Ceramic Brake Pads

If you are a car driver, it would be superfluous to remind you of the importance of a proper braking system in place. Ceramic brake pads score high on all the tests that make an ideal brake pad for car use. They were first developed and used by British engineers in high speed TGV trains in France. Since then, these pads have found application in heavy vehicles, trucks and high performance cars.

When it comes to changing brake pads, lot of options are available today. Brake pads take the brunt of friction generated in braking from high speeds and at high temperatures. Automobile engineers have been researching on creating brake pads from materials that can effectively withstand, high temperatures, stress and last longer. The answer was found in the form of composite ceramic materials. Composite ceramic materials have generated a lot of interest, due to their unique properties and they are used everywhere from creating superconductors to brake pads!

Working of Brake Pads
Modern automobile braking systems use disc brakes that can effectively stop or slow down a car wheel's rotation and bring the car to a halt. These brake discs are connected to the axle. When you press down on brakes, car wheels are stopped by forcing the brake pads to come in contact with wheels, through mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic or electromagnetic force. The application of brake pads on both sides of wheel and the resulting friction, makes the car stop eventually. During every braking instance, the brake pads have to handle intense friction and heat. Some of the earliest brake pads were made of asbestos, organic materials like resins, glass and Kevlar.

There were many problems associated with each of these types of brake pads. The factors which decide the efficiency of a brake pad is stopping capacity, heat dissipation, amount of dust produced and noise. Ceramic brake pads are best options considering all these factors, except one of price. These ceramic composite brake pads are the costliest among all the choices available.

What are Ceramic Brake Pads?
Ceramic brake pads are created from a composite of ceramic fibers, copper fibers, bonding agents and filler materials. One important feature which makes them useful in heavy vehicles is their high capacity for heat dissipation, less dust production and their lightness compared to other types of pads. They last longer, recover faster after stopping and are very quiet in operation. The noise factor is lesser as the sound frequency falls beyond normal human hearing range. All these features make these brake pads extremely useful in racing cars and other sports vehicles. The low dust factor makes them excellent choices for cars with alloyed wheels and ABS brake systems especially.

The difference between their performance and other types of brake pads is only noticeable in case of racing cars, where they provide an extra edge. However, when it comes to cars of routine use, the difference is not much and is not really worth the higher cost. For them metallic brake pads are the best option as they are durable enough and are much cheaper compared to ceramic brake pads.

Cost Estimate
A pair of pads costs around $55 to $60. There are many types of these pads available in the market and they vary in the composite materials from which they are produced. Accordingly, the cost varies too. Choose ones which are suitable for your car model.

They may cost more but heir longevity makes them good choices for the long run!