The Silverado 2500hd is a powerful truck that is built for comfort. Its responsive steering and braking is designed to be as easy to drive as any smaller two-door coupe.
Because of this easy-to-drive handling, being able to stop efficiently is incredibly important.
Getting the right set of brake pads for your Silverado 2500hd can work wonders for your safety and peace of mind on the road.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- How powerful braking can improve your driving experience
- Which brake pads are the best for a Silverado 2500hd
- What is to look for in a good brake pad
- And a lot more!
Below is our quick list of the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd. Keep reading to learn more of our top tips to choose and use the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
| Image | Product | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
My Top Pick  | My Top Pick | ACDelco Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
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| View on Amazon |
Best High-End  | Best High-End | Power Stop Z36-785 Front Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Pads
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| View on Amazon |
Best Budget Pick  | Best Budget Pick | Wagner ZD785 Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
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| View on Amazon |
 | Bosch BC1654 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
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| View on Amazon | |
 | ACDelco Silver 14D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
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| View on Amazon |
What's in this Guide?
Our Overall Top #1 Pick: ACDelco Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
The ACDelco Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set is our number one choice for brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
The mixture of different formulas for the friction area is a great feature that helps improve every area of performance. By combining formulas, they are able to provide you with the best all-around stopping power.
The premium shims and technologically advanced slotting gives a great all-around noise reduction. It also helps keeps the pads cool, even when they are seeing heavy use on the road.
They also have a specially designed stamped backing plate that encourages proper movement on the calipers. This helps reduce vibrations when they are applied and keeps the comfortable ride of the Silverado 2500hd intact.
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Top 5 Best Brake Pads for Silverado 2500hd
In a hurry? Check out our top 5 picks below! Keep reading to learn more about these top 5 best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
- ACDelco Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set (Our Top Pick)
- Power Stop Z36-785 Front Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Pads (Best High-End Pick)
- Wagner ZD785 Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set (Best Budget Pick)
- Bosch BC1654 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
- ACDelco Silver 14D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
Why Do You Need High Quality Brake Pads for a Silverado 2500hd?
Anyone who drives a Silverado 2500hd knows how comfortable it is. Because of this, finding the right set of brake pads is a key factor in maintaining that level of comfort.
The Silverado 2500hd is meant to be as easy to drive as any other car on the road despite its size and power.
In order to preserve this easy drivability, finding brake pads that don’t squeak, rattle or vibrate is imperative. This will ensure that the truck is not only comfortable to drive, but that it is safe as well.
By using high quality brake pads, you can be sure that your Silverado 2500hd will be comfortable as well as safe. These two things are inherently connected since being comfortable in your vehicle is one of the best ways to ensure a safe driving experience.
How to Pick the Best Brake Pads for a Silverado 2500hd?
Picking the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd will be dependent on what matters most to you. However, knowing what to look for is an important start.
For brake pads to be the best choice for a Silverado 2500hd, they should:
- Use ceramic or metallic friction areas. These two materials are the most durable and the smoothest available for good brake pads
- Use quality parts. The brake pads will use hardware to attach to the rotor assembly. This hardware should be of a good quality and not be susceptible to damage.
- Be quiet. Squeaking and vibrating is never a good thing when it comes to brake pads.
- Curb brake dust. Brake dust is an unavoidable side-effect of brake pads, but with the right materials, it can be reduced greatly.
Now that we know what to look for, let’s take a look at what factors are important in high quality brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
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Material: Which Material is Best for aSilverado 2500hd?
Brake pads use a friction area to grab onto the calipers of the wheel itself. This friction area is the most important part of any high quality brake pad. The materials they are made of can be:
- Organic
- Ceramic
- Metallic
You will want to look for brake pads that are either ceramic or metallic. These will give you the best possible stopping power for your Silverado 2500hd as well as a quiet and comfortable driving experience.
Organic brake pads are usually made up of flimsy materials like fiberglass or rubber. Unless they are used in combination with ceramic or metallic materials, organic brake pads are not a good choice for the Silverado 2500hd.
This video below goes through some of the reasons your brakes might squeak or vibrate. By understanding the mechanism at play with your brakes, you can choose the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
Brake Dust: How to Avoid it
Brake dust is one of the number one contributors to pollution due to automobile use. Unfortunately, large trucks like the Silverado 2500hd are especially susceptible to this by-product.
Luckily, it can be avoided by choosing high quality brake pads. The friction area on your pads will take the most abuse over the course of their life. Because of this, they are the areas that generate the most dust.
By choosing pads that are meant to take the heavier weight of a truck or large vehicle, you can mitigate some of the excess brake dust.
Ceramic brake pads are by far the best choice if you want to cut down on dust. However, metallic pads are usually fairly clean as long as they are of a high quality.
Slotting: Why Do Brake Pads Need it?
The best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd will have specially design slots along the housing and behind the friction areas.
These slots are meant to help heat escape when the brakes are being applied. Because brake pads use friction, they can get very hot, which generates brake dust and shortens the life of the pad.
for larger trucks like the Silverado 2500hd, heat can be a major problem. That’s why it is very important that the pads you choose have sufficient slotting to keep heat at bay.
All of the choices on our list of the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd will have sufficient slotting for heat. Because of this, you can be confident that you are getting pads that will not warp or bend due to a high temperature.
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Our Reviews of the Best Brake Pads for a Silverado 2500hd
1. ACDelco Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
ACDelco’s Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set is one of he best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
With their mixture of ceramic, metallic and organic materials, they are able to give you the best features for all those different types of friction areas.
The friction areas are molded to the backing plate, which gives you unparalleled, vibration-free stopping.
Due to their organic elements, they are also incredibly quiet. There is no danger of squeaking and an incredibly short breaking-in period.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Mixture of friction area materials + Molded backing plate + Premium slotting | – Organic elements may contribute to shorter life – Slightly longer stopping distance |
2. Power Stop Z36-785 Front Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Pads
The Power Stop series of brake pads are a high end product designed for the best possible performance in large cars and trucks.
Designed for 4x4s and other heavy duty applications, these are a great choice for anyone looking to do any towing or heavy lifting with their Silverado 2500hd.
The stainless steel slotting contributes to an ultra-low temperature which helps mitigate brake dust and contributes to an overall longer life of the pad.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Short stopping distance + Low temperature operation + Powder coated backing plate | – High friction can cause vibrations – Thermal scorched friction areas have a longer breaking-in period |
3. Wagner ZD785 Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
These pads by Wagner are designed to be as close to the original fit of the OEM pads that come with your Silverado 2500hd.
Because of their model-specific design, they are very low vibration and bring your Silverado 2500hd’s braking to it’s like-new performance.
They use a specially formulated friction area to give you consistent performance throughout the life of the pads themselves. This ensures an even wear and no wasted pads.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Application specific design + Low vibration + Like-new performance | – High friction creates dust – Susceptible to heat |
4. Bosch BC1654 QuietCast Premium Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
Bosch’s QuietCast brake pads are another great option for the Silverado 2500hd.
The multilayer design uses a rubber core to help absorb vibrations as they occur when the brakes are applied.
This multilayer design also helps reduce noise and mitigate any squeaking that might form as the pads age.
The ceramic friction area is quiet and smooth, which helps maintain the comfortable driving experience that the Silverado 2500hd is known for.
They are also heavily slotted to help keep heat from warping that rubber core and contributing to any issues as the pads wear down and age.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Rubber core reduces noise and vibration + Ceramic friction area + Heavy duty hardware | – Lower stopping power – Rubber core generates dust |
5. ACDelco Silver 14D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
ACDelco’s Silver Ceramic Disc Brake Set is a high quality option for the Silverado 2500hd.
The ceramic friction area uses less metal than other brake pads, which helps stave off brake dust and keeps the air clean as well as your truck’s wheels.
This ceramic friction area also helps keep vibration to an absolute minimum. With smooth operation, they are able to keep your truck quiet and comfortable for the entire length of the pad’s life.
They also feature a high concentration of slotting for keeping the ceramic cool. Ceramic tends to heat up, so this is an important feature that helps extend the longevity of the pad.
This kit also comes with high quality hardware that will be just as heavy duty as the rest of the pad and help keep the operation up, even as the pads wear down.
| PROS (+) | CONS (-) |
| + Ceramic friction area + Low metal formula + Heavily slotted | – Ceramic pads can generate noise – Has less stopping power than a metallic pad – Not as environmentally friendly as a metallic pad |
Our Top Pick: ACDelco Gold 17D785CH Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Set
The combination of ceramic, metallic and organic materials used on these pads’ friction areas is a unique design feature.
It gives you access to all the best qualities of these materials without having to sacrifice performance like you would with just one. This is what makes them the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
By understanding how to utilize all these materials, they are able to give you the best all around performance in noise and vibration reduction as well as stopping power. Not all brake pads have this kind of versatility and usability at the same time.
Final Thoughts On the Best Brake Pads for aSilverado 2500hd
Hopefully, by reading this article, you have a good idea of what to look for in the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd.
Any of the pads on our list are going to be a good fit for keeping your truck’s responsive and comfortable ride intact. They all have features that help keep the Silverado 2500hd’s superior handling and stopping at the top of its game.
By knowing what to look for, you can have confidence in knowing what the best brake pads for a Silverado 2500hd will need to have. This kind of confidence is what makes driving the Silverado such an enjoyable experience in the first place.
