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Thread: So, you thought you knew everything about Brake Pads?

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    Default So, you thought you knew everything about Brake Pads?

    It is often said that brake pad manufacture involves more art than science, but this is generally not true.

    In fact, with more than 2000 materials and substances that are available to brake pad manufacturers, a scientific approach to brake pad manufacture is a requirement and luck can therefore have no part in the formulation of brake pad friction materials. Thus, if you have ever wondered what ingredients, substances, and materials go into the making of modern, high-quality brake pads, this article will answer all the questions you have ever wanted to ask, starting with answering this question:


    Are Aftermarket Brake Pads just as good as OEM?

    As with everything else in life, you get what you pay for, but in the case of , your customers pay for brake pads that meet, and often exceed OEM specifications in terms of durability, reliability, and smooth, silent operation.

    In fact, pads include several proprietary technologies such as their that eliminates bedding-in, and that ensures the optimum pad/rotor contact area to prevent overheating and brake fade in applicable applications.

    Given the above, it is fair to say that ranks high among the aftermarket brake pad manufactures that meet, and often exceed OEM brake pad performance levels on a consistent basis, so yes, aftermarket brake pads often outperform OEM brake pads, provided you fit Bendix brake pads to your customers’ vehicles.

    So, what goes into a Brake Pad?

    While brake pad manufacturers never publish the exact formulations of their brake friction materials, and are in many jurisdictions not obligated to, this article can only provide an overview of the materials that are most commonly used in brake pad manufacture. Consider the chart below.


    This chart is the result of diligent research, and it that shows the average percentages of the main categories of materials that are most commonly included in the products of most reputable brake pad manufacturers. As stated elsewhere, brake pad manufactures have a list of more than 2000 substances they can use legally, but since limited space precludes listing all 2000 substances here we will cover only some of the most commonly used materials, and explain what functions these substances have in the overall formulation of brake pad friction materials, starting with-

    Binders





    Abrasives





    Performance enhancers





    Fillers





    Structural enhancers




    At this point, astute readers will have noticed two things; the first being that the number of friction material ingredients listed above represents only a small fraction of the possible total, and the second being that the numbers listed above do not add up to 100%. The latter point is because no brake pad manufacturer will ever list complete lists of ingredients and percentages, but despite this, the items and numbers listed above cover the most ground, which brings us to-


    Which type of brake pad is the best?

    While there is no clear, unambiguous answer to this question, reputable brake pad manufacturers like , each of which works better on the application it was designed for than on any other. However, there are five main categories of brake pads, and while choosing the best formulation within each category for a given application is not always easy, it helps to understand that there are few, if any purely metallic, ceramic, semi-metallic, or organic brake pads on the market anywhere in the world.

    Nonetheless, Bendix produces high quality brake pads in each of these main categories, but it must be understood that given the extensive list of requirements a particular friction material formulation must satisfy, it is common for brake pad manufacturers to mix and match the characteristics and ingredients of two or more categories of brake pads to obtain the best results in a particular application. In fact, it would be fair to say that brake pads should therefore really be marketed as “predominantly ceramic”, “mainly metallic”, “mostly semi-metallic”, or “largely organic”.

    Having said that though, below are some details of the chief characteristics and advantages of each of the four main brake pad categories-

    Metallic brake pads





    The disadvantage of metallic brake pads is that they are often not compatible with brake rotors on some high-end applications, which could result in severe brake noise and/or rapid wear of both pads and rotors.

    Semi-metallic pads





    While semi-metallic brake pads typically do not outperform competing types in any particular area, these pads offer satisfactory performance in all areas, which makes them a great choice for variable driving conditions, with the exception of track racing or other motor sport applications.

    Organic brake pads





    The disadvantages of organic pads include the facts that they are not particularly hardwearing, and that due to their composition they overheat easily, which destroys their ability to withstand brake fade.

    Ceramic brake pads





    However, both pure ceramic and semi-metallic brake pads that contain significant amounts of ceramic are the most expensive categories of brake pads for all applications, which makes them unattractive options for customers on budgets.

    Film transfer brake pads

    These are specialised brake pads in which the formulation of the friction material is designed to transfer some of the friction material to the rotor in the form of a thin film. In practice, these pads do not act on the rotating rotor directly; instead, the thin coating of friction material that was deposited onto the rotor forms a barrier between the pad surface and the rotor surface, but since the film and the pad consist of the same material, braking action is greatly increased. This characteristic makes this type of pad an excellent choice for drivers who do a lot of towing, or who participate in motor sports that place high, if not extreme demands on brake components.

    However, the biggest disadvantages of film transfer pads are that very specific bedding-in procedures must be followed and that very high brake temperatures are required for the transfer of friction material to take place. As a practical matter though, since the required temperatures are seldom, if ever reached during normal driving, film transfer brake pads are not recommended for normal street use.

    Conclusion

    From the above, it should be obvious that there is no single “best” brake pad that will satisfy all the requirements of all applications under all possible operating conditions. Nonetheless, brake pads are life-and-limb components on any vehicle, and as such, it is incumbent on us as experienced technicians not only to learn as much about brake pads as we can, but also to be aware of both the characteristics and limitations of the various types of brake pads.


    More information about brake pads in general, and specific recommendations for various applications in particular, is available at

    To learn more about the Bendix Brakes range of products visit:

    Follow Bendix on Facebook by clicking .
    Last edited by motorculture; 1st November 2018 at 04:06 AM.
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