Let's Talk About Brakes!!

Firstly, let's cover brake pads. We can talk about the different materials that make up brake pads, and the use cases for each type. Then we can move into brake rotors and calipers and their respective use cases.

Pads

Brake pads are the main components in the braking system that generate friction in order to slow the car down. Different types of vehicles use different types of brake pads in order to best suit the use of the vehicle. These different types include Organic materials, Low metallic, Semi-Metallic, and Ceramic. Each of these have their distinct composition of materials, and performance characteristics.

First, let’s cover organic brake pads. These are made from materials such as glass fibers, resin materials, Kevlar and rubber. These materials generate plenty of friction to stop most everyday cars and trucks. They are the least aggressive and usually have a decent life span, but under heavier loads and higher heat they perform poorly and wear out much faster. The less aggressive nature of these pads means they are quiet and do not generate as much brake dust as more performance-oriented brake pads. The last thing to consider is the operating temperature of the brake pads, Pads made of organic materials are useful for everyday vehicles because they work well in lower temperatures, they do not need to be heated up in order to operate at their peak performance. But when they are heated up too much, the material can break down and its ability to generate friction falls dramatically.

Next is the low metallic option. These pads are made of the same materials as the organic pads, but they have the added bonus of adding metallic alloys to the mix. In a low metallic option, around 15% of the material is a mix of copper and iron. These pads offer more heat resistance and better performance under high loads. They do create more brake dust and noise than an organic pad, but this is the price you pay for a quality brake pad. These pads will also work at low temperatures and don't require heat in order to operate properly. These pads are a great choice as an upgrade for a daily driver and should be a bare minimum if you have a larger truck, SUV, or plan on towing. These are also a great choice for a car enthusiast that enjoys a spirited drive and the occasional track day.

Ceramic this and Ceramic that. Pretty sure I have a set of ceramic knives in the kitchen and ceramic plates! Why the heck are they in my brakes?? Ceramic materials are great at creating friction especially with a small amount of copper thrown into the mix. These pads are quiet, do not produce much brake dust and have a long lifespan. They can handle larger loads and more heat than an organic material, however they are costly. These pads are also a great choice for the enthusiast, or the driver of a larger luxury vehicle.

Lastly is Semi-Metallic, these pads are made of 30%-60% metals such as iron, copper, or different steel alloys. These pads offer much more heat resistance and durability under extreme loads. They offer much better performance than all the rest of the pads, they generate an immense amount of friction and have incredible bite. However, these pads are HELL on your rotors and do not last very long. They also require a bit of heat for them to really work well. These pads are ideal for the dedicated track focused car, or a larger truck that plans on towing very heavy loads.

ROTORS

Similar to pads, there are about three main categories of materials when it comes to brake rotors, the Cast Iron, Steel, Carbon, and Composite. Cast Iron rotors are by FAR the most widely used rotor material and can be found on most every car you see. They are affordable and strong as well as having great thermal properties for absorbing and dissipating heat. They DO weigh quite a bit and tend to rust very easily, but for the most part, variations of the Cast Iron rotor will be your answer to a new brake rotor for your car or truck. There is wide variety of different designs for the cast iron rotor, such as smooth faced, drilled, slotted, or drilled and slotted rotors. We will get into the pros and cons of each of those a little later.

Next is Steel, these rotors are most often used on bicycles, motorcycles or other light weight vehicles. Steel rotors can be made lighter and thinner and have great corrosion resistance compared to Cast Iron.

Lastly, there is Carbon Ceramic or Ceramic Composite. These rotors are Carbon Fiber reinforced with a silicon carbide. These are VERY lightweight and heat resistant, because of their harness, they are also very long lasting. Which is a good thing because they are wildly expensive and usually reserved for extremely high-end sports cars or race cars.

To close out our discussion on rotors, let’s talk about rotor design. As previously mentioned, there are smooth face rotors, drilled, slotted, and the combination of drilled and slotted. Each one has its pros and cons.

Smooth face rotors (Blanks or solids) have a flat and uninterrupted surface. They are quiet and long lasting and provide the most even wear for the rotor and the pad. However, they are the most prone to building up and storing heat without much of a way to get rid of it. Too high of temperatures means the pad material breaks down and stopping power diminishes. These are what you would see in almost every regular car on the road. They are perfect for light duty and even a bit of spirited driving.

Drilled rotors have holes drilled through the cross section of the rotor. These holes provide a place for heat and gas build up to escape under hard braking. These look great and perform great too, but under extremely high temperatures, they have a tendency to form hairline cracks so be careful. These are great for a performance street car that is occasionally tracked.

Slotted rotors have machined grooves in the surface of the rotors that also provide extra cooling to reduce heat fade, and a place for gas and dust to escape. They also provide extra bite which is a bonus for performance driving. These will chew up your pads faster, but they look and perform great.

Finally, there are drilled and slotted rotors, this is a combination of the previous two styles. They provide all the benefits and all the drawbacks of each of them.

Remember to always buy good quality brake pads and rotors. good quality parts will perform better, and last longer. Saving you both time on the race track and money for your wallet in the long run. Safety is also paramount… having good brakes to stop you in an emergency situation can be the difference between “oops almost hit that deer” and “that deer totaled my car and sent me to the hospital.”

Calipers

Calipers are the part of the braking system that actually applies pressure to your brake pads and rotors. In a sense, these are the components that you interact with when you actually hit the brake pedal. There are two main types of brake calipers. Floating Calipers and Fixed calipers.

Floating calipers are the kind that you would find on most every car and truck. They have one or two pistons that apply pressure to the brake pads. They are called floating calipers because the caliper “Floats” or rides on a set of guide pins allowing pressure to be applied to both sides of the rotor even though it only has pistons on one side. These are typically made of cast iron and very cheap to make. However, they do not always provide the best braking performance and can rust and corrode easily causing uneven brake wear or in some cases brake failure.

Thank goodness for fixed calipers! Fixed calipers are a solid single component, usually made from aluminum to be lighter weight. Are bolted straight to the car and have pistons on both sides of the rotor. These provide more responsive and stable braking, and they do not typically show signs of uneven wear like the floating calipers. These ARE more expensive and usually reserved for performance cars where optimum braking performance and weight savings are necessary.

Brake Fluid

There are three main types of brake fluids sold in the US that are rated by the Department Of Transportation (DOT); DOT 3, DOT 4, DOT 5.1.

DOT 3 is the most conventional fluid and comes in most every car. It has a lower boiling point than the higher rated variants and therefore needs to be changed more often. But it is also the cheapest.

DOT 4 is just an enhanced version of DOT 3 and a higher boiling point and can withstand higher temps without causing issues, this is a great upgrade for any car that you plan on towing with or bringing to the track.

DOT 5.1 has the highest boiling point of the three and provides the best performance.

It is worth noting that all three of these fluids are GLYCOL based fluids. Meaning they are made of organic compounds that provide lower freezing temps and higher boiling points. Glycol based fluids also ABSORB water and moisture, which causes corrosion in the braking system and can lead to all sorts of issues which is why it is a good idea to change your brake fluid every 30,000 to 50,000 miles.

There is such a thing as DOT 5 brake fluid! Dot 5 brake fluid is SILICON based and it repels water which is great. But silicon-based fluid is not compatible with modern ABS systems so you should not run this in typical applications.