What type of brake pads have the best stopping power?

“SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!”

We’ve all heard it. That terrible “nails on a chalkboard” sound when you push on the brake pedal. The sound of your car crying for help, telling you it’s time to replace the brakes. But when you head to the local auto parts store, there are so many different brake pads, how do you know which one to choose?

That’s where we come in. We’re going to go over what options you have, as well as the pros and cons of each. By the end of this article, you’ll be a selecting brake pads like an automotive connoisseur.

Organic

Let’s start with organic brake pads. These were originally developed as an alternative to asbestos pads. Organic pads are typically made up of materials such as glass, fiber, rubber, carbon, and kevlar. And since these materials are rather inexpensive to make, the pads themselves tend to be very inexpensive as well.

Organic pads will give you quiet operation. They’re softer than other types of pads, which means they’re easy on your brake rotors and they generate very good friction without needing as much heat. There are a few cons to selecting organic pads, though. Due to their soft nature, they tend to wear quickly and can give the brake pedal a slightly “mushy” feel. Harder driving can induce brake fade quickly, but we’re talking about spirited driving or trying to stop with a heavy load in the vehicle, not everyday driving.

All in all, organic pads are a very popular choice among budget-minded consumers, and are a great option if you’re looking for inexpensive pads for an older, less expensive vehicle.

Semi-Metallic

So you’re looking to spend a little more money on your brakes, but you don’t feel the need to go too crazy. Semi-metallic brake pads are very versatile, great all-around brake pads that are perfectly suited for use in any daily driver. They are made up of 30-65% metals (steel & iron), as well as friction such as fillers, resins, and graphite lubricant. Excessive heat is the natural enemy for brakes—and these materials can dissipate a LOT of heat.

Semi-metallic pads will give you better braking performance and longer life than organic pads, and since they’re softer than ceramic pads they won’t be too tough on your brake rotors. The downsides to these pads would be the fact that they cost more and produce more dust than organic pads.

Ceramic

Now, maybe you’ve just gone out and gotten that nicer car you’ve always wanted. It might be something sporty, or maybe one of those luxurious cars we all secretly want. If so, that might also mean that you’re willing to spend a little more money when selecting brake pads. In which case, look no further than ceramic pads.

Made up of solid inorganic compounds like brick or porcelain, these brake pads are tough and will give you the longest service life while also producing the least amount of dust and noise. The downside here is that these pads are more expensive to produce, so they’re more expensive for us to buy as consumers. If long service life is more important to you than the difference in cost over organic or semi-metallic pads, then ceramic pads are a great option for you.

Carbon Ceramic

Carbon ceramic brakes are at the top of the food chain. Typically seen as costly optional equipment on ultra high-end and exotic cars, these brake pads are the most capable pads on the market today. Carbon ceramic brakes were developed for use in race cars and aviation, applications which required heavy braking and extreme levels of heat.

These pads don’t reduce the distance required to stop, as some might have you believe. They instead offer incredible resistance to brake fade—which is ideal if you’re planning on spending a lot of time at the race track. Have you ever watched a race on TV and seen the brake rotors glowing red when they’re braking for a corner? That’s what carbon ceramic brake pads look like in action!

So, they can handle extreme levels of heat and won’t fade when pushed hard. What could be the downside? Well, your wallet is going to feel this one in the morning. Carbon ceramic brakes are an $8,000 option on the 2019 Chevy Corvette Z06, and they’ll cost you $8,950 on a 2019 Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG. Do the math and you’ll realize you’re spending 8-10% of the cost of the vehicle on a single option! We’ve even seen replacement brake pads cost as much as $25,000. Granted, this was on a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that sold for almost half a million USD when it was new… but still, selecting these brake pads might not be in your budget.

Let’s Brake It Down

As with many things in life, selecting brake pads that are ideal for you and your car is all about finding the right balance of pros and cons.

“Really, brake pad choice is a compromise,” says Brian Gilboy, District Manager at Federal Mogul. “Taking cost out of the equation, you have to choose between stopping performance, pad life, and noise. An aggressive semi-metallic or carbon metallic pad will have great stopping performance and life but will be noisy. A softer organic pad will be quiet, but will wear out quickly. A ceramic pad will be quiet and have long life, but it can’t handle the heat of extreme braking the way a semi-metallic pad can. That’s why many high-end European vehicles (designed for Autobahn speeds) and larger pickups (designed for heavy towing) still come with semi-metallic pads, regardless of the cost,” says Gilboy. “In most cases, it’s best to follow the vehicle manufactures’ choice of friction composition. Beyond pad composition, one should look at the brake pad shim configuration and hardware. Both go a long way decreasing noise and increasing pad life and performance,” he adds.

If you need to keep your older car on the road without spending too much money, then organic pads are a great way to go. However, if you’re looking for better performance than organic but don’t want to step all the way up to ceramic brakes, then semi-metallic is a great choice. If you hate scrubbing brake dust out of the spokes on your wheels, or you’re looking to get the longest possible service life, then we’d suggest you look into ceramic pads. And finally, if you fancy yourself the next Mario Andretti, or you’ve got the coin to buy that new exotic car, carbon ceramic brakes will give you racecar levels of braking force and fade resistance.

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