ceramic brake pads

[GMBoy]

I've had nothing but great results using Ceramic pads - I use Raybestos Advanced Technology pads. I think they have just been replaced with Enhanced Hybrid technology pads now.

 

[cos]

+1 for Raybestos Advanced Technology pads, they're the best pads I've ever used. Excellent initial bite, great modulation, long lasting and throw way less dust then OEM pads.

 

[nthach]

"ceramic" is a buzzword - most brake pads used in American/Japanese/Korean cars are non-asbestos organic. There's some ceramic content in the friction(read the MSDS from a friction supplier, you'll see things like feldspar, zinc oxide, kaolin and other minerals listed), but a majority of the pad will be composed of a resin, a mineral wool and a few other ingredients to modify the friction material. Most NAO pads use a mix of cashew and phenolic resin. All brake pads resins need to "cure" and offgas - Trav did bring up a good point - some pads don't take well to the break-in methods we use, that's for more performance-oriented pads.

I think Carquest/AAP pads are made by Raybestos or Rolounds/Bendix, check the FMSI edge codes against the AMECA list to see who made the pads in the first place. COO is telling but not the whole story.

 

[meep]

to make it worse, the performance will vary within the same mfr depending on the vehicle used. Akebono for example is my go-to pad. However, in their apd for my tundra, they were very poor and I moved to something else. They stopped an MDX I installed them in on a dime. You'd have thought they could stand it on the front bumper. The were oem "normal" in a jeep GC we owned. They are about the same feeling in the volvo. they are awful in the truck. So even when you find a good brand, it may not translate well to different vehicles. (Tundra has done much better with Hawk LTS).

It stinks, but you may need to go to a different pad, find one you like, and stay with it.

-m

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: mclasser
Bed them in by doing ten 60-10 MPH stops with no cool down in-between. Of course, do so safely.

I have the same pads on two of my cars and have no complaints.


Without sounding like a jerk, where can you rev up to 60 and brake to 10 without getting killed?

I think there might be some air trapped in the system. I bet if they bled the system it probably would help. Did they resurface or replace the rotors as well?

 

[marine65]

Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
Originally Posted By: mclasser
Bed them in by doing ten 60-10 MPH stops with no cool down in-between. Of course, do so safely.

I have the same pads on two of my cars and have no complaints.


Without sounding like a jerk, where can you rev up to 60 and brake to 10 without getting killed?

I think there might be some air trapped in the system. I bet if they bled the system it probably would help. Did they resurface or replace the rotors as well?


the rotors were resurfaced.
I don't know if they bled the system.
it was not done at one of the fast food brake shops.
it was done by a family owned shop that has been there for 12 years.
I'm assuming the system was bled. they did the fronts and rears.
and I'm not going to make multiple hard stops from 60 mph to 10.
then I will need new rotors.

 

[R18Civic]

The Bosch Quietcast ceramic pads I put on last month actually had more bite before I broke them in.

I made 5 light stops from 35 down to 10. Drove a few miles and did 10 more from 50 down to 10.

Drove a mile between stops to cool the pads and rotors. 1.5k miles later and the brakes are lacking under light pedal pressure, however if I'm doing say 30mph and I aggressively hit the pedal the car stops on a dime.

Wear them in, break then in and then make your judgement on the new pads.