Ceramic pads

frankprozzoly

frankprozzoly

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Just got off the phone with Honda. They don't use ceramic. They said they're noisy. I want them for no brake dust. Are they worth getting
 
Ceramic pads won't eliminate brake dust,(none will) but they do often shed a lot less volume of brake dust and it's typically much easier to remove in my experience.
 
There are pros and cons with ceramic, metallic and semi-metallic pads. Unless you have very special needs then stick with OEM pads or aftermarket pads that are not value-oriented (e.g. - cheap)
 
frankprozzoly said:
Do you think they're worth getting
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That's up to the driver/owner, I have one car that has mild track pads in wilwood 4 pot forged calipers.(rotor eating, steel flake belching, race brakes!) I have no issue with those brakes making all kinds of noise and a terrible mess as long as they stop well. In my daily drivers I typically run Hawk HPS pads but I'm been driving old BMWs so long I've begun to think if the front wheels aren't covered in brake dust something must be wrong!(Gives me something to keep me busy) :xyxthumbs:

If it's just a daily driver I'd say give them a shot if you want less dust.
 
My experience is ceramic pads are the way to go for sure for anyone interested in detailing. Why? Just because they make much less dust (iron containing dust) than semi-metallic. They may not have the initial bite of semi-mets, but this isn't an issue.

For someone who spends a lot of time cleaning wheels - you couldn't pay me to use semi-mets on my car.
 
IMO:
You might as well go whole hog and get the ceramic brake kits, along with a stainless steel brake-line kit...:dblthumb2:

Bob
 
swanicyouth said:
My experience is ceramic pads are the way to go for sure for anyone interested in detailing. Why? Just because they make much less dust (iron containing dust) than semi-metallic. They may not have the initial bite of semi-mets, but this isn't an issue.

For someone who spends a lot of time cleaning wheels - you couldn't pay me to use semi-mets on my car.
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Totally depends on the use of the vehicle, I had a student in a HPDE run buy new pads at the local autozone during lunch b/c he was experiencing terrible brake fade during the morning session with his "high performance" ceramic pads. Afternoon session, no problems.

For daily driver duty and around town - sure, no problem.

On sports car that's driven extremely hard/tracked or a tow vehicle - not so much.
 
I have Hawk HPS on my daily driver and I will be going to ceramics. The hawks dust too much and they squeel to much. If you are just going to daily drive then switch over.
 
I don't think your Honda dealer knows what they are talking about. I'm pretty sure your new Honda will have ceramic pads like just about every other new car except for special performance models or special performance packages.

OK--I just looked at Rock Auto and it says OE pad material for '14 Accord is ceramic.
 
2.ooohhh said:
That's up to the driver/owner, I have one car that has mild track pads in wilwood 4 pot forged calipers.(rotor eating, steel flake belching, race brakes!) I have no issue with those brakes making all kinds of noise and a terrible mess as long as they stop well. In my daily drivers I typically run Hawk HPS pads but I'm been driving old BMWs so long I've begun to think if the front wheels aren't covered in brake dust something must be wrong!(Gives me something to keep me busy) :xyxthumbs:

If it's just a daily driver I'd say give them a shot if you want less dust.
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I've been driving BMW's the last 20 years, I currently run Akebono Euro Ceramics on the fronts of my 335 with little to no dusting and close to stock bite and same as stock braking distance, Well worth it on a street car IMO. They'll be on the rears as soon as those give up the ghost.
Track car you have to wonder why anyone would run those on the track, my old track car I ran dedicated track pads they dusted and ate rotors but stopped and did not fade.
 
bobble said:
I've been driving BMW's the last 20 years, I currently run Akebono Euro Ceramics on the fronts of my 335 with little to no dusting and close to stock bite and same as stock braking distance, Well worth it on a street car IMO. They'll be on the rears as soon as those give up the ghost.
Track car you have to wonder why anyone would run those on the track, my old track car I ran dedicated track pads they dusted and ate rotors but stopped and did not fade.
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The failure on track wasn't a dedicated track car it was a novice at their first HPDE.

Don't get me wrong, I've run the Akebono Ceramics on my wife's daily (e46), love them for that application but they just weren't available for an e28 M5 or e30 M3. I do like that they are produced locally though so I always check to see if they have added any of my applications when I need pads.

Like I said, old BMWs. . .

:cruisin:
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I don't think your Honda dealer knows what they are talking about. I'm pretty sure your new Honda will have ceramic pads like just about every other new car except for special performance models or special performance packages.

OK--I just looked at Rock Auto and it says OE pad material for '14 Accord is ceramic.
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Thats pretty sad they don't know if your right. I was talking to the write up person so who knows who they asked. I was gonna look into this just for the brake dust issue.
 
I just looked on Amazon and they have a complete set rotors and pads for $173. Power stop k840. That can't be right. I'm not a mechanic maybe they're cheap. That sounds way to cheap to me
 
In my experience.. I too ran (still do) Akebono Euro Ceramics on the front and Hawk HPS on the rear (will switch to Akebono when done) of my '06 E90 BMW 3 series. Initially there is a break in period where when new they don't feel anything like stock, but once broken in they do feel and stop just as good and they are so smooth and quiet with no sticking. AND No DUST compared to stock pads.. in other words it would take a month to equal what stock E90 BMWpads would put out in a day.

Well worth it IMO. I've looked at other pads, Cool Carbon etc but I like the Akebono's so far.
 
frankprozzoly said:
I just looked on Amazon and they have a complete set rotors and pads for $173. Power stop k840. That can't be right. I'm not a mechanic maybe they're cheap. That sounds way to cheap to me
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Actually - that price seems a bit high for a Honda - unless it's for all 4 wheels???

I hope your not paying Honda for a brake job on a Honda. Those cars are so easy to hang pads & rotors - you just have to do it yourself. If you can remove the wheel and jack up the car you are half way there. I know not everyone knows how to do this stuff - but you have to know someone who could help you. It's really easy on these cars. We could even help you here. If your doing it yourself, you'll save so much money - I'd just replace everything... Pads, rotors, caliper pins, etc... Those cars usually have a sealed wheel bearing. So you won't have to mess with any greasy bearings. There are also DIY videos on You Tube.

It's funny this thread came up. I'm in the middle of doing a brake job on my 4x4 Pathfinder. It's more complex than a Honda - because the 4 wheel drive hubs & mechanism have to come apart, the bearings aren't sealed units, and the wheel hub has to separated from the rotors ( press fit )...not to mention the car is 14 years old - so everything is rusted and seized - including the caliper pins. Everything needs to be degreased and re-packed inside the hub. I believe they are the factory rotors with the factory grease.

Everything needed a torch to move. Caliper pins were seized in the brackets, the caliper bracket bolts were seized to the knuckle, the rotor was like impossible to separate from hub - even with a torch. But, I was surprised to find the calipers weren't seized... The pistons went right back in the bore.

One side is done... The other is cleaned up and ready to go back together...I'm done for tonight.

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I got ceramic pads, new rotors, new axle seals, a tube of Stay Lube, a caliper pin set , a caliper slide boot set, 4 cans of Brake Kleen, & a roll of shop towels at Advance Auto for $170. I also got a $25 gift certificate for spending over a hundred dollars. So, total cost was about $145. The dealer would probably charge about $1200 (my guess) with the above parts to do this work.
 
Ah, the electric impact wrench, ain't the 21st century grand?

I really miss the old GM brakes with the O-rings, where the pins went through holes in the backing plate--those things never seized up the way they all do it today with the exposed ears on the backing plate just waiting to rust and get gunked up with grit and salt etc.
 
The reason thats cheap for me because pads and rotors on my 98 audi a6 cost almost $1000
 
frankprozzoly said:
The reason thats cheap for me because pads and rotors on my 98 audi a6 cost almost $1000
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Rotors are really cheap today because they all come from China. On a common car like an Accord or a Civic, it can be even cheaper to replace the rotor than have it resurfaced, especially for a non-vented rotor that's typical for the rear. Last time I had some front rotors cut at an auto parts store, they charged me $20 ea. and while they were doing it the counterman looked up that I could have gotten new ones for $25 ea., I'm sure the backs would have been even less. Of course maybe Audi rotors are expensive.
 
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