Re:squealing brakes-IMO
I do not agree. I have never had a squeeling problem with any decent semi- or full met. pad on dom. or foreign cars as long as the installation is OK and the pads have not been abused and glazed. I have never used any "goo" on the pads either. Only a little Sil-Glyd on the back of the pad.
I've been doing this for decades (like 5). I have installed more pads on more cars than I can count. The major problem is to understand that the cause of noise is vibration and to do a clean, careful job using all the correct factory hardware:
Every pad has to fit the rotor/caliper and run "true" and be parallel to the rotor. If the pads are defective, as some are, don't use them, and return them for a replacement.
The friction surface has to be clean and smooth. Have you ever seen the rotors ground/sanded after turning? I bet not, although they should be.
Anti-rattle clips and shims have to be properly installed. Not backwards like some jobs I've seen.
Pins have to be the right size and fit the holes in the pad. I have not seen any catalogs for my Z that showed the correct size pins recently. I always have to compare the old correct pins with the ones I order or order by the correct part No. if I can get it.