Sintered brake pads

[DMD 1]

To answer re organic or sintered.

 

With my Hope X2's I first rode with organic then went with sintered in the Cape winter, continued with the sintered into summer. During my summer rides I found that the sintered pads were crappy, but in winter they were the bomb.

 

So to make it simple: Wet / Winter = sintered

Dry / Summer = organic

 

I rode with the generic CRC pads for hope but found the original Hope pads were a better fit.

 

Hope this helps

[pablo]

Ja, the original pads were organic, now I'm gonna try the sintered versions and see how they fair. Thanks for the great response and technical info. I didn't realize that a little component like a brake pad can be so complicated. But the little decisions you make on small components can ultimately have a major impact on your riding experience.

[rudi-h]

one more nerdy comment:

 

1) All pads generate the exact same amount of heat

2) Sintered pads (due to the metal component) is a better conductor of heat, therefore the heat is transferred to the fluid more rapidly than with organic pads.

 

Therefore, all things equal, you are more likely to "boil" your hydraulic oil (fluid fade) with sintered pads than with resin pads. Thus not recommended for downhill or for heavy brakers!!!!

 

The reason why they say its not ideal for dry conditions, is a marketing reason, because then they can sell you resin pads, and after a rainy ride of 30km, you will have to replace the breakpads and therefore more money for the brake-pad manufacturer. But yes, in dry conditions resin pads work better.

 

Short Answer: For XC / Trail riding - buy sintered ALLWAYS!!! unless you're sponsored, or dont mind changing pads depending on the weather.

[AndreZA]

How about another spanner in the works. Shimano XTR pads you get in steel, alu and Ti backing plates. Will this help with the heat?

[dirtrider]

WEll does the heat not get transfered through the backing plate to your system ? Then I would say definitly yes .

[mornedn]

I have been using ceramic pads for more than a year... it works great!! Less friction-induced heat.

[Tumbleweed]

How about another spanner in the works. Shimano XTR pads you get in steel, alu and Ti backing plates. Will this help with the heat?

 

I think titanium is a poor conductor of heat, while alu is a good one.

[mike xtreme]

organic is a no go zone

they do not grip in the wet and wear verry fast

when the rotor gets burnt they tend to make a loud sound

when you get on the brakes verry hard

[Johan Bornman]

I have been using ceramic pads for more than a year... it works great!! Less friction-induced heat.

 

For two similar riders with the same bikes and same weight, slowing down from the same speed to the same speed, the heat generated is the same, no matter what the brake pads are made of.

 

The only way to make a difference is to transfer the heat somewhere harmless - like into a very large, conductive disc onto an aluminium hub. This will channel the heat away from the caliper where it can boil the fluid.

 

But don't make like Kevin and fit an aluminium disc.

 

Heat gets transferred to the fuild by conduction (via the pad to the pistons to the fluid) or by radiation (by heating up the entire environment.

[mornedn]

For two similar riders with the same bikes and same weight, slowing down from the same speed to the same speed, the heat generated is the same, no matter what the brake pads are made of.

 

The only way to make a difference is to transfer the heat somewhere harmless - like into a very large, conductive disc onto an aluminium hub. This will channel the heat away from the caliper where it can boil the fluid.

 

But don't make like Kevin and fit an aluminium disc.

 

Heat gets transferred to the fuild by conduction (via the pad to the pistons to the fluid) or by radiation (by heating up the entire environment.

 

OK, so is Ceramic not better than metal and sintered?

[dirtrider]

For two similar riders with the same bikes and same weight, slowing down from the same speed to the same speed, the heat generated is the same, no matter what the brake pads are made of.

 

The only way to make a difference is to transfer the heat somewhere harmless - like into a very large, conductive disc onto an aluminium hub. This will channel the heat away from the caliper where it can boil the fluid.

 

But don't make like Kevin and fit an aluminium disc.

 

Heat gets transferred to the fuild by conduction (via the pad to the pistons to the fluid) or by radiation (by heating up the entire environment.

 

NO , NO , NO . The heat that goes through the back plate will NOT be the same . And I also think a pad that got metal in its compound will heat faster than other pad .

 

But wait let me go and look for my white jacket and we can meet in The Lab and see what's on the slab .

[Johan Bornman]

NO , NO , NO . The heat that goes through the back plate will NOT be the same . And I also think a pad that got metal in its compound will heat faster than other pad .

 

But wait let me go and look for my white jacket and we can meet in The Lab and see what's on the slab .

 

But that's not what I said Dr. No need to put on your white jacket, just your spectacles. (I am suppose dto put some sort of smiley in here but you know I don't do those).

 

I said the heat generated will be the same. Where it goes depends on lots of things. And yes, on a sintered pad with lots of copper and brass will boil the fluid quicker than a resin pad. The backing plate material will also have an effect.

[Johan Bornman]

OK, so is Ceramic not better than metal and sintered?

 

Brake pads are never made from pure ceramic. That will not work. They add a bit of ceramic powder to sintered pads to increase its melting point. They call that ceramic - it has a nice expensive ring to it and looks excelent in a bright red star flash thing on the packaging.

 

I would imagine that ceramic powder would incease its abrasiveness and thus brake better, but eat discs.

 

At the end of the day, sintered pads have all sorts of stuff in it and you can market them based on how you feel on the day.

 

Now with added copper!

Now with powdered brass!

Contains blended zinc, copper and other essential minerals!

Totally fat free!

Contains trace minerals in mega-trace quantities!

Fully Sintethic!

[pablo]

Ok, well, after I ordered eveyrhing I thought I needed I prepped my bike for the new components. Much to my dispair the following also has gone:

 

-Front and rear wheel bearings of american classic mtb wheels;

-Fork has now dried up completely;

-pulley wheels;

 

I already replaced:

-bb

-chainrings

-chain

-brake pads

-cables

 

This was the most expensive 85km I have ever ridden.