Brake Pads

Stop Confidently with Quality Brake Pads

From restorations to modifications and repairs, the McDonald Nissan parts department has everything you need. Brake pads create the friction necessary to bring your vehicle to safe, controlled stops. We carry genuine Nissan brake pads engineered for your NV200 and Cube performance requirements. Aftermarket brake pads commonly use inferior friction compounds that wear rapidly and generate excessive dust.

What Brake Pads Do

Brake pads consist of friction material bonded to steel backing plates mounted inside brake calipers. When you apply the brakes, hydraulic pressure squeezes the pads tightly against spinning rotors. The resulting friction transforms kinetic energy into thermal energy, slowing your vehicle. Various friction formulations offer different characteristics for stopping power, noise reduction, and dust generation. Genuine Nissan pads use compounds tested specifically for your vehicle's weight and braking needs. Metal wear indicators built into pads create squealing sounds when friction material becomes thin.

Why Brake Pads Wear Down

Every time you brake, microscopic amounts of friction material wear away from the pad surface. City driving with frequent stops causes faster wear than steady highway travel. Heat from hard braking can glaze the pad surface, significantly reducing friction capability. Contamination from brake fluid or oil immediately ruins the friction material composition. Cheap aftermarket pads use adhesives that fail early, causing friction material to separate from backing plates. Environmental exposure to moisture and salt also accelerates material breakdown rates.

Recognizing When Brake Pads Need Service

High-pitched squealing during braking indicates wear indicators touching rotor surfaces. Longer stopping distances or reduced brake response suggest worn friction material. Metal-on-metal grinding sounds mean pads have worn completely through to backing plates. Visual inspection showing less than three millimeters of material requires immediate replacement. Most brake pads need changing every 25,000 to 70,000 miles depending on driving habits and conditions. Replacing worn pads along with inspecting brake rotors ensures maximum stopping power and prevents costly rotor damage from metal contact.

Experience the difference that McDonald Nissan's commitment to quality makes for your vehicle.