Brake Pad question

[evergreen96]

Does anyone know what are the differences between these (beside compostion) Brake Pads
ie Pro and cons

Non Ferrous
Ceramic
Semi-Metallic
Organic

my friends says to gets the "semi-metallic" one
Also how to u tell by looking at it, which type of brake pads you have (non-ferrous, ceramic, semi-metallic, organic)

Which pads do you recommend for a 97 Camry LE (stock) I4 for Front Pads? There so many to choose of? How do I know which pad to buy. the regular one (one list at the top of page) or the 9" x 1.57"

Front Pad from Kragen / PartAmerica

Front Pads from Napa

 

[Tipe2]

Non Ferrous
This is usually a carbolic material, good stopping power once warmed up, long life, semi-poor braking when cold, no brake dust.


Ceramic
Excellent stopping power when hot, excellent wear resistance, very poor stopping power when cold, no brake dust.


Semi-Metallic
Ecellent stopping power when hot and cold, excellent wear resistance, brake dust is prevelant.


Organic
Ecellent stopping power when cold, fades when heated from repeated stops, excessive brake dust.


Go with the semi-metallic. this is a good compromise unless you plan on racing your car at the track.

Remember, the harder the brake pad material, the longer wearing your pads are, but this also shortens the life of your rotors.

 

[WTT0001]

"Ceramic
Excellent stopping power when cold, excellent wear resistance, very poor stopping power when cold, no brake dust."

Excellent and Very Poor stopping power when cold, Which is It

 

[Tipe2]

DOH !

See, that's what happens when I try to post something semi-intelligent without having my morning coffee first, sorry.

I'ts corrected

 

[Ornery]

You forgot about the issue of brake squeal. I'd LOVE to get organic pads for my wife's car. I've had her brakes apart three times, replacing pads, turning rotors, applying anti-squeal compound, lubed sliding parts, and it hasn't fixed the problem. I feel certain that organic pads would do the trick.

 

[Wingznut]

Originally posted by: Ornery
You forgot about the issue of brake squeal. I'd LOVE to get organic pads for my wife's car. I've had her brakes apart three times, replacing pads, turning rotors, applying anti-squeal compound, lubed sliding parts, and it hasn't fixed the problem. I feel certain that organic pads would do the trick.

Yes, organic pads definitely squeal the least.

Bring back ASBESTOS!!!

 

[dquan97]

I think my friend put on semi-metallic pads on my 94 Camry and it has been squealing since installation (1yr ago)

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

I deal with the dust and use semi-metallic on all the cars I've owned.
I don't recommend this to anyone but its what I do at a pad-slap.
With the caliper off, I use a 120grit disk on a 4" grinder to break the glaze on the rotors.
I spin the rotor by hand, then touch the grinder to the rotor. The grinder keeps the
rotor spinning and I get a good finish on the surface. I turn rotors only when heavily grooved. Not using new pads in an aggressive manner of several hundred miles helps
them bed-in properly and they will not squeal.

The disk I use is a soft one with the rubber backing pad. Sometimes I will start out
with 80grit but always finish w/120

EDIT: On a FWD your on your own, as it must be in gear w/the engine running.
This is shade tree at its best

 

[Wingznut]

galvanizedyankee, grinding on the rotors is a very common practice in the repair industry. We'd turn the rotors on a lathe and then do exactly as you instructed to put a non-directional finish on the rotors.

 

[Ornery]

Makes me wonder if one of the caliper surfaces are not parallel with the rotor. I know there's some slop in the pins, but maybe not enough.

 

[johnjbruin]

I believe my g35 came with organic ones.
<begin pointless rant>
it stops like a mother but then it creates brake dust liek there is no tomorrow.
thinking about getting ceramic ones - cause they have no brake dust. but then i like the capability of stopping on a dime...
so in a dilemna right now... to keep the current ones, or get ceramic.
another advatage of current ones is that infiniti will replace them when they wear out for 3yrs i guess. that makes me lean towards keeping them... but god i hate that brake dust.
</end pointless rant>

 

[Ornery]

Don't forget the squeal that comes with harder pads! I'll take the dust instead. Matter of fact, lose the friggin' alloy rims altogether. They show the dust, pit and corrode, which causes air leaks, and just generally aren't worth all the trouble!