Brake Pads

Brake pads are the friction half of the brake. The caliper presses them onto the disc. The compound they are made from decides how much bite they give, the temperature range they are made for, and how quickly they and the disc wear.

The product data sorts pads two ways:

• By use: OE-type, street, sport or race. One maker’s race pads show as “racing”.
• By compound: organic, para-aramid, ceramic, semi-metallic, semi-metallic carbon fibre and ceramic graphite. Some race pads carry the maker’s own compound code instead.

As a rough guide:

• OE-type and street pads are made to work from cold with little noise and dust.
• Sport pads cover fast road driving and occasional track days.
• Race pads need temperature to work well and are meant for circuit use.

Each pad is listed for the front or rear axle, and pads for aftermarket race calipers list the caliper make.

Choose the compound for the hardest use the car will see, but be honest about the rest of the time. A race pad used cold on the road can feel wooden, while a road pad on the track will overheat and fade.

Plan a fluid change with the pads, as a track compound runs hotter and old fluid that has absorbed moisture boils sooner. Bed new pads in on sound or new discs, change them in axle sets, and fit a new wear sensor where the car uses one.