Akebono Brake Pad Review as an OEM Replacement

[simpleM3]

I don't track my M, so I've always found OEM pads to be sufficient and effective for the degree of spirited driving I occasionally find myself doing here and there. However, like most I'm sure, the rapid accumulation of the brake dust almost literally infuriates me, especially when the car is coming off a nice wash. In an attempt to combat that, I recently took the chance on a set of front Akebono pads based on some loose reviews and I'm finding them to be one of the best mods/upgrades I've done. I drive my M 40-45 miles daily and the amount of dust accumulated from the Akebono pads in two weeks is what the OEM pads produced in 2-3 days. I also haven't experienced any noticeable degradation in performance. As I previously stated, I don't track so keep my review in that context.

From a technical standpoint, the ceramic composition of the Akebono vs. semi-metallic composition of the OEM both promote low dust accumulation, which I'm not here to debate. In the short time I've owned these pads, I've been less inclined to wash my car as frequently as I had been when the OEM pads were installed. I realized that I had been provoked to clean my car more often due to the rapid and highly visible accumulation of dust from the OEM pads. I solved that problem with little to-no performance compromise by replacing them with Akebonos.

[pbonsalb]

I have run ceramic pads over the years and agree the brake dust is much less and also that they are fine for daily driving. I just put a set of ceramics on the front of my wife’s E61 535xi. I run Stoptech Street on my E90 M3. They are cheap and fine for street driving but certainly dustier than ceramics.

How come ceramic pads are used for performance purposes? Ceramic rotors are.

[6ixSpd]

The first thing I do on all BMW's I've owned is ditch the stock pads for ceramic replacements. Zero complaints over the years!

I tracked mine with Akebonos and while I don't expect them to be dual duty pads I had no problems on track with them either. My PSS tires got greasy before my brakes became compromised. Then again I'm not setting time attacks and just having a good time learning my car's capabilities in a controlled environment.

[TimberWolf_3063]

Originally Posted by 6ixSpd

The first thing I do on all BMW's I've owned is ditch the stock pads for ceramic replacements. Zero complaints over the years!

I tracked mine with Akebonos and while I don't expect them to be dual duty pads I had no problems on track with them either. My PSS tires got greasy before my brakes became compromised. Then again I'm not setting time attacks and just having a good time learning my car's capabilities in a controlled environment.

Would you say that the ceramics lasted longer than the OEMs? And was there any noticeable change in braking performance?

Longer lasting, lower dust, better or same performance - yeah, this would convince me to try them.

[6ixSpd]

They sure don't wear any faster that's for sure. Then again I haven't kept any of my car's long enough to do multiple front brake jobs lol.

The low dust alone is worth the change imo.

The only change is less initial bite on applying the brakes, but I actually prefer this. I never liked the overly grabby initial bite of stock BMW brakes on the E9X generation cars. They have a linear pedal feel throughout the range of application which makes them easy to modulate.

[vitalsigns]

Easily overlooked when listing best bang-for-the-buck improvements, but ceramic pads are definitely among the top mods for improving the overall enjoyment of the car IMO.

I hate it when my car's filthy, and OEM pads throw a ton of dust. I don't want to wash my wheels daily, so ceramic pads are the solution.

[noremaC]

I've recently thrown on EBC Yellow Stuff track pads to "clean" the surface of the rotors, since my last street pads (unknown) left some deposits on my rotors. Any who, what are the most recent recommendations on street pads? I've used Stoptech Street in the past but thought they were dusty. Akebono? Any other comparable options?

Cheers!

[M4_GTS]

Akebono for street driving is an excellent choice. If you want a "little" more performance with low dust ceramic pads, you can try the Carbotech 1521 pads. I had them on my E60 M5 and find them slightly better than the Akebono with stopping power.

[JJH]

Originally Posted by 6ixSpd

The low dust alone is worth the change imo.

The only change is less initial bite on applying the brakes, but I actually prefer this. I never liked the overly grabby initial bite of stock BMW brakes on the E9X generation cars. They have a linear pedal feel throughout the range of application which makes them easy to modulate.

Absolutely agree .... I've had the Akebono ceramics on mine for the past three years. Zero complaints and thoroughly recommend them.

[tacoman]

Installed these 2 weeks ago...and what a Godsend!

Installing some on wifeys Macan. The brake dust is worse on her car...and it is a bitch cleaning the 21 inch turbo design wheels.

[Longboarder]

A different take. I could care less about brake dust. I have a ton of it caked on my daily X5M. Have never washed the wheels in my entire ownership. The e92M3 gets driven less but I don't care about brake dust on that either. Although I will wash the wheels once every few months.

But I did try these ceramic pads on the M3 and they didn't work for me because I like to drive hard and brake hard. Initial bite is a critical part of the confidence I have in the braking system and lets just say these ceramic pads have none at all. Felt like I need to put my foot to the floor to get the car to slow.

I had brembo race pads on my 991 GT3 that require a lot temp in them to get them to work and they had a lot more initial bite even when they were ice cold compared to these akebonos or whatever they are. It was a downright scary experience for the 100 or so miles they were on my car. I now look at my rims coated with brake dust and smile.

I have real ceramics rotors and pads on another car and that system also inspires incredible confidence. I was out last weekend doing 180mph pulls and hauling down with confidence. Initial bite was almost pulling my eyeballs out of the socket. But ceramic pads on steel rotors just don't work the same. I'd never try that again.