This week, at RPM +, André Gamelin meets Patrick St-Pierre from Montreal warehouse to tell us about the different qualities of best brake pads.

New car

New cars are an example of the difference in quality in terms of braking, a Toyota Corolla has a braking distance of +/- 45 meters while a Porsche Cayenne has a braking distance of only 35 meters.

This difference in braking is marked by a multitude of components in the braking system, the manufacturing quality of these components plays a crucial role in the braking distance.

It is interesting to know that even in 2018, several vehicles come originally with drums.

Quality

The entry-level starts with semi-metallic brake pads. They are quite efficient and sometimes used as a replacement for the original ones, but they will be more abrasive for the brake discs and will leave rust spots on the body.

Then come the so-called ceramic plates, these are the most widely sold plates of origin on Asian and North American vehicles. They are made of different compositions and a small portion of ceramic is added to them. These pads are perfect for everyday driving without excess and only produce a fine whitish dust on the rims. The ceramic pads are also less noisy when braking.

Then the best thing is the metallic carbon brake pads. These brakes are much more resistant to heat and abuse. Often installed on high-end European vehicles, these pads are also popular on emergency vehicles such as a police car or an ambulance. The only downside to these pads is the black dust left on the rims.

Conclusion

In the end, many people ignore the difference in quality and in principle take a cheaper pack. What would happen if your Corolla now had a braking distance of 50m instead of the original 45 and a Porsche Cayenne brakes in front of you?

Quality pads can be up to three times the price of an entry-level pad, but make a huge difference on braking.