I've ordered 4 different brands of FRONT brake pads (which BTW are not easy to find) and I've sent all of them back because they are thinner (16 mm) than what I am replacing (18mm). My first pair, from Bosche, were half as thick. One was a millimeter too wide (62 rather than 61) and didn't fit in the space.

I'm tired of burning all these shipping costs.
Are these okay that they are thinner than the what was in there prior? (See Photo)
Left is new pad. Right is the old one.

they were all superseded to the thinner pads to save manufacturing costs, really stupid because in late late 72 they the factory "thickened" the front brake pads for longer wear, then about eight years ago the aftermarket manufacturers decided that few cars used the thicker pads so discontinued them.

They also changed the 914 rear pads to the 911 number so we have to open up one of the rear pad holes on all four pads

Thank you George. I was worried the cylinders would have to push out too far to make the brake work properly.

The old pads look almost new except for the rust on the surface. CSOB me would try to 'dress' them a bit to remove the rust and reuse them. Hell, you could take 1mm off and still be thicker than brand new ones...

I thought of that, but I have no idea how old they are. The date stamp says 07'? The pads are mismatched one side was solid and the other had a split two-part design. They were pretty stiff in use. Kind of crunchy or dry feeling. But that could have been the calipers. I'm saving them for sure. And if I have trouble they're going right back in.

your old set (based on the edge code, Centric Posiquiet 105.00960) are an older pad...We (I was at Centric for 18 years) tried to make all the "right" stuff for the more rare applications, but at some point we couldn't justify keeping a pallet of pads on the shelf in several different flavors that we might sell a few of per year. Everyone has consolidated to the D31 pad (thinner, much more common version). These are perfectly OK to use, but it's just like using the OEM thicker pads that are 20% worn. You still have tons of life left in your old pads...you can run then down to where the friction material is about 1/2 the thickness of the backing plate...like any brake pad, safely.

As far as the pads being of 2 different styles left to right...there is a horrible but perfectly good explanation...lol.

Back in about 2005 I started a "loaded" caliper program...rebuild calipers, zinc plated, with new pads and hardware installed. They were built in even batches but sold individually to work with our catalog. I have no idea why, but many would order one side only. Which would leave us with unbalanced left to right inventory, so on the next round...we'd have to build a bunch of only one side. Pad friction and edge codes change at time goes on, so we end up with left and right calipers on the shelf with 2 different pads in them. Stupid, but nobody listened to my suggestions to fix it.

Applications that use the thicker D96 pad:


Audi
Fox: 1973 - 1977
Opel
Deluxe: 1971
Porsche
914: 1972 - 1976
Volkswagen
411: 1972 - 1973
412: 1973 - 1974
Dasher: 1974 - 1977
Rabbit: 1975 - 1980
Rabbit Convertible: 1980
Scirocco: 1975 - 1980

Applications that use the thinner D31 pad:


Alfa Romeo
Alfetta: 1975 - 1977
Duetto 1600: 1966 - 1968
GTC: 1964 - 1966
GTV: 1965, 1967 - 1968
GTZ: 1964
Giulia: 1964 - 1968
Giulia Sprint: 1964 - 1968
Sport: 1978 - 1979
Sprint: 1977 - 1979
TZ: 1965
TZ 2: 1967
Audi
100 Series: 1970 - 1974
Super 90: 1969 - 1972
BMW
1500: 1961 - 1964
1600: 1967 - 1969
1600-2: 1967 - 1969
1600ti: 1967 - 1968
1602: 1967 - 1969
1800: 1963 - 1968
1800ti: 1964 - 1965
2000ti: 1967 - 1971
2000tii: 1969
2002: 1967 - 1969
2002ti: 1968
3200CS: 1964 - 1965
Ferrari
308 GTB: 1975 - 1980, 1982 - 1985
308 GTBi: 1981 - 1982
308 GTS: 1977 - 1980, 1982 - 1985
308 GTSi: 1981 - 1982
Dino 246 GT: 1971 - 1973
Dino 246 GTS: 1972 - 1973
Dino 308 GT4: 1974 - 1979
Maserati
425: 1986 - 1987
430i: 1989 - 1990
Biturbo: 1983 - 1987
Spyder: 1986 - 1987, 1989 - 1991
Mercedes-Benz
220: 1968 - 1973
220D: 1968 - 1973
230: 1967 - 1969, 1974 - 1978
230S: 1967 - 1969
230SL: 1967
240D: 1974 - 1983
250: 1968 - 1973
250C: 1969 - 1973
250S: 1966 - 1968
250SE: 1966 - 1968
250SEC: 1966 - 1968
250SL: 1967
280: 1973 - 1976
280C: 1973 - 1976
280CE: 1978 - 1981
280E: 1977 - 1981
280S: 1968 - 1971, 1975 - 1976
280SE: 1968 - 1973, 1977 - 1980
280SEL: 1968 - 1973
280SL: 1968 - 1971
300: 1961 - 1962
300CD: 1978 - 1985
300D: 1975 - 1985
300SD: 1978 - 1985
300SDL: 1986 - 1987
300SE: 1961 - 1966, 1988 - 1991
300SEL: 1965 - 1973, 1988 - 1991
300TD: 1979 - 1985
350SD: 1991
350SDL: 1990 - 1991
350SL: 1972 - 1973
380SE: 1984 - 1985
380SEC: 1982 - 1983
380SEL: 1981 - 1983
380SL: 1981 - 1985
380SLC: 1981
420SEL: 1986 - 1991
450SE: 1973 - 1976
450SEL: 1973 - 1980
450SL: 1973 - 1980
450SLC: 1973 - 1980
500SEC: 1984 - 1985
500SEL: 1984 - 1985
560SEC: 1986 - 1991
560SEL: 1986 - 1991
560SL: 1986 - 1989
Opel
1900: 1971 - 1974
Kadett: 1968 - 1972
Manta: 1971 - 1974
Opel: 1968 - 1973
Porsche
356: 1955
356A: 1956 - 1959
356B: 1960 - 1963
356C: 1964 - 1965
356SC: 1964 - 1965
911: 1965 - 1983
912: 1965 - 1969, 1976
914: 1970 - 1972
Carrera: 1956 - 1964
Saab
96: 1961 - 1962
99: 1969 - 1974
Volkswagen
411: 1971 - 1972
Fastback: 1971 - 1973
Squareback: 1971 - 1973
Volvo
142: 1967 - 1974
144: 1967 - 1974
145: 1968 - 1974
164: 1969, 1972 - 1975
240: 1990 - 1993
242: 1975 - 1984
244: 1975 - 1989
245: 1975 - 1989
262: 1976, 1978 - 1981
264: 1976 - 1982
265: 1976 - 1981
740: 1985 - 1992
745: 1985
760: 1983 - 1990
780: 1987
850: 1993 - 1997
940: 1991 - 1995
960: 1992 - 1997
C70: 1998 - 2004
DL: 1984
GLE: 1984
S70: 1998 - 2000
V70: 1998 - 2000

Do the thinner pads also derive from applications where the same pad (or even caliper) was used on the rear of some cars?

@PatMc Your response sort of blew my mind. The information is so insider it's incredible. This community has such a depth of knowledge. I'm grateful there are people like yourself willing to share it.