Good morning, I am looking at ordering front and rear pads for my E 450 2003, the problem is when I go to rock auto or part geeks . It looks like they have 2 kinds of brake pads for the rear, one of them is the same as front pads, how to know which ones I need.

also this is a ex- ambulance, what are the best brakes that I can use? Ceramic, semi- metallic or Metallic?



thank you

 

A lot of times you need to go off the measurement of the pads in order to ensure you are getting the right size/application.

I find myself deciding on one pad, then going to the manufacturer website to get a specific part number and size. Then searching from there for a sale or discount price on my chosen pad.

For the truck I was happy with Hawk LTS and am just as happy with Hawk SD pads. I tow our 5th wheel and at 18,000 - 20,000 GCVW cross country, so brakes are important.

A very good friend of mine recommends EBC Yellow Stuff with NAPA Premium rotors. The NAPA (specific rotor, not all of them) have a lifetime warranty. I would not recommend EBC Yellow Stuff pads unless you get the free replacement rotors.

I installed the EBC pads on my 2008 Subaru Tribeca which has the same sport brakes as the WRX from that year. After two trips from GA to ID and back, the rotors are warped due to the heat. The pads are very aggressive and stop well, but 15,000 miles later and 4 trips over the Rocky mountains and many other mountain ranges have warped the rotors.

I might simply swap the new (now warped) rotors out for some NAPA Premium rotors, but not in the short term as oil prices are eating into the vehicle maintenance budget.

Just my opinion...

 

I failed to provide the manufacturer of the rotors I installed on the truck and the Subaru. They are Stop Tech slotted rotors.

My apologies...

 

Do you recommend Ceramic or Semi-Metalic pads?