Date:         Fri, 5 May 95 11:12:05 EDT
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         John Anderson <ja@coe.wvu.edu>
Subject:      Re: Best Vanaogon Brake Pads?

> 
> >
> >Well the pads started squeeking a little the other day, so I am thinking
> >maybe I will change the pads this time, especially if you guys can tell me a
> >good brand/type of pad to buy that wont garf up my wheels and will not
> >squeek excessively.
> 
> I haven't used them but Repco MetalMaster Dustless are thought to be good. 
> If available for a van. I have heard of noise complaints about semi-metallic 
> 
I have used Repco Deluxe and MetalMasters on higher performance
front or 4wd VW's and caution against the MetalMasters if available
for a van.  Those pads must be warmed up by a couple of stops before
they work at all, OK on a 2900lb. Corrado with ABS, terrifying on a
3500+lb. Vanagon.  I mean you simply slide like they are faded until
they get warm, currently on the G60 I'm using another popular
performance brand, Mintex SilverLines (Brit made) these things leave
absolutely no read that 0 dust, amazingly the fine amount of silver
dust just dissapears, but similarly to the MetalMasters but not quite
as bad require warm up, plus all these metallic pads will eat rotors
faster, now I haven't recently priced Vanagon rotors and wouldn't want
to if anything like $50+ Bus rotors.  Frankly even for the Corrado I've
decided you can't beat the stock (usually JURID) pads for stopping
ability and good wear but considering the "performance" pads usually
cost half the price, I go with them.  My opinion is to live with the
dust and clean them wheels regularly and keep em waxed for easy
cleaning.  I can't remember the Repco Deluxe's I had on my Quantum
Syncro, they were as good as stock as far as cold stopping but I think
they generated much the same amount of dust, it's been a few years
though.  Higher performance pads might be available for the Vanagon
incidently because I seem to recall it using the same pad as front
wheel drive 16V Scirocco's but a little thicker to account for the non
vented rotors (thinner), which would simply start you with a 25% worn
pad which would last longer though being semimettalic.  I recall this
because a local parts guy accidently sold us the wrong pads once for
our '86 but they worked fine and as the others were not in stock and
it needed inspected, we went with them.  I'm not sure what fwd VW they
were from though.  Oh BTW all VW brakes squeak, I read an artical
written by a VW engineer who said they could never understand what
Americans had against a little break noise and had given up trying
to silence their brake systems, I've never noticed the problem being
particularly worse with semi-mettalics.

John Anderson
ja@coe.wvu.edu
'71 Westy (cool square teeny little pads), '90 Corrado G60 (11" rotors)
          (where's my ABS????)                             (STOPS.)