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Brake Pads and Rotors - 2016 Tucson Ltd

9.4K views 15 replies 10 participants last post by  neilr  
#1 ·
After 53,000 miles on my 2016 Tucson Ltd, it's time to change the front and rear brake pads. Not sure about the rotors yet.

I'm looking for suggestions on great aftermarket pads and rotors that you have actually used on your Tucson, and where you sourced them from.

The original pads and rotors have lasted me 4 years, which makes me want to stick with the OEMs, but darn they are expensive.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
The originals on my 2016 have friction codes GG front and back which is high. If you drop down, you will increase the pedal pressure required for the same retardation. The originals seem to be very good pads, especially for a run of the mill car, but I haven't yet been able to identify the OE manufacturer :(
 
#3 ·
Are there not any good discounted on-line parts dealers? I’ve found pretty much universally, when it comes to pads for road cars, OE pads are the best. After trying a lot, I gave up on aftermarket pads a long time ago.
 
#4 ·
Online dealers sell for reasonable prices. Shop around online, including amazon on ebay.

I don't care for using OE brake parts. I recommend coated rotors from Bosch, Wagner, Raybestos, EBC, or Fremax.

Raybestos EHT, Wagner Thermoquiets, EBC Yellows or Ultimaxx, and PowerStop Z23's, are some pad choices.

Brakes save your life every time you use them. I never consider brake pads/rotors as expensive. This is when you sacrifice booze, cigarettes, tattoos, jewelry, piercings, vapes, drugs, hobbies, fastfood, whatever.... and get the best available. No generic pads/rotors/tires on ANY of my vehicles EVER.... my kids/wife/pets are worth skipping the drive-thru a few times for better quality parts.
 
#5 ·
With respect, I personally will not use ANYTHING but OE pads, period. You simply get what you pay for and the other junk is not worth the headaches! As for rotors... I go with the supplier my parts MGR suggests (at my Dealer, as I've known him for about 15yrs)...it's like one step cheaper than OE parts and is what the dealer uses as well.

Issues like noise, more pressure, more brake dust, shorter life, and even brake fade are things I have seen - this is an area not to go cheap on ever~~~
 
#6 ·
I've had no complaints with Wearever Platinum rotors from Advance Auto. You can typically score a 25% off email code if you have an account and leave them in your car for a couple days. I went with OE pads from purchased from Amazon for 1/3 the price of dealer.

Whatever you do, just make sure you get compatible, good quality parts and clean/lube brake components before re-installing.
 
#7 ·
Remember, any half decent brake disc and pad will stop the car better than the tyres can - so those are the weakest link, not the brakes. It is brake pressure, feel and maybe longevity you are paying for.

Until you know who the OEM is for the brake parts and which compound they have selected, how do you know if you have selected a better replacement? Subjective opinions are notoriously inaccurate especially when people claim shorter stopping distances on the same tyres :)

I have been through this exercise on three of our older cars and came to the conclusion by comparing OE pads against a few aftermarket pads that OE had officially grippier pads (at least by DOT edge code ratings) and that did actually translated into higher torque values on the brake tester in every case. Subjectively, they required less pressure.

Translate that to our Tucsons with high-friction (GG rated) OE pads front and back. Most aftermarket pads won't be as good, never mind better. Try aftermarket pads by all means, but look for pads with a GG rating. When I start looking into pads for the Tucson, I will report back. I think the likes of Bosch might be using a GG compound for our Tucsons - maybe they are the OEM - who knows ...
 
#9 ·
I looked for OE pads online...and there are 4 different Hyundai part numbers for pad sets!

I assume they all correspond to various performance levels and probably price points.

Can someone help by decoding the 4 part numbers into English so I know what they mean? And which one is the one they ship from the factory??

Thx...
 
#10 ·
Yep - there are loads, more than 4. It looks like this size has been used on many Hyundais and Kias for some time now and they will all fit. They were probably all factory fit on some cars at some point.

I doubt there is any easy way to compare them without reading the two-letter friction codes and either match them with the ones on your car or go for the highest you can get if you want a lighter brake pedal. Look for photos on the internet and see if you identify the friction codes.

The least grippy pads our there will say EE. The best conventional ones probably GG. Both front and back pads on my 2016 Tucson have GG stamped on them. I believe that the pads are of Korean manufacture so they probably don't get exported as aftermarket versions to US or Europe. We can buy originals or a more locally manufactured alternative.

There won't be any real difference in braking distances (that is nearly completely down to the tyres) but grippier pads give a better feel and require a little less pedal pressure so the pressure is easier to modulate. This is not the same as too much servo assistance though.

So, it depends how fussy you are. Me, I'm fussy and would like to maintain original performance especially where the manufacturer has specially chosen good pads. I don't care as much about dust; the better brake feel is more important to me.
 
#11 ·
#12 ·
Thanks everyone for the responses. I was in no way stating I wanted to go with the cheapest and least reliable brakes/rotors on the market.

I was just hoping to get feedback on what some 2016 Hyundai Tucson owners actually used on their brake/rotor replacement jobs, and the success of what they used.

At this point, I'm just going OEM from a Hyundai dealer that has an online parts website - www.hyundaipartsoemoutlet.com. I have to pay for shipping, but they have the best online price for OEM parts. The extra ~$200 in parts price is worth the hassle of not having to gamble on aftermarket.
 
#16 ·
Update:

I changed the pads and rotors/discs on our Tucson for Jurid pads and Zimmermann discs. Braking performance is back to like new.

One error in my notes was that the original front pads were GG rated. They are not. FF is stamped on the OE pads. Rears are GG though.

The Jurid pads are GF and GG and feel very good too. Perfectly good alternative to OE and measured on two different brake testers at around the same values as new brakes. Over the years, they had dropped off so there is an apparent improvement over 4 year old rotors but probably not significant over new originals.