To be specific, the Audi tires we speak of are
Continental ContiProContact tires. And as an Ultra High Performance Summer tires, wet and dry traction will always belong to you, the driver.
Buy Continental tires from
Tire Rack before April 10 and you'll also own a
free TomTom™ EASE GPS system. Any purchase equaling $440 or more will qualify you for this great deal.
Search all Continental tires for sale to find a set that works on your Audi. And while you're at it, you might want to consider purchasing a set of
wheels, perhaps the
O.Z. Crono HT wheels shown above. Or maybe some aftermarket Audi
brake pads. At Tire Rack, we do our best to be your one-stop aftermarket shop.
With harsh winter weather dying down (hopefully), it's time to make sure your Acura is ready for spring and summer driving.
If you've been rolling on
winter / snow tires, you may want to consider purchasing a new set of Acura
tires. You don't have to worry about ice and snow anymore, so it's time for a tire that'll let you have some driving fun—without compromising safety, of course. We put
Yokohama AVID H4S tires on the MDX below. (In fact, these tires are High Performance All-Season tires, which would carry you through the winter if your winter / snow tires have seen enough action.)
In addition to the Acura tires, you may want to check out your
brakes. A new set of Acura brake pads may be necessary, given the white-knuckle driving you've been doing on those unpredictable winter roads.
If you
enter our Upgrade Garage, we'll show you a variety of aftermarket upgrades for your Acura. Including wheels, like the
Sport Edition ST5 wheels shown above. Pick the products you want, and we'll get them to you as soon as possible.
You'll be out on those sunny spring roads in no time.
Ever thought to buy brake pads and rotors online? With Tire Rack you can buy brake pads and brake rotors of your choice shipped to you, or your installer. Tire Rack has brake components to fit your vehicle broken down into
four performance categories to help with the selection process.
About a year ago, I noticed my Chevy Impala's brake system was not performing like I remembered. The Impala is used to get me back and forth to work in an efficient manor. All I needed was an Original Equipment replacement level brake product. I selected the Akebono ProACT Ceramic Brake Pads from the Premium Brake Pad category. I always like to use the products Tire Rack carries to see for myself how they work in the field, so I made the purchase and got to work updating the Impala with my new
Akebono ProACT Ceramic Pads.
The Akebono ProAct Ceramic Pads have met my expectations. They work well in rain and dry conditions and do not make a lot of dust. One thing I did notice during winter driving is the
Akebono ProAct Ceramic Pads do have a little more initial bite as the front wheels have locked up a few more times than last winter with my O.E. brake pads (no ABS on the Impala). No worries; a small change to my braking style and I'm happy with the overall performance of the brake system on
my car.
Not to forget the brake rotors, as its always a great time to replace brake rotors and brake pads at the same time. The
Centric Premium Rotor is a great Original Equipment replacement rotor. One thing I really like about the Centric Premium Rotor is the Electrocoating (E-coating) black finish. The finish really makes the rotors look sharp especially if you have a wheel that shows the rotors or, have a winter wheel that shows the rotor more than the summer wheels.
Check to see which
rotors or
brake pads work best for your car at
Tire Rack. Tire Rack has many brake system options to chose from. I just wanted something like the Original Equipment brake system. You may want to step it up for some additional performance. Tire Rack can offer you the custom brake pad and rotor package to meet your needs.
Technically speaking, the answer is no. They're very different.
It's fairly obvious that an SUV is larger and therefore weighs more than a car. To reference Sir Isaac Newton, that means a greater force will be needed to stop an SUV when it is in motion. It's the law of physics, and we've made it the law of brakes, too.
SUV brakes take into account stop and go traffic in a larger, heavier vehicle. Also towing, and the fact that SUV wheels and tires are usually larger than those on passenger vehicles. It's important to note, however, that not all Original Equipment or high ceramic pads are capable of handling these factors. And that's why SUV brake pads are so important—because they were designed with all of these factors in mind.
They were designed to reduce stopping distance and pedal effort, which makes vehicle operation even safer.
Outfit your light truck or SUV with SUV-specific brake components to increase your margin of safety and to improve your vehicle's stopping performance.
Shop by vehicle, and
Tire Rack will produce a list of suitable options.
Like the many tire options available at the Tire Rack. There are quite a few brake pads available. Tire Rack carries Hawk brake pads. Hawk brakes do a good job offering brake pads in each
performance category to enhance your brake system.
- Hawk HPS Brake Pads
- For high-speed driving, or repetitive heavy braking. Offering 20-40% more stopping power and higher resistance to brake fade than most Original Equipment brake pads.
- Hawk HP Plus Brake Pads
- For autocross, Solo and track days. For those who want race car-like stopping power and will trade some wear, dust, noise and pad life to get it.
- Hawk LTS Truck/SUV Brake Pads
- The new LTS Compound provides superior stopping power for full-sized light trucks, SUVs and vans without noise and dust.
- Hawk SuperDuty Brake Pads
- Hawk's Super Duty Ferro-Carbon material is designed for severe-duty professional truck fleets and vehicles frequently towing heavy loads.
- Tire Rack Also Carries Hawk Track Use Only Pads as well.
Check the
Hawk Brake products by clicking the links above. Tire Rack also has brake survey reviews if you would like to view them as well as a red colored dot system showing the Stopping Power rating, Low Noise Rating, and Low Dust Rating of each brake pad we carry.
Are you looking for more initial bite and grab with your brake pads? Do you always buy the best in tires like
Michelin,
Bridgestone, or
Continental? The
Hawk HPS pad is the pad for you!
From a heavier vehicle to a sporty compact, the
Hawk HPS pads are some of the best pads money can buy. Best-in-class stopping power, initial bite, and livable road manners! Low dust, quiet and long lasting. Perfect pairing for your BMW, Miata, 350Z, Mustang or even the family sedan or mini van!
"I wanted something that would perform better than stock and this combo fit the bill." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review
"Stopping distance in my VW Golf has been reduced from 164ft@60mph to 133ft@60mph (G-Tech readings)" -- Tire Rack Consumer Review
ATE (
"Ah-Tay") brake pads come from one of the world's leading brake system manufacturers, Continental Automotive Systems—and we've put these brake pads online just for you.
Combining innovative technology with quality materials and expert engineering, ATE brake pads meet and exceed O.E. performance and safety standards across the board. And across the pond. ATE has been a trusted brake pad brand in Europe for over 100 years, and that proven expertise is something we at
Tire Rack are very excited to share with our customers.
Our list of ATE products includes the
PremiumOne™ brake pads. Advanced friction formulations enhance pad performance, reduce wheel dusting and extend pad life while shims, chamfers and slots minimize excess noise. These are excellent O.E. replacement options for both domestic and Asian vehicles alike.
Search our entire inventory of brake system products to
find ATE brake components for your vehicle.
If you recently purchased a set of car brake pads from
Tire Rack, we'd love to hear what you think about them. Were they everything we said they would be? Are they meeting your expectations? Good or bad, we want to hear about your car brake pads.
We like to collect this information for a variety of reasons. One, it gives our customers something to reference as they come to a purchase decision. Two, it helps us keep tabs on our products—we want to make sure that they perform to the levels described to us and, in consequence, to you. In essence, it helps us maintain an inventory with such high standards.
Click here to fill out a
Brake Components Survey. We promise it won't take long.
Did we
recommend an installer to help with your brake pad replacements? Let us know
how they did.
And last, but certainly not least, we thank you again for your purchase.
Pretty cars need pretty wheels. Or, to take it from another perspective—high performance vehicles benefit from aftermarket wheels to enhance tire performance and handling. But still, they do make a car look really good. The 2009 135i Coupe below features 18"
O.Z. Racing Allegerita HLT wheels in an anthracite finish. The following BMW wheels will look just as good:
•
ASA GT1 (Bright Silver Paint)
•
Breyton Race GTS-R (Black with Red Stripe)
•
moda MD7 (Machined with Anthracite Accent)
Now, search by vehicle in our
Upgrade Garage to get a visual representation of what different BMW rims might look like on your vehicle. You'll also get the opportunity to see matching BMW tires.
And you might not want to stop there. The Upgrade Garage helps you search our entire inventory of suitable products, like BMW brake pads and
BMW suspension upgrades. Are your BMW shock absorbers absorbing enough bounce? Feeling every bump in the road? New BMW shocks might be just what the doctor...or, mechanic...ordered.
Ford Mustangs have been rolling down our streets since 1964, impressing us all with their power and their style. Though Ford has made a few improvements over the years, it's as classic a car as ever. Why change a good thing, right? We only disagree with that statement when it comes to the Mustang wheels.
It's not that we dislike the Original Equipment, we only aim to exhibit how the installation of aftermarket Mustang wheels provides performance and aesthetic benefits. And there are a number of excellent aftermarket Mustang wheels.
The 2010 Ford Mustang GT Coupe above features 20"
Sport Muscle Tach wheels that are machined with an anthracite accent. Other Mustang wheels that would look just as good include:
• Enkei Performance Series LS-5 (Black Painted)
• Sport Edition KV5 (Silver)
• TRMotorsports MT1 (Matte Grey)
Use our Upgrade Garage to see what these and other Mustang wheels would look like on your vehicle. You'll also get access to Mustang tires, Mustang brake pads and Mustang suspension products, including Mustang shocks.
Leading the industry with advanced friction technology,
Hawk brake pads have a strong following among weekend racing enthusiasts. And as they continue to develop high performance brake pads, Hawk is gaining popularity among everyday drivers, too. Hawk supplies accessory performance brake pads to Mazda, Nissa and Hyundai, and Hawk brake pads are recommended as O.E. upgrades on Corvettes.
Hawk brake pads suitable for everyday driving include:
•
HP Plus Brake Pads
•
HPS Brake Pads
•
LTS Brake Pads
•
Performance Ceramic Brake Pads
•
SuperDuty Brake Pads
Search all brake components.
Brakes can only withstand so much slamming. As with all good things, they must come to an end. But what many drivers don't realize: As brake pads wear out, the brake rotors do, too.
Brembo is known throughout the industry for their racing and race-inspired high performance braking systems. Over 26 million Brembo brake rotors are manufactured every year. While some of those brake rotors become Original Equipment, many of them are purchased as replacement options on vehicles just like yours.
Brembo OE Replacement Brake Rotors are designed to meet or exceed any standards previously set by your vehicle's O.E. rotors.
In addition, Brembo features a number of brake rotors that upgrade performance levels, too. Choose from one- or two-piece cast rotors that are machined to exact tolerances, electronically balanced, and highly inspected to meet strict Brembo (and industry) standards.
A simple search produces a compatible list.
Shopping by vehicle is the best way to determine appropriate brake component upgrades. If you drive an Acura, you'll want brake pads that correspond to your Acura's performance level. It goes without saying (but we'll say it anyway) that installing the wrong brake components can lead to a whole slew of performance and safety issues.
If you drive a 2009 TSX (shown), we'd recommend the following Acura brakes:
•
ATE PremiumOne Pads: "Very quiet and vibration-free. Stopping power is strong and consistent. On par or better than stock brakes so far." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, Saab 9-2X Aero, MI
•
Akebono ProACT Ceramic Pads: "I wanted something better than stock, with little fade, and less brake dust that would not eat up my rotors. These fit the bill. I've taken the same pads through two track days, and a mountain run and experienced little to no fade and very little dust." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, Lexus GS430, GA
•
Hawk HPS Street Brake Pads: "I couldn't believe that brakes at this price could be so good. Needless to say I will buy Hawk HPS for every car I own...getting these brakes to fade even a little takes lots of effort." -- Tire Rack Consumer Review, Mazda Miata, PA
Search for Acura brake pads.
In 1961, Brembo took the brake market with their knack for design, development and production. To this day, they lead the industry with racing and aftermarket brake components and systems—which is why Brembo brakes appear as Original Equipment components on some of the world's finest passenger cars from the likes of BMW, Porsche, Ferrari and more.
In addition, Brembo brake pads have helped a variety of racing teams (from Formula 1 to CART, NASCAR, FIA World Rally and Superbike organizations) take home the coveted checkered flag.
This level of performance satisfaction is available to you as well. Whether you want to improve your current braking system, or possibly upgrade to an enhanced aftermarket package, Brembo can help. Just search Tire Rack's inventory of brake components by vehicle to see which Brembo products are right for you.
Performance brake pads aren't just performance brake pads—and that's because brakes aren't as simple as they seem. Different vehicles require different braking systems, and that's why we've grouped our performance brake pads into subsequent categories. Take a look:
Premium: Excellent stopping power for the everyday driver. Premium brake pads lower braking noise levels, and they reduce dust accumulation. Most Original Equipment brake pads fall within this category.
Performance Street: A step up from the Premium category, Performance Street brake pads provide the ultimate in stopping power while resisting fading. If you upgrade to performance tires, you'll want these brake pads, too.
Autocross/Track: Frequent high-speed stopping needs high stopping power, which is the objective of these performance brake pads. They are uniquely formulated to withstand high heat and to resist brake fade.
Truck & SUV: These brake pads are built to withstand stop and go traffic on a bigger vehicle. In addition, they adapt to towing and larger-sized wheels and tires.
See which products fit into these categories:
•
Passenger Cars•
Light Trucks/SUVsShop for performance brake pads.
Shopping for car parts can be tricky—how do you know if it's a perfect fit? This can be especially nerve wracking when it comes to brake components. They're pretty much the most integral part of your entire vehicle, as stopping power is crucial. So if you're shopping for Corvette brakes (or any brakes, for that matter), you can breathe a sigh of relief: Give us the specifications of your 'Vette, and we'll do the rest.
Take the Corvette above, for example. It's a 2009 Z06. With a quick search by vehicle, we were able to view an entire list of suitable brake products from reputable brands like Brembo and Hawk. And every list we generate for you includes detailed product information, even Tire Rack consumer reviews when available.
We can also help you install new tires and wheels.
At
Tire Rack, we like to make it really easy on you. So, as part of our award-winning customer service, we're ready to share with you our nationwide network of thousands of independent
Recommended Installers. There's one in your area, and they're ready to help you replace brakes, install tires and more.
It's easy: Once you've shopped our selection of products, you'll have the opportunity to search our list of Recommended Installers. Once you find one in your area, you can read Tire Rack Consumer Reviews and compare pricing information to get some insight on their service. (Rest assured, we screen everyone on our list to make sure they're capable of giving you the type of service you deserve.) Choose your installer, then select them at checkout. We can even ship your order to them. It's up to you.
And, as always, you can
give us a call. We'd be happy to suggest a recommended installer in your area.
(If you think it's time for some brake pad replacement or are considering installing your own Tire & Wheel Package, you'll appreciate these tech articles:
"Brake Pad/Rotor Inspection and Replacement," and
"How to Install Your Wheel & Tire Package."
Brake-generated noise and dust are a common annoyance. It is, however, on that's easy to combat. We have the evolution of brake pad materials to thank for that.
Historically, the brake industry went from asbestos to semi-metallic pads. And now, many vehicles are incorporating ceramic disc brake pads (like the
Hawk Performance Ceramic pads shown). They replace steel fibers for copper, which allows for high brake temperatures with less heat fade. They also generate a significantly less amount of noticeable brake dust. And, of course, they're much quieter—ceramic actually helps combat unwanted sound because it generates noise at a frequency the human ear cannot process.
And finally, according to durability tests that compared ceramic compounds to semi-metallic and other organic materials, the ceramic brake pad lasted longer than other premium pad materials by a significant margin. Long-lasting brake pads are obviously fairly desirable. (And, as a side note, nothing was sacrificed for that long life. Lack of dust and noise were still prominent.)
Read more, then search our collection of brake components according to your vehicle.
If you drive an SUV, odds are you have bigger than average wheels and tires. But, have you considered that a bigger vehicle with bigger wheels needs enhanced braking power to bring it to a complete stop? SUV brakes and rotors designed for durability are the answer. Increase overall braking performance with larger rotors and SUV or truck brake pads.
Sound complicated? It's really not. Start your upgrade by selecting a pad that was designed for a truck or SUV, like
Hawk LTS brake pads. Then, you'll want to take a look at
PowerSlot's Cryo rotors or
Brembo's Turismo brake kit which take durability to an entirely different level and contribute to a more aggressive appearance.
Brembo Turismo Kit
If you need to find A4 tires, the process is quite simple. Enter your vehicle specifications and let
Tire Rack do the rest. We'll give you a detailed list of A4 tires suited to your Audi. Consumer reviews, survey results and our performance test results (where applicable) can add to the information found in specification charts. Trust us, we'll have you driving on new auto tires in no time at all.
For example, here are the best selling tires for the 2009 Audi A4 2.0 Quattro Premium with 225/50/17 Original Equipment tires:
•
Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3•
Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3•
Bridgestone Potenza RE760 Sport•
Goodyear Assurance TripleTredBut our services don't stop there. We can also help you find Audi wheels, Audi brake pads and more. Enter the
Upgrade Garage and you'll find all the parts and pieces suited to your vehicle.
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