The built-in brake pads on your vehicle are perfectly fine if your driving needs are limited. But, if you’re a motor enthusiast and prefer to drive modified vehicles only, you have to invest in bigger and better wheels and tires. Not only wheels and tires, you also need to invest in brakes which can guarantee utmost performance and won’t leave a mess on the glistening rims.
If you’re planning to have such an upgrade, there are three high-performance brake options available on the market – organic brake pads, ceramic brake pads and semi-metallic pads. As each one of them offers a unique set of advantages with varying price points based on the type and quality of material used, it may be a little daunting to choose one that best caters to your requirements. Read on to know some of the pros and cons associated with each type so that you can choose the best brake pads for your needs.
Organic Brake Pads
Organic brake pads, as its name implies, are made up of organic materials like rubber, glass and high-heat resins. Noticeably, organic brakes do not contain more than 20% of metallic materials and their use is highly recommended if you want to reduce your carbon footprint. Organic pads are least toxic to the planet and softest of all available brake pad options. Because of their flexibility and softness, these pads tend to produce very low noise and also cause low wear on the rotors.
As far as the limitations are concerned, organic pads are prone to wear and tear especially when it comes to routine street driving. According to FrontechChina – Supplier of Brake Pads, unlike other brake pad types, organic brake material cannot dissipate heat to avert fade under extreme-use conditions. That is why organic materials are often combined with some metallic and ceramic particles in order to achieve long-lasting and effective grip that is perfect for hard-use situations especially on racetracks.
Ceramic Brake Pads
Ceramic brake pads are crafted from a resin-based filler material that includes both ceramic and copper fibers. As ceramic compounds can better dissipate heat, ceramic pads can provide consistent performance even after multiple hard stops. Thanks to its optimum resonant frequency, ceramic brake pads produce less noise. Ceramic brake pads produce the lowest amount of brake dust and as this dust is too fine in texture, these pads virtually leave no mess or residue on wheels.
Taking into account the unique fusion of excellent grip, lower wear rate and noise-free application, it’s not difficult to understand why ceramic brake pads are one of the most preferred choice for true motor fanatics.
As ceramic brake pads offers a myriad of benefits, their cost of production is relatively higher than other options which obviously affect its final consumer price too.
Semi-Metallic Brake Pads
Crafted from a solid combination of steel, brass and copper, semi-metallic brake pads are one of the most common types of brake pads installed on production vehicles. These are economical and their metallic nature makes them one of the sturdiest choices available so far. Compared to organic pads, semi-metallic brake pads tend to better dissipate heat. Due to the abrasive nature of the copper flakes, these pads can be noise and also cause rotor wear.
