Also has anyone tried Wagner severe duty semi-metallic pads ? Wagner says they far exceed the minimum specs for police and fleet vehicles .

 

I use them now. Best thing I ever tried.

 

Is the dust from them any worst than normal semi metallic pads? and does it easily clean off?

thanks

 

Ceramic pads are lower dusting than semi-metallic and not as icky to clean up. I have them on my Jeep Liberty - ceramic pads are OEM and I replaced them with aftermarket ceramics.

 

The easy to clean tan dust they produce is the main reason I run them. What bothers me is I plan on taking a trip with the van loaded down and pulling a camper in the hills of tennessee sometime this year. And alot of brake pad manufactures do not recommend ceramic for towing. unfortunately my camper doesnt have brakes. It is under the weight brakes would have been required by law. I may just end up spending the $200 or so and add brakes to it before the trip.

 

Could someone summarize the differences/benefits of the various brake materials? Ceramic vs semi metal vs asbestos or whatever the options are.

Lump

 

Coincidentally, I just put a set of Wearever (Advance Auto) Platinum Professional Ceramic Brake Pads on my 92 Astro this past weekend (along with new rotors and calipers too). Normally $49/set, I got them for $34/set after a big online discount. I just noticed they are now offering a $40 rebate as well!
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/carq ... 10143726-P

They do seem to be less "grippy" than my previous semi-metalic pads... but I assume they may still be "breaking in" (no pun intended). I think I read somewhere that they may work best when they get heated up. They may not be ideal for frozen conditions though... not sure. But then again how fast can you stop on snow or ice anyway!

Ceramic pads meet or exceed all original equipment standards for durability, stopping distance and noise. According to durability tests, ceramic compounds extend brake life compared to most other semi-metallic and organic materials and outlast other premium pad materials by a significant margin - with no sacrifice in noise control, pad life or braking performance.

Semi-metalic pads may simply excel in "typical" stopping power (for heavier vehicles), but with plenty of trade-offs too.

I'm not towing or hauling a lot of weight... so I figured I'd give them a try. This is my first set. I don't live in the mountains or drive the Autobahn, so I think I'll be fine. Many car companies are using them OEM now... so that sounded good enough to me.

The new braking system is as smooth as glass!

I guess there are always certain trade-offs! I'm hoping to get some good life out of these.
We'll see!

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Here's what one site said about "The Benefits of Ceramic Brake Pads"
http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/pros ... rakes.aspx

"Besides being quieter, ceramic brake pads handle extremely high temperatures with little fade, allowing them to recover quickly and cause less damage to the rotors. Also, when ceramic brake pads wear down, they create a finer, lighter dust than semi-metallic pads, and the dust doesn't stick to wheels. Finally, studies have found that ceramic brake pads have a longer life span without ever sacrificing noise control, rotor life or braking performance.

One con of ceramic brake pads is the cost. Ceramic brake pads tend to be more expensive than semi-metallic pads. Also, ceramic pads aren't suitable for all vehicles (stopping power), so always be sure to check your owner's manual before making a purchase."

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It depends on who you ask as to some of the pros and cons:
http://lamartinaporsche.over-blog.com/a ... 57226.html

 

Ceramics- Pros less dusty, better faded, less noise, all around the better package Cons- There pricey depending on vehicle options.
Semi-Metallic- Pros- they stop the car, mostly the standard brake pad for vehicles. Cons- Noisy when they get hot. brake dust.

The ceramic would have been the better option but since your towing something that no brakes on it. The stopping distances would have to increase because of the added weight the vehicle needs to stop. Best bet go with heavy duty semi metallic or heavy duty ceramics and upgrading the brake fluid to DOT 4. For better higher temperature.

 

The rule of thumb I was taught is simple... if it aint got ceramic from the factory, don't use ceramic.
Semi-Mets work just fine. Astro brakes are a wee skeezy to begin with until 2003 if memory serves. My '03 stops waaaay better than the '99 ever pretended to, and I replaced damn near everything on those brakes (less hydraulics) with no measurable improvement.

 

Astro brakes are a wee skeezy to begin with until 2003 if memory serves

Are you sure about that? My brakes were great before I installed the ceramic pads. It used to slam you to the dash with pressing the pedal just 1 1/2 inches. That's the main reason I bought my van. They seem to be getting a little better after 3 days of stop and go driving in heavy traffic. I have never had ceramic pads take that long to break in but I guess it's possible. I guess I will just run them untill I get ready to take my camping trip then I will switch to the severe duty semi met. pads.

 

I use them now. Best thing I ever tried.

Which ones are you using? The Wagner's?

 

My brakes have always been great. Not Sphleazy or or Striggly and no Frop. I have Wag ceramics.

Lump

 

Well, skeezy (or Sphleazy/ Striggly) brakes are all relative terms I suppose, depends on your point of view. My '99 van stopped a lot like my '92 Wrangler, which is not world renowned for its WOE (or it's GO). I tried both in the Jeep (lighter, smaller) starting with ceramic, but didn't like the fade, so went back to Semi-mets.
My '03 van is like you described about, 1/2" of pedal and you launch through the windshield. I know GM did an upgrade in '03-ish to the brakes when they went to the 6 lug.

Hell, at the end of the day, what matters is if you're happy with what you got. If not, change it.

Lumpy- Isn't brake Frop a simple function of weight to left-handed blinker fluid ratio?

 

...Lumpy- Isn't brake Frop a simple function of weight to left-handed blinker fluid ratio?

It is if you have M5-0.8 Fine thread bolts. If you have M5-0.8 Coarse bolts it's tied in to the flush mediator. At least it's that way on my 89.

Lump

 

hmm.. '89 was the model equipped with the Turbo Encabulator wasn't it?

 

Astro brakes are a wee skeezy to begin with until 2003 if memory serves

Are you sure about that? My brakes were great before I installed the ceramic pads. It used to slam you to the dash with pressing the pedal just 1 1/2 inches. That's the main reason I bought my van. They seem to be getting a little better after 3 days of stop and go driving in heavy traffic. I have never had ceramic pads take that long to break in but I guess it's possible. I guess I will just run them untill I get ready to take my camping trip then I will switch to the severe duty semi met. pads.

I have an '03 Astro AWD and a '01 Safari AWD and there is no comparing the two systems when the '03 is functioning properly... the '03 brakes are far superior.