Thoughts on brake material

[Land Yacht]

Semi-metallic vs organic vs ceramic brake pads.

Semi-metallic is supposed to be good for HD use, better heat resistance, but they make more noise. I try to opt for organic for this reason, but they seem to wear faster, any opinions on what works/wears best?

I see some are listed as ceramic, but haven't used any.

john

[Phil1934]

Even semi metallic can wear fast.  I bought a NAPA set that only went 15,000 miles and my wheels looked like I had been driving through campfires.  I've got two cars in the works and was able to get organic pads for MII and Chevelle clip.  Clean wheels means more.  Just having discs is way ahead of drum brakes so I don't think the pads means much.  I haven't had disc brake squeal problems since early '70's so they have solved that.

[SKR8PN]

Brake pad wear depends on a LOT of different factors. Weight of the vehicle,size of your brakes and HOW you stop are just 2 of the variables. Generally,Organic pads won't dirty up your wheels as bad as Semi or full metallics will,BUT,they also don't last very long,or stop you very well and are very sesitive to heat. Semi-met's are better,but for my money and the way I use my vehicle,I always go with full metallics. I never worry about rotor wear,the noize or dirty wheels to much,it is more important to me to be able to STOP my vehicle. The Ceramic pads are pretty pricey,and in my opinion,a waste on the street. If you get your brakes hot enough that you need ceramic pads on the street,then you are ABUSING your brakes beyond what they were designed for. Just my $.02 worth.

[Anonymous]

People always ask me about metallic versus organic brake pads, and which is better for them. For most customer's cars I replace them with what the factory specs say it should have unless the customer wants it different. Metallic pads last longer and wear on the rotors faster, but they resist heat and fade better too.  Metallics are best for most modern cars and light duty trucks.

For older cars I like organic pads and shoes. With the tire technology we have now they work fine if not abused or neglected. You can get some brake fade with organic linings under severe conditions if they get too hot. I replace my pads and shoes more often than the average customer and organics cost less. If you take care of the brakes, they will take care of you!  Keep them adjusted right and drive smart!

Towing vehicles or cars that get raced at a drag strip often should use metallic pads. They fight fade better and can handle repeted hard brake applications more consistently. Always put a light cut on your new or current rotors or drums with new linings to help them seat quickly. This will also help show any defects like warpage or hard spots. New linings on worn rotors and drums can give spotty or unpredictable results unless a clean up cut is made to expose a good surface for the material.