Duralast brake pads review?
Many new drivers give all their attention to how fast a car can accelerate, but any experienced car driver will tell you that being able to make a quick stop is twice as important as accelerating.
Installing a quality brake pad like the Duralast DG870 Front Brake Pads/Shoes in your car can help bring out the best performance in the braking system of your car, and indeed, save you insurance hassle, time, and lives.
So, what does the Duralast DG870 Front Brake Pads/Shoes have to offer? Is it one of those brake pads that make a squealing noise each time you brake? Is it worth your money, and how long can you expect it to perform?
Well, letâs see what the DG870 has to offer.
Duralastâs brake pads are designed and engineered to enhance braking power, offer a safe and quiet braking experience, help minimize braking distance, and to be a direct replacement to the original brake pads that your car manufacturer installed on the car.
The goal of every brake job is to restore the vehicleâs brake system to its original operating condition.
The first step to achieving this is to use the Duralast DG870 Front Brake Pads.
Main Features
- This brake pad features multi-layer ESE (elastomer â Steel â elastomer) signature dark shim with an adhesive that helps dampen noise and minimizes vibrations.
- Add to the fact that theyâre very affordable so youâre getting a quality brake pad at a budget-friendly price.
- This brake pad is created through an OE (Original Equipment) Direct Molding Pressing Process, the end result is an accurate and proper fitment for your car.The process involves using extreme pressure to compress friction materials, thereby providing a well-balanced, crack-proof bonding to the backing plate.
The next step in the Duralast manufacturing process is to put the brake pads through a thermal scorching process that ensures brakes are performing consistently throughout their use. - The thermal scorching process ensures that the brake pad performs at its best in both cold and warm weather.
- They are made using a lab-developed and tested formula that provides a strong initial bite and excellent stability. This is also what makes them highly resistant to tear.
My Experience
Aside from all these technical bits, what really endears me to the Duralast brake pads is that they produce less dust than the factory pads and they last longer too.
Dealing with brake dust is very annoying for people that drive bright-colored cars, especially when you discover these fine particles on your windshield, after what you thought wash a thorough wash.
When I first installed the Duralast brake pads, everything went smooth as youâd expect from a product thatâs easy to install, but I noticed one of my rear squealing a couple of times then clear up on its own, would have applied anti-squeal if the problem persisted because there was still enough pad.
So far, Iâm satisfied with them. The difference is felt when performing repeated panic stops without enough time for the pads to cool down in between.
- Designed for street and light duty track use May squeal initially
- Produces very little brake dust
- Powerful braking force
- It comes with everything needed for an easy installation
- May squeal initially
FAQ/Buying Guide
Contents:
Who manufactures Duralast brake pads?
AutoZone. Duralast Brake pads are manufactured to meet or exceed OE quality, performance, and durability. To support the brake pads and highlight their stopping power, the Duralast GT brake pads were installed on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Fusion driven by Joey Logano that won the âClashâ at Daytona on Feb. 19.
The technology responsible for the Duralast GT brake padâs fantastic performance is comprised of multiple performance-enhancing features, including high-temperature carbon formulation which makes it ideal for high-performance street and track use, a V-Slot design, which has a great impact in reducing wear and increasing stopping power, and Quiet Shield Shims designed to create vibration diffraction.
The AutoZoneâs Duralast brake line is comprised of Duralast Gold Ceramic, Duralast Max, Duralast GT, and Duralast Gold Semi-Metallic.
How many miles do Duralast brake pads last?
Car drivers come in various shapes and sizes, and so do car brake pads. How long your brake pads last depend on your driving habits, driving conditions, and vehicle usage.
From my experience, I can tell you that Duralast brake pads perform no worse or exceptionally better than other brands of brake parts.
So far, Iâve put them through 25k miles and they still function great â must be my driving style.
Duralast Brake pads warranty
Duralast brake pads come with a limited lifetime warranty. Before you jump at this and grab the next Duralast Brake Pads you can find, understand that this means the manufacturer is contractually obligated to replace parts of this product that break or are defective over the life of the product.
However, the manufacturer is not under any legal obligation to replace parts not mentioned in the warranty or those that are misused by the consumer or broken by using this product.
What this means is that once the pad wears down from normal use, its life is over, and so is the warranty. You donât get new brake pads when the old ones wear thin.
Furthermore, if this pad cracks or causes rotor deposit, warpage, etc. theyâll only replace the pad and expect you to pay to replace the rotor.
Are Duralast Gold brake pads ceramic?
Yes. They are made from ceramic fibers, filler material, carbon, bonding agents and they may have some traces of copper fibers as well. Since they are mostly ceramic, these type of brake pad dissipates heat well, which keeps performance at an optimum level, even after repeated hard stops. The nice thing about ceramic brake pads is that they donât break down rapidly from repeated use, therefore they do not produce as much dust as other types of brake pads â and the dust they produce has a lighter color and doesnât stick around the wheels. The only problem is that they are really expensive, and arenât for every type of car.
Duralast brake pads installation
Duralast brake pads are manufactured to replace original equipment brake pads on numerous vehicles without a dip in the performance of the braking system. The brake pads usually feature a slotted friction block thatâs designed to match each vehicle modelâs braking specifications.
Though they vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle you want to install them in, the process for installing Duralast brake pads is similar throughout. Two brake pads fit on the outboard and inboard side of the rotor. They are held in place by a caliper. The time it takes to install them varies depending on your mechanical skills, mine took me about 10 minutes per wheel.
Here are the steps:
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- Step 1
First, loosen the lug nuts on the front driver side wheel. Position the jack below the lift guide located on the frame rail notches behind the wheel. Raise the jack until the wheel no longer has contact with the ground. Remove the lug nuts and pull off the wheels.
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- Step 2
Turn the steering wheel anti-clockwise to adjust the rotor outwards and make it easier for you to reach the inboard side of the caliper holding the brake pads.
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- Step 3
Remove the bolts that secure the caliper to the rotor with your ratchet and socket wrench. Now, pull off the caliper from the rotor.
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- Step 4
Use pliers to pull the outboard and inboard brake pads out of the caliper.
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- Step 5
Insert the inboard Duralast brake pad into the inboard side of the caliper. Use a clipper clamp to grip the caliper so that the drive shaft presses the inboard Duralast brake into the caliper piston. Tighten the clamp until the inboard Duralast brake pad is flush with the caliper, then remove the caliper clamp.
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- Step 6
Insert the outboard Duralast brake pad into the caliper. Seat the Duralast brake pad in the slots of the caliper.
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- Step 7
Mount the caliper to the rotor the same way it was. Reinstall the wheel and lower the vehicle, then tighten the lug nuts.
Repeat Steps 1 through 7 for the remaining wheels.
Items you will need:
- Jack
- Duralast brake pads
- Lug nut driver
- Tire iron
- Socket wrench set
- Pliers
- Caliper clamp
Conclusion
AutoZone really meant it when they said that the Duralast line of brake pads was manufactured to meet or exceed OE quality, performance, and durability.
The DG870 are easy to install, of great quality, quiet, and âso far, so good â durable.
Informative article. One note though. The pads are covered for as long as you own the vehicle. They will be swapped out even if they are worn out through normal wear and tear.
The part of the article about warranty is not true âWhat this means is that once the pad wears down from normal use, its life is over, and so is the warranty. You donât get new brake pads when the old ones wear thin.â Itâs more of a store to store issue as long as Autozone has a record of the brake pads they can be replaced just try another store or speak to a D.M.
I highly recommend using a jack stand any time you have your car in the air. Never rely solely on the jack!