Can you recognize brake pad type by appearance?

[friendly_jacek]

Here is why I'm asking. The OEM corolla brakes had light gray/silver appearance. I thought it looked like semi-metallic, but I'm told most OEM pads are NAO. They were quiet, but didn't last long.

I replaced them with Duralast that are much darker and have large copper flakes in the compound. That means that are also NAO, right? However, since there is hardly any pad wear, are they ceramic? On the other hand, they have the creeping brake noise, like semi-metallic (not bad, but noticeable).

No difference in braking, and both FF rated.

 

[Corvette Owner]

NAPA Auto Parts can tell you what OEM brakes are. I only put on ceramic pads if OEM were ceramic. I do not like ceramic pads.

 

[Corvette Owner]

Here is an explanation of the different brake pads, I could not tell by looking:

Semi-metallic Brake Pads



Made from 30 to 65 percent metal, a semi-metallic brake pad is typically made from chopped copper, wire, iron powder or steel wool bonded together with friction modifiers. These are commonly considered to be one of the more durable types of brake pad and have great heat transfer. However, semi-metallic brake pads often wear down the brake rotors faster. In addition, they can be noisy and do not function well in very low temperatures.


Non-asbestos, Organic Brake Pads



Commonly referred to as NAO, or organic, this type of brake pad is made from organic fibers, such as carbon, rubber, glass and Kevlar, along with high temperature resins and other filler materials. Although softer and less noisy than other types of brake pads, they wear out faster and create a lot more brake dust.



Low-metallic NAO Brake Pads



Made from an organic formula, low-metallic NAO brake pads contain about 10 to 30 percent copper or steel to assist with heat transfer. Because of the added metal, it provides for better braking. However, the added metal also causes the brakes to be a little noisier and creates brake dust.


Ceramic Brake Pads



Ceramic fibers, bonding agents and other filler materials make up this type of brake pad. There may also be small quantities of metal in the makeup of the ceramic brake pads. These are typically more expensive than the other types of pads because they are quieter and cleaner. Also, they don't wear down the brake rotors while still providing excellent braking for your vehicle

 

[NHGUY]

"Ceramic" pads regularly have copper colored shavings in them.Thats supposed to be banned in a couple years,due to toxic gas that is emitted when they get hot.There are a couple brands that use zero copper in them though.

 

[SteveSRT8]

The whole issue is that marketers have discovered the consumers love the word Ceramic and thus are aligning themselves to your perceptions.

Ceramic pads can have 1% content and still legally be called that!

Brake pads are available in one million flavors. No one pad is better than any other one until you know the application and the expectations. One formula might work well on your car but disappoint me on mine. And the same exact name brand may be a completely different formula from platform to platform!

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Low-metallic NAO Brake Pads

Made from an organic formula, low-metallic NAO brake pads contain about 10 to 30 percent copper or steel to assist with heat transfer. Because of the added metal, it provides for better braking. However, the added metal also causes the brakes to be a little noisier and creates brake dust.


This sounds exactly like the Duralast pads. Thanks!

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Low-metallic NAO Brake Pads

Made from an organic formula, low-metallic NAO brake pads contain about 10 to 30 percent copper or steel to assist with heat transfer. Because of the added metal, it provides for better braking. However, the added metal also causes the brakes to be a little noisier and creates brake dust.


This sounds exactly like the Duralast pads. Thanks!

Not true, most Euro pads are of a low-met composition.

The Duralast pads are probably a NAO ceramic blend of some kind.

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek
Originally Posted By: Corvette Owner

Low-metallic NAO Brake Pads

Made from an organic formula, low-metallic NAO brake pads contain about 10 to 30 percent copper or steel to assist with heat transfer. Because of the added metal, it provides for better braking. However, the added metal also causes the brakes to be a little noisier and creates brake dust.


This sounds exactly like the Duralast pads. Thanks!

Not true


Which part is not true?
The small flakes of copper I can see with my own eyes?

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: friendly_jacek

Which part is not true?
The small flakes of copper I can see with my own eyes?


Low metallic compounds are used by european mfgs:

"Low-Metallic brake pads are original equipment on many leading European vehicle applications. Low Metallic brake friction provides more bite than comparable friction compounds while maintaining excellent heat dissipation characteristics and smooth, confident stopping power."

http://www.centricparts.com/products/100-series

The copper flakes you're are probably a slight amount of metallic material in a ceramic pad.