FCP Euro for the same reason, but having to mail the old parts back in just seems like more work.

 

The free replacements are a pretty sweet deal lol

 

YA, for my 1995 Explorer, when the clerk looks up the replacement number there are multiple screens full of times I replaced them. I do admit I feel a little guilty. Last time I bought a jug of oil for $19.99 just so I was paying for something along with the free pads. When I checked out, he asked me if I wanted to use my $20 reward I earned to pay for the oil. I just can't win....or should I say lose.