1995 toyota camry front brakes

Sounds more like they're so worn there's a scoured area which is grabbing like warped disks. So they might need skimming or replacing but I'd worry more about new pads now rather than which sort.

user22 wrote: There are 3 types of brake

============================ OE is ceramic

I'd stay with the Toyota parts.

The pulsation, some theorize, can actually come from uneven deposits of brake pad material on the rotors rather than actual warping.

Also, occasionally you need to apply enough pressure on the pedal to stop firmly. Continual gradual stopping can "glaze" the surface of the pads. They may last a long time that way but not stop as smoothly or effectively.

Mines the same age and there's no warp,..but it doesnt rain much here either and that is what warps rotors or discs,.uneven cooling driving thru puddles,..or so they say,..sounds reasonable. Metal pads are savage on stock discs. If you have steel discs, the metal-pads should be OK, and last longer.

NB My old Ford has CI discs and they were quite ridged and scored. I fitted metal top end (price-wise) pads, and in 6 mths the disks were smooth again!

Jason

If you do the work yourself a new rotor will dissipate more heat and not warp as easily since there is alot more metal than a turned rotor. Use what is recomended or your rear brakes will be unbalanced in stopping power. Warping is common if you do 60-0 stoplights fast. Best is stop slower, it only takes one good hard stop to ruin the rotor if its thinned out. Another cause of warping may be after you just do a fast stop your brake pad is stationary as you wait for the light to go green, Cooling that part of the rotor unevenly, I try to avoid that by keeping my foot off the brake , its worked so far.

Heat, resurfacing, and uneven/wrong wheel lug nut torque are the common reasons for warped rotors. Resurfacing takes away the metal that could have help dissipate heat. Uneven torque allows the rotor to flex in the heating/cooling cycles of braking unevenly. Rapid, repeated heavy braking or even a sticking caliper would do it.

If the rotors are still above the minimum thickness, consider getting them resurfaced. About $10 each at the local NAPA service center. Clean and lubricate your caliper hardware. Make sure the caliper pins glide freely. Kragen has these little Permatex synthetic gel lub packs for $1 a piece. Normally maintenance one pack per axle is more than enough. But to clean well and lube I'd use one pack for each wheel.

OE is ceramic. But if the batch Toyota is trying to sell you comes from "NBK" then you should walk away or tell them to bring out the Akebonos, marked "AK". Nissins are OK too but they tend to glaze the rotors.

I would just buy Akebono ProAct with integrated shims from your local parts store. Do check

I've also used Raybestos PG-Plus semi-metaliic. Excellent brake performance and fade resistence. But they are really dirty and do not last as long (about 50% compared to ceramics), that's why we go the ceramic route. Raybestos QS ceramics are also excellent and brake very well, but they are slightly dirtier than the Akebonos.

If you need to replace the rotors, consider Raybestos Vehicle Specific Metallurgy rotors. I've used their cheaper "red box" Asimco-GS (a.k.a. Raymold) noised-dampening rotors without problems.

If you use the vented rotors check with the pad manufacturers to make sure their ceramic pads can go on there. Raybestos has these, but the Stree Tech Series is probably not available yet for that year of Camry.

m Ransley wrote: snip

Mark, Good tip. I was taught that trick by an old-timer many years ago. I try to stop far enough back that I can let my vehicle creep forward so the pads don't sit in one spot for very long. If I can't creep, I shift to neutral or park and take my foot off the brake. My youngest brother was plagued by warped rotors, I finally got him to start doing this and he's had no more trouble with warped rotors since. Dave

Jason James wrote: snip

snip

Jason, I was taught that if you drive through rain or water you need to not use the brakes as hard as that can cause warpage. I'm sure you've noticed when you drive through deep water you don't have any brakes. If you drag the brakes slightly for a very short time, the heat will dry the brake parts enough you'll have brakes and no part of the rotor will get overheated. Also, the tips m Ramsley gives in his post can have an increased effect on wet brakes. Dave

......... More likely the thinner disk less resistance to warping. I have never pandered to brakes and had no trouble except on one car where they were already warped when I got it. I just lived with it and they didn't get any worse, wasn't really bad... ABS braking before it was invented hey! In the Volvo NG I frequented last, everyone had trouble with warped rotors. I tend to think it has more to do with the manufacture than driving, buying new ones might get you into a different batch and be better.

Under-desgined rotors can do the same. Volve is not the only company and will not be the last. 2002 Camrys, the first year of that generation, had the same problem, and they ended up getting new rotors.

jg wrote:

Not sure about under-design. If they are too thick they won't dissipate heat so well, and even some of those with finned slots through the middle have trouble. I think it's mostly about the metal analysis and/or heat stresses born in the casting & machining.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I went with the OE ceramic brakes and the matching rotors. For $120 worth of parts the brakes now function like new. Turns out, one of the rotors was way out of spec. I kept the other one as a spare. Car now stops without any pulsing at all. My daughter is very happy. Thanks again.

George