do ceramic brake pads stop better, are they worth changing to? looking for brakes that grab stronger / more stopping power/bite. Right now I have advance Gold semi metallic. What about organic pads ? softer bite more ?
Ceramic pads' big claim to fame is that they make less dust, but many have very poor initial 'bite'. I tried a set of high-end Akebono ceramics on one of our daily-drivers, pulled 'em out after three months and went back to Pagid on that car. I'll stick with conventional semi-metallics for most purposes, and live with the dust.
I just switched to ceramic pads on the front of my daily driver because I got tired of the wheels getting brake dust all over them after even a few miles. Since I changed I have not had to clean the wheels at all. I really don't notice any significant difference in braking efficiency, it is no better nor worse. Don
EBC Yellow stuff work like that. Don't complain about dust, it goes with pads that bite hard. http://ebcbrakes.com/product/yellowstuff-street-and-track-pads/
The answer to your question is going to vary with the pad, what pad you are comparing to, and the vehicle you are putting them on. Generally speaking, ceramic pads tend to last longer, be more fade resistant, and cause more rotor wear, than "regular' pads. I put Centric ceramic pads on a Mazda Miata. Compared to the high quality "regular" pads pedal effort went down, braking was more controllable, and resistance to fade was at least as good as the "regular" pads. I put the same pads on a Crown Vic. On that car the the brakes are highly boosted. Where the "regular" pads were fine, the Centrics were on the edge of being grabby at low speeds. Otherwise they are as good or better than the old pads. Putting some miles on them did calm things down, but the brakes are still hare to modulate at low speeds.
I'm using Advance AP Gold semi met. My truck weighs about 3800. With 11" disc and 9.5" drums and manual non boosted brakes. I don't really care much about how long the pads will last (dont drive it that much). But since I did have to get the rotors fron Speedway, it would be of a benifit to not be hard on the rotors.
I can vouch for that. I use them on just about everything I own, including my Harley. They haul down my 4400# OT Silverado in a most dignified manner.
I like the softer, cheaper pads they grab better but they do create a lot of dust. The Ceramic and high metallic content pads last longer and offer more fade resistance but they do not grab as good, they are more for very heavy use like a long track with tight turns
cheaper ceramic pads create more heat which in turn warps rotors. don't just run a certain brand of pads because you've heard of them, brand awareness is the biggest pitfall with aftermarket car parts in this country. go with a quality pad or OEM pad to match your rotor application and you'll be very glad you did.
Had this discussion several years ago - 1 - Organic pads just work better. 2 - Organic pads won't eat rotors 3 - organics are dusty So your choice depends on these two items Cost of rotors & cleaning time. Weight those out for yourself One vehicle I owned had very expensive rotors & clean wheels wasn't a priority on it. Organics Another vehicle I owned had cheap rotors and nice wheels. Ceramics
When you change the coefficient of friction at one end of the car and not the other you upset the balance. Better biting fromt brakes need less front bias and vice versa. http://www.performancefriction.com/...21DLM_DemystifyingFriction_PFCLetterhead2.pdf
It's all about the friction code rating, I'm sure it has been covered but here is something you may want to know about brake pads: http://student.ccbcmd.edu/~smacadof/DOTPadCodes.htm http://www.sanjuan.edu/webpages/jasonkeith/files/Ch%2011%20Friction%20Brake%20Theory%20TB.pdf I like the concept of no dust in my wheels though. Fernando
I don't know what I'll end up using long term in my '32 roadster but I just got a set of NAPA ceramics since the pads in the car when I got it were worn. In my other non HAMB car I use ceramic pads, Carbotech XP10's, which they say are more of a track pad than street, but they have quite good initial bite and when I use them hard on the roadcourses they never fade so I'm sold on those. They also wear well and are rotor friendly. As far as dust, well I've found not all dust is equal. So it's not just quantity of dust, but how corrosive it is varies a lot. Some are very corrosive even if they just get damp and you don't aggressively clean right away. With the XP10's I can very easily wash off the dust with mild soap and water and it's non corrosive to wheels.
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