TRD USA Black review
TRD USA are not to be confused with TRD Japan, i think they are essentially the same company but the USA componants are made in the USA whereas the Japanese componants are made in Japan. Due to this, there are some differances between their products.
TRD USA Black pads are designed for street use and there is a race version called the TRD USA Reds. The Black version is actually a rebranded Axxis Ultimate. Axxis have a very good reputation in the USA.
I've had these pads for about 6 months now and i have mixed feelings about them.
For actual braking performance they are very good. They have been used on the track twice and have never shown any sign of fade despite being giving a good hammering. They gave me great confidence when braking hard from 95mph down to 30 mph into a hairpin bend for 20 laps at a time.
They were also very cheap, just £25. I ordered them from www.trdsparks.com and had them delivered to relatives in America who brought them over for me while on holiday.
There are 2 down sides to these pads. The first is that they are very dusty, you will need to wash your wheels once a week to keep them looking reasonable.
The second is that they squeek like hell! I have tried the pads installed just on their own, on their own with copper grease, the pads with the Toyota shims, a little grease on the shims and alot of grease on the shims. By far the best is to have just the pads with a little grease on the backs on them. When braking hard and braking very lightly they make no noise at all, it's just everything in between which is about 90% of the time. I find myself adjusting my driving style for a quiet life. I'll be changing mine soon and keeping them for track use only.
Conclusion
Great pads for the money for off road or hard use but for daily driving they are a pain to live with.
9/10 for performance and value.
6/10 overall due to the negative points above.
Pab.
