I Tested Every Major Parts Store Brake Pad… You're Being Ripped Off!

Are you wasting money on parts store brake pads? In this video, I test and compare brake pads from AutoZone, O’Reilly, Advance Auto Parts, and NAPA to find out whether the “premium” house-brand pads are actually worth the price — or if you’re paying way more for the same pads you can buy in the aftermarket for far less.

Using real-world panic-stop data, brake pressure logging, pad construction inspection, and friction-code analysis, I break down how these store-brand pads perform vs. their aftermarket counterparts — and whether the “Gold,” “Platinum,” and “Premium” labels mean anything at all.

In this video you’ll see:
Who actually manufactures the major parts-store brake pads
How much mark-up you’re really paying
Stopping distance comparisons between brands
Brake pressure & ABS activation data
Pad construction, backing plate design, and friction material differences
Why friction codes don’t tell the whole story
Whether high-tier parts store pads outperform the cheaper versions

If you’re about to buy brake pads from any auto parts store, watch this first. You might save a lot of money and maybe even get better performance.

The first video in this series:

Brake Pads:
Bosch:
Powerstop:
Wagner:
Raybestos:

“If you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will”:

Tools used in this testing:
Banks Idash:
Caliper Press/Caliper Hangers:
Brake Cleaner:
Brake Fluid:
Caliper Grease:
Caliper bracket file:
Caliper wind back tool:

My Amazon Store:
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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:04 Pads that I’m testing
1:14 What are the test methods
2:08 Details on the test vehicle
3:34 What each kit includes
7:09 Construction issues
8:43 What was installed with each pad
9:50 Bed-in procedure
13:11 Panic Stopping Distance
17:42 ABS Activation Pressure
19:57 Misinformation about friction codes…
23:40 Initial bite testing
26:10 What do I test next?
28:17 Brake dust test results
31:32 Corrosion Testing
38:05 What is “best”?

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