The Chevy Silverado is a high end consumer-grade truck that is comfortable and powerful enough for almost any job. Its ride is legendary and provides a smooth driveability that has made it the go to for heavy duty jobs as well as driving around town.
Because of its comfortable ride quality, it’s important for you to have a responsive braking system.
The right brake pads can make driving your Chevy Silverado enjoyable and even more comfortable than it is when it comes stock. They can also help you feel safe and secure when taking it on simple errands.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- How the right brake pads can improve your ride quality
- Which brake pads are the best for a Chevy Silverado
- What to look for in comfortable brake pads
- And a lot more!
Below is our quick list of the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado. Keep reading to learn more of our top tips to choose and use the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado.
| Image | Product | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
My Top Pick  | My Top Pick | Bosch BC1363 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Brake Pads
|
| View on Amazon |
Best High-End  | Best High-End | Hawk Performance HB453Z.585 Performance Ceramic Brake Pads
|
| View on Amazon |
Best Budget Pick  | Best Budget Pick | Wagner ZD785 Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
|
| View on Amazon |
 | ACDelco Gold 17D1367CH Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
|
| View on Amazon | |
 | Bosch BSD785 SevereDuty 785 Severe Duty Disc Brake Pad
|
| View on Amazon |
What's in this Guide?
Our Overall Top #1 Pick: Bosch BC1363 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Brake Pads
The Bosch BC1363 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Brake Pads are our top pick for the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado.
Their mixture of quiet operation and alloy construction means they have the kind of vibration control that helps make your Chevy Silverado comfortable and fun to drive.
They have also been tested for each specific vehicle that they are manufactured for in order to ensure the best possible performance. These tests include checking things like vibrations and the actual ride quality.
Read More >> Top 5 Best Brake Pads for Jeep Wrangler JK
Top 5 Best Brake Pads for Chevy Silverado
In a hurry? Check out our top 5 picks below! Keep reading to learn more about these top 5 best brake pads for Chevy Silverado.
- Bosch BC1363 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Brake Pads (Our Top Pick)
- Hawk Performance HB453Z.585 Performance Ceramic Brake Pads (Best High-End Pick)
- Wagner ZD785 Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set (Best Budget Pick)
- ACDelco Gold 17D1367CH Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
- Bosch BSD785 SevereDuty 785 Severe Duty Disc Brake Pad
Why Do You Need High Quality Brake Pads for a Chevy Silverado?
The Chevy Silverado has a superior suspension that offers one of the smoothest rides in the consumer-grade truck world.
Because of its comfortable suspension, you need to have a braking system that is equal parts responsive and vibration-free. This can be a difficult balance to strike but with high quality brake pads, it can be done.
Without the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado, your truck could be susceptible to vibrations and squeaking that can disrupt the quiet, smooth ride quality. Not to mention, it could make the braking less efficient and less safe as a result.
How to Pick the Best Brake Pads for a Chevy Silverado?
Finding the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado will depend on a few different factors. However, if you know what to look for, you can find the right set for your truck.
In order for brake pads to be the best choice for an Chevy Silverado, they need to:
- Be approved for the Chevy Silverado. Not all brake pads are created equal and it is important that they are approved for your truck
- Use high quality hardware. The hardware that comes with the pads to the brake system can make all the difference in the longevity of the pads.
- Promote noise reduction. Brakes can be noisy without some type of vibration and noise control. However, pads can be engineered to help reduce squeaking and other friction sounds.
- Mitigate brake dust. Brake dust is a huge problem for the environment. Also, pads that generate dust tend to wear out faster than pads that do not.
Now that we know what to look for, let’s take a look at what specific considerations to make when looking for high quality brake pads for a Chevy Silverado.
Read More >> How To Use a Brake Bleeder Kit? (7- Step Guide)
Material: Which Material is Best for a Chevy Silverado?
The area on your brake pads that are responsible for generating friction are key to the pads’ performance. There are three different types of brake pad materials:
- Organic
- Ceramic
- Metallic
For a truck like the Chevy Silverado, you will want to look for ceramic or metallic brake pads. These materials will be responsive enough to work with the Silverado’s suspension and create a comfortable stopping feel.
Organic brake pads are made with natural materials like rubber.
While organic brake pads come standard on many cars, they tend to vibrate heavily and generate quite a bit of noise and brake dust. If you want to enhance the comfortable ride of the Silverado, metallic or ceramic pads are your best option.
This video gives a great explanation of how brake pads work and what qualities to look for in pads for nearly any vehicle. By understanding the basics, you can have a better idea of why we chose the pads we did for our roundup of the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado
Vibration and Noise: How to Avoid It
Brake pads work by gripping the brake rotor when you depress the pedal. When this happens, vibration and noise is inherent in the mechanism and is more or less unavoidable.
However, there are ways to mitigate these annoyances with proper engineering. For example, the smoother and more unencumbered the surface area is, the less vibration there will be.
Vibration and noise tends to happen when the surface area is not completely straight. This happens as the pads wear out and if they are of a poor quality.
By buying the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado, you can be sure that they will not start to wear unevenly and generate more noise and vibration as they age. High quality pads will wear evenly and be smooth and quiet straight out of the box.
Slotting: Why is it Necessary?
The best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado will be engineered with slots on the front and back as well as across the surface and in the mounting hardware.
This slotting is there in order to help keep the temperature down on the brake pads themselves as well as on the rotors.
When the brakes are applied, the pads clamp down on the rotors and generate heat that can be incredibly intense. When this happens, that heat can warp the pads and rotors if it is not properly vented and kept below a certain threshold.
The best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado will have slots that allow heat to escape and keep the hardware from warping or prematurely wearing down.
Read More >> How To Tell If Your Car Has ABS? (5 Step Guide)
Our Reviews of the Best Brake Pads for a Chevy Silverado
1.Bosch BC1363 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Brake Pads
Bosch has taken extra care to specifically engineer each of their models of brake pads to the specific make of the vehicle they are made for. This kind of attention to detail is rare in the world of brake pads and is a major plus.
They feature a multi layer friction area that has a rubber core designed to enhance the quality of the braking feel as well as stop vibrations before they start.
This rubber core lies below a combination of ceramic and semi-metallic padding that helps promote an even wear.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Rubber core for fewer vibrations + Semi-metallic friction area + Specifically designed for the Silverado | – Not every model comes with a hardware kit – Rubber core may wear faster and lead to a shorter life |
2. Hawk Performance HB453Z.585 Performance Ceramic Brake Pads
The Hawk Performance series of brake pads uses a fully ceramic friction area for one of the smoothest brake responses available on the market.
Due to this pure ceramic construction, they are able to be as stable as possible and nearly noiseless while offering a short stopping distance.
The specially designed ceramic compound is specific to the Hawk Performance series and is unavailable on other types of pads. This makes them a great choice for the Chevy Silverado due to their enhancement of the vehicle’s stock suspension and ride quality.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Specially designed ceramic compound + Ultra-quiet operation + Stable and even wear | – Ceramic compound can get hot – Can be hard on brake rotors |
3. Wagner ZD785 Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
Wagner’s ZD785 ceramic pads are engineered to give you the same performance all throughout the life of the pads. With this attention to longevity, they are a great choice for the Silverado and will wear evenly as they get older.
They achieve this even distribution of wear by using a curing process on the ceramic friction area. This allows the pads to have a shorter breaking in period that leads to a longer life.
They also come with high quality stainless steel hardware that helps contribute to the even wear and longevity. The hardware that the pads are attached with is just as important as the pads themselves.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Cured ceramic friction area + Smooth operation + Low noise and even wear | – Less slotting than other models – Can be susceptible to heat |
4. ACDelco Gold 17D1367CH Ceramic Front Disc Brake Pad Set
ACDelco is one of the leading brands of brake pads in the automotive world. This history of quality is one of the reasons they are considered one of the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado.
These pads use a combination of ceramic, metallic and organic compounds in their friction area. This unique blend contributes to an increased stopping power and can help absorb vibrations when they occur.
They are also heavily slotted to help reduce heat. When pads stay cool, they have a better chance at a longer life and increased performance even as they age.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Proprietary blend of materials on friction areas + Backed by ACDelco’s reputation for quality | – Organic materials can generate more brake dust – Blend of organic, ceramic and metallic can create higher vibrations – Not specifically developed for different makes of vehicles |
5. Bosch BSD785 SevereDuty 785 Severe Duty Disc Brake Pad
Bosch’s Severe Duty brake pads are a heavy duty entry into the world of braking systems for your Chevy Silverado.
These pads are designed to provide better stopping power for more intense applications.
Although the Silverado is generally a comfortable and easy to drive truck, it is still a powerful machine and can be used for a variety of industrial purposes. If you are using your Silverado for work, these are a great option.
The Severe Duty brake pads use a combination of ceramic and semi-metallic friction areas to help promote an even wear and better performance on vehicles that are consistently stopping and going.
Because of this, they are not only a good choice for working trucks, but also trucks that are used for errands like grocery shopping and hauling the family.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Ceramic and semi-metallic friction area + Made and tested in North America. + Built for heavy duty applications | – Friction area can produce more brake dust – Not as heavily slotted as other models |
Our Top Pick: Bosch BC1363 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Brake Pads
Overall, the Bosch BC1363 QuietCast pads are our pick for the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado. Their specific engineering for the needs of the Silverado is unmatched in the world of brake pads and gives you exactly what you need to enhance your truck’s quiet and comfortable ride.
With the multilayer friction area, they have a long life and an even wear that will help give you consistent quality throughout the entire length of the pads’ use.
Combining this multilayer friction area with a rubber pad to reduce noise and absorb any vibrations that may occur makes them the absolute best choice all around. This attention to detail and focus on the braking experience is what makes them the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado.
Final Thoughts On the Best Brake Pads for a Chevy Silverado
By reading this article, you should have a good idea of what to look for in the best brake pads for a Chevy Silverado.
All of the pads we have looked at will be a good choice for your truck if you are trying to enhance the already stellar ride quality of your Silverado.
By knowing what to look for and what constitutes a high quality brake pad, you can feel comfortable choosing the model that will provide you with the safety and security you need as well as the smooth ride your truck is known for.
