How to Choose the Right Brake Pads
Choose between bonded and riveted friction material., Think about your driving requirements when choosing a brake pad material., Decide between organic, semi metallic, fully metallic and ceramic break pad materials., Opt for semi-metallic brake pads...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose between bonded and riveted friction material.
All brakes need to have a softer friction material attached to the stronger metal backing plate.
Brake manufacturers use two methods to attach the friction material to the backing plate: bonding with an adhesive or riveting with high strength rivets.
There’s no clearly superior method for attaching the friction material, but bonding allows the brakes to last slightly longer because as the friction material wears down, the rivets make contact with the brake rotors or drums and squeal a bit when they’re nearly worn out.
By the time you hear the squeal of rivets making contact with the rotors or drums during braking, it’s time to change the brakes anyhow.
Bonded brakes wear down to the backing plate which usually ruins your rotors or drums if not changed promptly when the metal to metal grinding sound is heard when applying the brakes. -
Step 2: Think about your driving requirements when choosing a brake pad material.
Purchasing replacement brake pads or shoes will require you to make a choice about the material they are made from.
At this point, you need to determine how severe your braking needs are.
Some things to consider include:
How mountainous is your driving? How hot is the climate you live in? What are the traffic patterns you travel in? How tolerant are you to brakes that squeal a bit? Do you pull a trailer behind your vehicle ? Do you have to deal with deep puddles in the winter or rainy season? , Before choosing a brake pad to shoe material, it's important to consider the pros and cons of each.
Organic:
Some cars come with brakes which are made from an organic material.
This provides good life for the other brake components, but don’t offer superior braking when pulling a trailer or traveling long downhill routes.
Additionally, organic brake material does lose a lot of braking capacity when they get wet.
Semi-metallic:
A better braking material is called semi-metallic, in which a composite of soft metals are embedded in the friction material which enhances braking .
However, this does wear out the rotors or drums a bit faster than the organic materials.
Fully metallic:
The next step up in price, quality and braking efficiency is fully metallic brakes which offer great braking in almost any condition, but do wear the rotors/drums faster.
Ceramic:
These are more expensive than the other 3 choices but do offer the longest life and best warranty.
Ceramic brakes tolerate very high temperatures with very little fading or loss of braking when wet. , Semi-metallic brake pads tend to be a great all-round choice for commuter vehicles, and they’re very reasonably priced.
Most newer vehicles come with semi-metallic pads or shoes, as these are what car manufacturers recommends.
Even vehicle that have rotors made of harder metals tolerate the semi-metallic pads very well.
However, if you regularly use your vehicle for more heavy-duty tasks — such as pulling a trailer up a mountainous path — you may be better off going for higher-end, fully metallic or ceramic brake pads.
In other words, you need to seriously consider your regular driving conditions and how much stress will be placed on the breaks when choosing the right brake pad material — it's a matter of safety. , It’s always wise to consider the entire brake system when you perform a repair yourself or have it completed by a service shop.
The brake pads can be no more effective than the quality of the rotors they contact and the master/slave cylinders that move the pads in and out to perform their functions.
It’s also wise to flush the old brake fluid out of the hydraulic system when if the vehicle or truck is over 8 years old just to keep the moisture levels low and brakes working at their peak levels. -
Step 3: Decide between organic
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Step 4: semi metallic
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Step 5: fully metallic and ceramic break pad materials.
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Step 6: Opt for semi-metallic brake pads for regular driving.
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Step 7: Review the entire break system when replacing the brake pads.
Detailed Guide
All brakes need to have a softer friction material attached to the stronger metal backing plate.
Brake manufacturers use two methods to attach the friction material to the backing plate: bonding with an adhesive or riveting with high strength rivets.
There’s no clearly superior method for attaching the friction material, but bonding allows the brakes to last slightly longer because as the friction material wears down, the rivets make contact with the brake rotors or drums and squeal a bit when they’re nearly worn out.
By the time you hear the squeal of rivets making contact with the rotors or drums during braking, it’s time to change the brakes anyhow.
Bonded brakes wear down to the backing plate which usually ruins your rotors or drums if not changed promptly when the metal to metal grinding sound is heard when applying the brakes.
Purchasing replacement brake pads or shoes will require you to make a choice about the material they are made from.
At this point, you need to determine how severe your braking needs are.
Some things to consider include:
How mountainous is your driving? How hot is the climate you live in? What are the traffic patterns you travel in? How tolerant are you to brakes that squeal a bit? Do you pull a trailer behind your vehicle ? Do you have to deal with deep puddles in the winter or rainy season? , Before choosing a brake pad to shoe material, it's important to consider the pros and cons of each.
Organic:
Some cars come with brakes which are made from an organic material.
This provides good life for the other brake components, but don’t offer superior braking when pulling a trailer or traveling long downhill routes.
Additionally, organic brake material does lose a lot of braking capacity when they get wet.
Semi-metallic:
A better braking material is called semi-metallic, in which a composite of soft metals are embedded in the friction material which enhances braking .
However, this does wear out the rotors or drums a bit faster than the organic materials.
Fully metallic:
The next step up in price, quality and braking efficiency is fully metallic brakes which offer great braking in almost any condition, but do wear the rotors/drums faster.
Ceramic:
These are more expensive than the other 3 choices but do offer the longest life and best warranty.
Ceramic brakes tolerate very high temperatures with very little fading or loss of braking when wet. , Semi-metallic brake pads tend to be a great all-round choice for commuter vehicles, and they’re very reasonably priced.
Most newer vehicles come with semi-metallic pads or shoes, as these are what car manufacturers recommends.
Even vehicle that have rotors made of harder metals tolerate the semi-metallic pads very well.
However, if you regularly use your vehicle for more heavy-duty tasks — such as pulling a trailer up a mountainous path — you may be better off going for higher-end, fully metallic or ceramic brake pads.
In other words, you need to seriously consider your regular driving conditions and how much stress will be placed on the breaks when choosing the right brake pad material — it's a matter of safety. , It’s always wise to consider the entire brake system when you perform a repair yourself or have it completed by a service shop.
The brake pads can be no more effective than the quality of the rotors they contact and the master/slave cylinders that move the pads in and out to perform their functions.
It’s also wise to flush the old brake fluid out of the hydraulic system when if the vehicle or truck is over 8 years old just to keep the moisture levels low and brakes working at their peak levels.
About the Author
Sandra Mitchell
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
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