Brake Pads

[Johnny5]

Okay, so I'll admit I don't know a heck of alot about brakes...

From what I understand, which may be wrong, there are 3 types of brake pads: organic/non-metallic (maybe asbestos?), metallic, and ceramic.. Organic being the cheapest and ceramic the most expensive. Now aside from the cost factor, what else should one think about when looking at pads? I've heard that ceramic pads cause less brake dust but are there any other benefits or drawbacks? I also know that although cheaper, organic pads will not last as long. And I've heard that metallic pads are harder on rotors...

Can anyone school this ignoramus in BRAKES 101?
:thanx:

[DRA-GON]

I am really not sure either but a friend of mine with an mx-3 said the ceramic ones where junk, don't recall exactly what he based it on.....

i have no experiences on other then the stock pads.. sorry. but the next ones ill try out will be ceramic ones. this doesnt help you now tho

Think of brake pads like this

Organic - soft, prolongs rotor life, requires slightly more distance for stopping. quiet braking. lots dusts but will not rust.

Semi-metallic - med hard compound, decent stopping power, may casue squeaking because of metal on metal, OEM specs are semi-metallic, lots of brake dust, may casue rusting on rims

Ceramic pad- very hard compound may/and cause premature wear on rotors, great stopping power, very little dust, if used with OEM rotors may casue squeaking and rotors may need replacing after 3 months of hard braking.

Disclaimer: this is just general information, your driving habits may be yield differing results.

I recently switched to ceramic brake pads along with cross drilled and slotted rotors. I cant tell you how much of a difference they have made. The car feels like it can stop on a dime now. And yes you will see a huge difference in the amount of brake dust that is generated. I drive my alero like a mad man and slam on the brakes constantly. In the past my clean wheels would be dirty with large amounts of brake dust after only a few days of driving. Now I can go weeks without having my wheels look hideous from the build up.

I love my ceramic brake pads and almost everyone else on here that has tried them has always had great things to say about them. Hope this helps

[AleroGLS]

if your going to get new brakes i would recomend the cheapest because these cars have a reputation for going thru brakes FAST.