Ceramic Or Sintered Brake Pads

In the case of brake pads failing to have the right ones could be catastrophic.

Ceramic or sintered brake pads.

Ceramic brake pads ceramic brake pads are the new ish kid on the block. Ceramic pads are composites of ceramic fibers and copper. Sintered ceramic brake pads are designed for moderately aggressive recreational and sport street riding with ceramic coated backing plate to assist with temperature management and dissipate heat. Then they use other materials and metallic particles to give the brake pad its strength.

Sintered brake pads also referred to as metal sintered or metallic brake pads are made from metallic particles that are fused together at a high temperature and pressure. The only difference is that ceramic brake pads are much more durable in comparison to ceramic pottery. The trade off in durability is well worth for most riders. Sintered brake pads are an excellent choice if you regularly experience varying riding conditions.

They are very expensive but operate well. The rear brake requires less power and feel so it makes sense to prioritise durability. They can perform well in just about any weather condition including rain snow and mud because of their porous nature. The result is a motorcycle brake pad that holds up exceedingly well to the demands of the open road track or trail.

Sintered brake pads are used in most oem applications not only on mountain bikes but on motorcycles and cars as well because of their ability to perform in a variety of conditions. A lot of experienced mtb riders run a sintered pad in the rear brake and an organic pad up front. Sintered ceramic brake pads are designed for race use or aggressive recreational use. Metal brake pads are often used for oem spec meaning that s what you ll go home with if you buy a new bike from a bike shop.

Ceramic brake pads you can probably guess that ceramic material is used to make ceramic brake pads. To make sintered pads manufacturers use high heat and pressure. Ceramic is the same material used to make plates dishes pots and other forms of pottery. Developed in the 1980s ceramic brake pads area blend of super strong ceramic think of it a bit like pottery fired in a kiln with copper fibers embedded into the pad compound.

Metal brake pads meanwhile are sometimes called metallic or sintered and you guessed it are made from metallic particles fused together. These brake pads are made from ceramic very similar to the type of ceramic used to make pottery and plates but is denser and a lot more durable. Two commonly mentioned options include the semi metallic brake pads and the sintered ones. Ceramic brake pads also have fine copper fibers embedded within them to help increase their friction and heat conductivity.

The rear caliper also seems to get more filth flung through it so a harder wearing sintered pad makes sense. Aside from those two there are ceramic and organic brake pads. That is brake designers start with copper a high performance metal. While all of the positives of sintered brake pads are appealing they do have their drawbacks.