The vast majority of cars as well as light trucks will feature a braking system on all four wheels. The disc brake will comprise a brake rotor, brake calipers as well as brake pads. But what is the best material for brake pads?
The disc brakes comprise materials that create friction. Whenever you press the brake pedal, the hydraulic pistons will then cause the brake pads to come into contact with the surface of the brake rotor.
This will result in friction that is sufficient enough to bring the vehicle to a stop.
Over time, the brake pads as well as the brake rotors will wear down due to this action of braking. Every time you press on the brake, these parts will wear out very slightly. Over time the effectiveness of the stopping power of the brakes will reduce.
At this point, you will need to change the brake pads. But which is the best material for brake pads? Let’s find out!
- Organic Pads
- Best Brake Pads
- Ceramic Brake Pads
- Carbon Ceramic Brakes
- Good Vs Bad Brake Pads
- Frequently Asked Questions
Organic Pads
This is just one type of brake pad that you can find on the market. Many modern cars will come with an organic brake pad.
The organic brake pads have the benefit of being quiet. Many will consider it among the best material for brake pads. This is because they are not essentially metal that scrapes against the brake rotor.
The entire process of braking feels comfortable. This is because the pads comprise compressed carbon as well as fiberglass and Kevlar fibers. The materials are then stuck together using resin which results in a smooth operation.
You will not have to worry about brake dust with organic pads. This tends to fall onto and coat the wheels with normal brake pads.
Remember what we said about the friction causing wear on the pads as well as the rotor? Well with the organic brake pads, there is less friction in the brake rotors. This means less wearing of the rotors.
That said, the organic brake pads will also come with their fair share of downsides.
First off the organic brake pads aren’t as durable as other types of brake pads made from metals. This is because they are much softer than metals and therefore wear down quickly. They may not be the type of brake pads that you want to install in your Ford Mustang, though.
The organic brake pads thus require more frequent replacement.
Best Brake Pads
Worn-out brake pads often pose a risk to the safety of the drivers and the passengers. This isn’t a risk that anyone should be willing to take.
The great part is that it isn’t that difficult to replace the brake pads. It is a good idea to do this regularly. This will help prevent that screeching sound that you may hear. This sound tells you that the brake pads are at the point of being bare.
If the driver fails to change the brake pads, then this could result in damage to the brake calipers and rotors. This then means that it’s time to replace it. Ultimately this means spending extra costs on the issue. In the worst case, even the rotors could sustain damage due to uneven scraping from the brake pads.
Brake pads aren’t the most expensive parts to replace when compared to other vehicle components. That said you need to ensure that you get the right brake pads for your car. Eventually, the brake pads will wear out. This is why it is a good idea to choose brake pads that are going to last at least a couple of thousand miles before they ask for a replacement.
So how do you choose the best car brake pads? Well, you need to start by understanding the different types of brake pads available.
There are different brake pads made from different materials. These create little brake dust and can last a good long while.
OE Brake Pads
The OE brake pads are often the most preferred and sought-after type of brake pads according to the manufacturer of the car and the specific model of the car. Often these are brake pads in the car that it came with when you bought it.
Many consider them the best material for brake pads.
The manufacturers are aware of the right fit and good brands of brake pads for their specific car models. It explains why car owners will choose to buy OE brake pads after their brake pads in the car have worn out.
The manufacturers of vehicle brakes will pick the brake pads based on several factors. These are braking power, and stopping power with minimum noise and dust as well as with high durability. If you want to avoid the dust then you want to go with OE brake pads compared to the semi-metallic and metallic brake pads.
OE brake pads also produce less noise and offer a much better performance especially when the weather gets cold. That said, keep in mind that the OE brake pads will not offer quicker stopping compared to the aftermarket brake pads.
Speaking of…
Aftermarket Brake Pads
The majority of brake pads will not perform well or withstand the dust that is often kicked up, especially when driving off-road.
This is where the aftermarket brake pads come in. These are often for cars that require top-notch braking even while off-road.
As a result of the corrosive compounds, the use of brake fluid after installing the aftermarket brake pads is a good idea. That said the aftermarket brakes produce more brake dust compared to the OE brake pads.
Ceramic Brake Pads
Ceramic brake pads are the best choice when searching for durable brake pads and many drivers agree they are the best material for brake pads.
Furthermore, the ceramic brake pads also offer the best braking performance compared to the aftermarket brake pads and the OE brake pads.
Furthermore, there is minimal brake dust from the ceramic brake pads and they will also not offer the braking harshness that you will get with the metallic brake pads.
Organic Brake Pads
These types of brake pads initially were constructed out of asbestos. Now they comprise a combination of different materials such as fiberglass and other compounds stuck together with resin.
The organic brake pads, are the most affordable and are a popular choice among drivers and especially with modern cars.
Organic brake pads will also produce brake dust due to the materials and the fact that they aren’t the hardest type of brake pads. You will find that you need to change these brake pads more often.
Semi-Metallic Brake Pads
These types of brake pads similar to metallic brake pads are constructed out of different materials and are not made from purely metal.
Some consider them the best material for brake pads.
The semi-metallic bare pads are also similar to the metallic brake pads when talking of the levels of noise as well as the dust which they create.
Metallic Brake Pads
This type of brake pad is constructed out of several metals. They have the downside of being hard and also result in more brake dust compared to the other type of brake pads.
These will bring down the heat in the brake rotors which prevents them from overheating. This is why many consider metal to be the best material for brake pads.
Now that you understand the different types of brake pads, let’s talk about other considerations you would make when it comes to the best type of brake pads.
Other Considerations
1. The Feel Of The Pedal
Whether you are driving an EV or gas-powered vehicle, the brake pads that you have now installed in your vehicle should result in a firm pedal feel. The reason that the pads will affect the feel of the brake pedal is because of the materials and compounds used in their construction.
You will notice that the organic brake pads are a bit softer due to the materials that are used to make them. This results in a soft pedal or one that is spongy.
The semi-metallic, as well as the ceramic brake pads, are not compressible which results in a brake pedal that feels a lot firmer.
If there is excessive travel of the brake pedal and it feels spongy then this could be a result of air being contained in the system. If there is a leaking hydraulic line, for instance, this could cause the air in the brake system.
2. The Grease, Hardware, And The Shims
Whenever you are planning on changing the brake pads yourself, it is a good idea to ensure that you pay close attention to what is included in the brake pad set and what isn’t included.
Keep in mind that the sets of brake pads will be sold per axle or even as a full set which is meant for all four wheels or both axles.
There are brake pad sets that will also come with hardware, shims, and grease. They will even feature the caliper seals.
That said, some sets will not come with such extra components but this isn’t to say that they are not a good choice.
3. The Operating Temperature
Keep in mind that heat is never a good thing when it comes to brake pads. It will reduce the durability as well as the performance of the brake pads.
The driving style, as well as the environment in which you live, are also important factors whenever you are choosing brake pads.
Note that driving can cause the brakes to heat up to 400 degrees. The stock replacement pads can result in short and fast increases in temperatures that do not fade.
If the temperatures remain high at around 500 degrees as a result of driving and stopping all day, such as is the case with urban driving then this could increase the rate of wear and tear.
Also, keep in mind that towing as well as hauling or even street driving can cause the temperatures to rise above 1000 degrees which can cause the brake pads to catch fire.
Other factors that you want to consider when buying brake pads include:
4. Getting A Matching Set
Consider that if the current brake pads came out of your rotors without resurfacing you may need to get a pad and rotor set. The rotors and the brake pads will work together and can offer a more durable as well as more consistent performance.
5. The False Economy
You may be looking to save money and get brake pads that don’t come with a manufacturer’s logo. In other words, they are generic. Sure you may get a good bargain but they may not offer the same levels of safety as some top-notch brake pads from well-known manufacturers.
It is always a good idea to put extra for a quality brake pad. Furthermore, such brakes could also comprise compounds that are untested and could increase the chances of getting into an accident.
6. Loaded Calipers
If you notice that the calipers are frozen, then you may benefit from loaded calipers. These will come with brake pads as well as extra hardware which allows you to easily remove and install.
7. Ceramic Brake Pads
We lightly touched on the ceramic brake pads but let’s now take a deeper look. First off, the ceramic brake pads only recently came out and are not old technology.
However, they have taken the market by storm with many drivers preferring them. Many vehicle manufacturers such as Jaguar, Mercedes Benz, as well as Range Rover now create models that feature ceramic brakes.
As a result of their cost as well as the quality of materials, their performance as well as brand association, it is no wonder that many view ceramic brakes as the best choice.
That said, it is important to note that ceramic brakes are not the best choice for every situation and every car model.
Let’s take a look at some pros and cons.
Best Material For Brake Pads – The Pros
Ceramic brake pads are a lot quieter compared to metallic or semi-metallic brakes. The noise they emit is above the range of human hearing. Furthermore, the ceramic brakes are also surprisingly quieter than the organic brake pads.
There is significantly less brake dust with ceramic brake pads. The dust is often much lighter in color and isn’t likely to stick to the car’s wheels.
Then there is the durability aspect. When you compare ceramic brake pads to semi-metallic or even metallic brake pads, these tend to be more durable thanks to the materials and compounds that are used to build the brake pads.
Furthermore, the ceramic brake pads offer a far more efficient dissipation of heat, resulting in even more durability and lowering the chances of warping or fading.
Ceramic brake pads are also more resistant to salty water compared to many other types of brake pads. This makes them a great choice when living in harsher climates or humid coastal tropical regions.
That said there are also some cons of the ceramic brake pads.
Best Material For Brake Pads – The Cons
Compared to other types of brake pads ceramic brake pads are the more expensive options.
While they are excellent for humid and extreme conditions they do not do very well in extremely cold conditions.
The ceramic brake pads have a low heat absorbency. This means that they could result in extremely high braking temperatures compared to many other friction materials.
They are not a good choice if you plan on doing hauling or towing. This will demand extra pressure on the car’s braking system to be able to achieve the same level of stopping power as driving under regular or normal conditions.
The ceramic brake pads will eat away at the rotors. This is if that is the rotors aren’t constructed from high-quality materials similar to the brake pads. Therefore, you should ensure that the brake pad comprises of parts that work together seamlessly.
One thing that we should probably point out is that there isn’t such as thin as the best brake pad which will work with every diver. That said, with the information we’ve laid out in this post, you will be able to make a better choice that will suit your type of vehicle as well as your driving style.
That said, ceramic brake pads are not the best choice for drivers who are often behind the wheel. This includes drivers who want clean rims that don’t have any black dust, as well as drivers who do not plan on doing heavy towing and as well as driving off the track.
Carbon Ceramic Brakes
These types of brakes also known as CC brakes or carbon ceramic brakes are among the more popular types of brakes that you will often find in performance cars. Many will consider them the best material for brake pads.
You may be wondering what makes them so unique and different.
One thing to note is that when it comes to the disc brakes, the disc rotor will comprise steel or cast iron.
Carbon ceramic brakes on the other hand have the brake disc and the rotors constructed from both carbon and ceramics. Often this includes carbon fiber silicon carbide as well as epoxy resin.
These ideas where manufacturers could combine both carbon fiber as well as ceramic such as silicon carbide were taken from space technology.
How Disc Brakes Work
Whenever you press down on the brake pedal the following processes take place:
- Firstly there is a piston which is located inside the car’s master cylinder. This will add pressure to the brake fluid.
- The brake fluid which is now pressurized will pass through the brake line as well as the brake hose network and will reach the brake caliper.
- The pistons that are located in the brake caliper will push the brake pad set. This will cause it to come into contact with the rotating disc or even the brake rotor which moves with the wheel.
- Once the brake caliper causes the brake pad to squeeze against the rotor, there is friction. This friction will then turn the kinetic energy of the moving parts into heat. This will then cause the vehicle to slow down and eventually stop.
- One thing to always keep in mind is that friction generates heat. But why is this the case?
- Whenever you are pressing down on the brakes continuously, a normal braking system will fail to dissipate all the heat that is generated. This heat will then increase until the temperature of both the steel as well as the cast iron discs also rises.
- If the temperatures rise too high, this could cause the cast iron as well as the steel rotor, the brake caliper, and other parts such as the brake fluid reservoir to degrade.
- Once the various components of the braking system are degraded, this will result in loss of stopping power and compromised driving safety.
- On the upside, carbon ceramic brakes will manage the heat generated by friction effectively and efficiently.
Good Vs Bad Brake Pads
Drivers would appreciate knowing when the brake pads are going bad. The great thing is that there are some telltale signs which would provide you with such information.
Also note that when these telltale signs start to show, you don’t have to worry as the situation has not become too serious so you don’t have to worry about any immediate danger.
That said, these signs should tell you that it’s now time to have the brake checked by a qualified mechanic.
That said, you should not have any issues when it comes to changing the brake pads yourself if you have basic knowledge and have done tasks such as changing the spark plugs or even changing engine oil.
Here are 5 common ways that you can tell when the brake pads are going bad.
- Brakes have started being nosy or are squeaking
- There is a brake warning light on the dashboard
- The brake pedal has stated feeling spongy
- The brake response gas started becoming slower
- There are vibrations on the brake pedal whenever you engage the brakes
Frequently Asked Questions
How To Check Brake Pads
Start by raising your vehicle to 6 inches above the ground, take the lug nuts and unscrew the, and then take out the tire. Now you be able to see the brake pads, the calipers, and the rotor, check the brake pad, and see if there are any signs of excessive wear.
Are Ceramic Brake Pads Good
Yes, the ceramic brake pads are good they are durable and will last longer than other types of brake pads. They also have less noise as well as much less wear and tear on the rotors.
How Many Brake Pads Does A Car Have
Typically a car will have two brake pads on each wheel. Some cars have two pads on each wheel. This will mean that the car will have either brake pads. Furthermore, cars will feature calipers that will have up to four pads. Some cars have two calipers.
