Metallic or organic brake pads?

[G4L4XY]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=542978130

If sintered metallic pads are the preferred option for your bike, that is what we send at the same price, otherwise all pads sent will be organic compound


Which ones are best?

[Fast Eddie]

Being concious of our enviroment and a life long vegan, I use Organic brake pads only.. naturally!



:eek::laugh::laugh::laugh:

[G4L4XY]

Do you know of any difference between the two, are the life spans similiar?

[bogan]

In my experience, sintered (EBC HH) have much better feel than Organic (whatever came with the bike), but the organic are better in the wet, sintered has a slower uptake on gradual stops as the water clears or temperature builds (not really sure which). Sintered also seems to wear (or at least unevenly discolor) the disc a lot more.
However, as with all things, I would think the specific brand makes a big difference also. When it comes to brake components I'd want to know exactly which brand I was bidding on.

[GSF]

Organic brake pads will wear faster and are more prone to brake fade with prolonged use (i.e. if you're thrashing the doggone shit out of them, the heat buildup over time reduces braking performance).
However they have a better "feel" and more bite when you first start squeezing the lever.

Sintered pads wear slower and deal with brake fade better.
However they don't have as much bite to them when you first grab some lever. I have only ridden one bike with sintered pads though and it's not my bike, to me it felt like the sintered pads needed to warm up with some use before they worked at their best.

As with all things bike, just because it says "high-performance" or "racing technology" doesn't mean it's good for you - pick what suits your application and how your bike will be used.

IMO if you are mainly commuting and doing some weekend fun runs, I would go with organic pads.
If you were putting them on a bike that only gets used for serious hard riding on weekends or track use, I would go sintered.

Considering that sintered pads are "harder", could anyone enlighten me as to if they wear rotors faster than organic?

[skippa1]

organics.
You can grow your own

[G4L4XY]

And will this type of rear rotor be ok : http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=542238714

[GSF]

And will this type of rear rotor be ok : http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=542238714

I'd ask them what brand/manufacturer the rotors are from. Like Bogan said, a lot of it boils down to who's making them.

[caspernz]

Organic brake pads will wear faster and are more prone to brake fade with prolonged use (i.e. if you're thrashing the doggone shit out of them, the heat buildup over time reduces braking performance).
However they have a better "feel" and more bite when you first start squeezing the lever.

Sintered pads wear slower and deal with brake fade better.
However they don't have as much bite to them when you first grab some lever. I have only ridden one bike with sintered pads though and it's not my bike, to me it felt like the sintered pads needed to warm up with some use before they worked at their best.

As with all things bike, just because it says "high-performance" or "racing technology" doesn't mean it's good for you - pick what suits your application and how your bike will be used.

IMO if you are mainly commuting and doing some weekend fun runs, I would go with organic pads.
If you were putting them on a bike that only gets used for serious hard riding on weekends or track use, I would go sintered.

Considering that sintered pads are "harder", could anyone enlighten me as to if they wear rotors faster than organic?

Nicely summed in my opinion :niceone:

The other thing to consider might be the personal preference of the rider? My guess is that most OEM pads offer a fairly "safe/predictable" braking response, or at least that's what I've found. My preference is sintered metal, yes it may wear the discs a bit faster but I like the power they give over the organic pads. Each to their own....

[G4L4XY]

Ok so for the disks they're Forodo? never heard of them myself and for those disks they're "straight from the factory" and so unbranded

[bogan]

Ok so for the disks they're Forodo? never heard of them myself and for those disks they're "straight from the factory" and so unbranded

You mean Ferodo? Thats a legit brake parts manufacturer, if its Forodo, chances are its a chinese knock-off.

What is the upgrading all for, do you want better performance/feel? Or are the current discs/pads up to or past the wear limit?

[GSF]

Ok so for the disks they're Forodo? never heard of them myself and for those disks they're "straight from the factory" and so unbranded

Ferodo is all good! They have been in the brakes business for a long time.

[G4L4XY]

You mean Ferodo? Thats a legit brake parts manufacturer, if its Forodo, chances are its a chinese knock-off.

What is the upgrading all for, do you want better performance/feel? Or are the current discs/pads up to or past the wear limit?

I thought it's a decent price for all three sets. Also I'm needing a rear rotor and may as well replace rear pads as it's recommended, may as well get the front pads while im at it...will end up needing em haha

[Gremlin]

As said, organic doesn't last as long, and generally cheaper than sintered. You also need to find out what your manufacturer recommends for your bike, as you're best to stick with that compound. For my BMW, sintered is recommended.

I'd definitely want to know brands as they are not equal. That said, you don't need to buy the most expensive. BMW pads, about $660 for the 3 sets... EBC (I think, or Ferodo) more like $200-250 all round. Looks like they perform better too.

[G4L4XY]

So organic doesn't last long but preserves the disk and metallic lasts longer but increases disk wear, can't win haha

[GSF]

So organic doesn't last long but preserves the disk and metallic lasts longer but increases disk wear, can't win haha

Look at it one way, pads are cheaper than rotors.

[Gremlin]

Look at it one way, pads are cheaper than rotors.
Except expensive pads are more expensive than cheap disks ;)

Ultimately, if you're that worried, don't ride it, except it will still depreciate, so you should probably sell it and walk.

If you like riding... well, then it's a cost of running the bike :yes:

[Big Dave]

Aye. I put sintered in my T'bird and it destroyed the disc that was 50% in 3 months. Had a big single front on it that was expensive too.
Did stop better though.

The rotor has to be suitable for the pads.

[G4L4XY]

By the sounds of it I think I need to go for the organic ones else I will need to upgrade the disks

[Fast Eddie]

You mean Ferodo? Thats a legit brake parts manufacturer, if its Forodo, chances are its a chinese knock-off.

Its Frodo.. hobbit I think


By the sounds of it I think I need to go for the organic ones else I will need to upgrade the disks
I like your signature ;) haha..

[Fast Eddie]

The rotor has to be suitable for the pads.
meh, if they make and sell pads for that model bike/calipers then they might be safe for the OEM rotors too.. You'd think someone along the line would be smart enough to tea that all up. Bit of R and D. Especially if its a well known name like Ferodo.. forodo.. Frodo making em in Hobbiton

[G4L4XY]

Its Frodo.. hobbit I think


I like your signature ;) haha..

Haha it looked pretty funny when I first read it.

[bogan]

Aye. I put sintered in my T'bird and it destroyed the disc that was 50% in 3 months. Had a big single front on it that was expensive too.
Did stop better though.

The rotor has to be suitable for the pads.

Something that should be mentioned is sintered pads have a bedding in procedure, couple of light braking bursts, then a couple of heavier ones, then they should be cleaned out. I think they can pick up particles from the disc if it has been used with other pads or something, like aluminium in a metal file, if not cleaned it'll gouge.

[The Lone Rider]

Found this thread interesting.

Have put some sintered pads in one of the bikes recently, due to the braking being sub par.

While I know there is a bedding period, 400+ K later and it seems only mildly better. So I should take them out and give them a brush?

[bogan]

Found this thread interesting.

Have put some sintered pads in one of the bikes recently, due to the braking being sub par.

While I know there is a bedding period, 400+ K later and it seems only mildly better. So I should take them out and give them a brush?

You're supposed to bed em in quickly I think, to avoid glazing. I'd take em out, give them a light brush and pick out any disc metal flecks with a scribe, then run them through the proper bed in procedure.

[The Lone Rider]

You're supposed to bed em in quickly I think, to avoid glazing. I'd take em out, give them a light brush and pick out any disc metal flecks with a scribe, then run them through the proper bed in procedure.

Going by what I was told, and what the packaging on the pads said - you're suppose brake gently for the first few hundred K. Then ride as normal.

But reading through this, seemed maybe there is either the character of sintered pads causing my brakes to feel a lot less bitey or that they hadn't been worn in yet/correctly.

Pretty sure the pads I did have were Honda factory brand.

[bogan]

Going by what I was told, and what the packaging on the pads said - you're suppose brake gently for the first few hundred K. Then ride as normal.

But reading through this, seemed maybe there is either the character of sintered pads causing my brakes to feel a lot less bitey or that they hadn't been worn in yet/correctly.

Pretty sure the pads I did have were Honda factory brand.

Maybe they were a different brand, mine were EBC HH pads...

[Banditbandit]

organics.
You can grow your own

Yeah ... my thoughts exactly.

Can someone please tell me what "organic" brake pads are? Somehowe I don't think that homegrown vegetable material has the right amount of stopping power ...

[swbarnett]

Somehowe I don't think that homegrown vegetable material has the right amount of stopping power ...
Inhale enough of the by-product once it gets hot and it'll stop you dead in your tracks.

[skippa1]

Yeah ... my thoughts exactly.

Can someone please tell me what "organic" brake pads are? Somehowe I don't think that homegrown vegetable material has the right amount of stopping power ...

it means that if you slam em on hard you end up on your swede. You could end up like a cabbage, bean known to make you pea yourself. Happened to a guy I know just outside Kumara, didnt hurt himself but did his onion at when he got back to the shop that sold them to him.:eek5:

[GSF]

Yeah ... my thoughts exactly.

Can someone please tell me what "organic" brake pads are? Somehowe I don't think that homegrown vegetable material has the right amount of stopping power ...

I don't know why they're called organic to be honest. They're usually composed of Kevlar or similar synthetic fibres and maybe some other junk bonded together with resin. Maybe the resin is based on a naturally-occurring product?
I think the organic term came into being to differentiate them from asbestos friction materials when people started realising the 'bestos was bad juju...

[HenryDorsetCase]

organic must be better for the planet. Otherwise they wouldnt be allowed to call them "organic": the Green Party would be all up in their shit.

[imdying]

I don't know why they're called organic to be honest.Just to differentiate them from the other common type, metallics.

[G4L4XY]

So Sintered pads eat standard disks for breakfast, Organic take the healthy approach and only nibble tiny bits of disk at a time

[imdying]

Well, no, not exactly.

- Metallic pads are specified for particular types of bikes to perform in a particular way
- Both discs and pads are consumables, like tyres and air filters
- Both discs and pads need to wear to work, they're sacrificial, just like tyres
- The harder you work any type of friction material, the faster it'll wear out

Sure you can put organic pads into a GSXR1000, but on the track it'll eat them in a few sessions, assuming they don't fade so much that you don't make the turn after the main straight.

Kiwi's are notoriously bad for cheaping out on vehicle maintenance... they're more than happy to fit sub standard equipment to critical areas of their vehicles. My advice would be to buy your bikes new, or carefully scrutinize your future purchases for non OEM equipment.

Aftermarket gear is often fine (EBC / Brembo / Galfer etc), but a Kiwi typically only sees the $250 for two discs on eBay, and doesn't really care much about whether the disc is actual suitable for the purpose. The saving grace is that the Chinese are always moving forward in their manufacturing, so more often than not they don't give any trouble; the grape vine does a reasonable job of weeding out the rubbish, assuming you do a little research around the net first. One make forums are often a good source of that sort of information. Generally the biggest problem with the Chinese gear is longevity.

[bogan]

I'm not so sure that sintered pads wear discs a whole lot faster for the same use, but they make a more brutal looking wear pattern so I can see why people would think that they do.


The saving grace is that the Chinese are always moving forward in their manufacturing, so more often than not they don't give any trouble; the grape vine does a reasonable job of weeding out the rubbish, assuming you do a little research around the net first. One make forums are often a good source of that sort of information. Generally the biggest problem with the Chinese gear is longevity.

You know why they sell all the 'fancy' wave and cross slotted/drilled ones right? Lot harder to put a DTI on to check the runout from factory :laugh:

[imdying]

You know why they sell all the 'fancy' wave and cross slotted/drilled ones right?I sure do, Bowie said it best.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvsQjprz1x4

[BigOne]

I'm not so sure that sintered pads wear discs a whole lot faster for the same use, but they make a more brutal looking wear pattern so I can see why people would think that they do.



You know why they sell all the 'fancy' wave and cross slotted/drilled ones right? Lot harder to put a DTI on to check the runout from factory :laugh:

Ive run HH sintered metallic pads on my GSX1400 for 50,000km, including some pretty hard use, and there is bugger-all wear. So don't think the wear rate is much higher for metallics. But I'm not sure how you can check run-out accurately on a floating disc- the bobbins have a mm of side-ways float.