[Smurfenstein]

Just my $0.02, ceramic pads on a car that wont see north of 160mph is a complete waste of your money, and I'm here to explain why.

Ceramic pads have less bite/braking power as non ceramic, which means that you will actually lose braking power compared to a decent quality non ceramic. The main function of ceramic pads is that they manage heat MUCH better than non-ceramic, which is why you see them on all the crazy top of the line sports cars, because when you're braking from high speeds you need brakes that wont fade.

Now, as for what pads you should buy, I HIGHLY recommend Hawk HP or HP Plus pads if you really use your brakes.

 

[Smurfenstein]

What's wrong with slotted/dimpled? I've had them on my pickup, and never had a problem with them getting hot, shaking, and fading on the mountains like I have with just plain rotors.

Sent from my Droid Ultra

There is nothing wrong with slotted/dimpled rotors, aside from lower pad life. In terms of braking power they work wonders by improving initial bite, however it comes as a cost of pad life as with more bite, comes more wear. This is why most people will steer (lol) away from slotted/dimpled as it means replacing pads more often for a slight increase in breaking bite/performance.

@Germ: They are terrible for daily drivers, and here's why (instead of simply noting anecdotal evidence);

Drilled rotors are, exactly as they're written, drilled rotors. This means that after the rotor is made and cured, they drill into it countless times. Now this creates a neat effect where air is allowed to freely move in/around the rotor face, allowing the brakes to cool faster and take longer to build up heat. However by drilling into a metal object, you weaken the overall integrity of the object, thus making the rotor prone to cracking, which has been known to happen before the rotor face is worn away through braking.

Now, as for your truck, I have no doubt that they were wonderful, amazing brakes, because cool brakes on a daily vehicle will never see overheat gitter or brake fade. Its like having a 500whp car and only using 200 of that power. It will do its job, and it will do it very well, however you are still risking rotor cracking, and with holes in the surface, the rotor then becomes the equivalent of a slotted/dimpled rotor in terms of pad wear.