Hardness is generally related to price, with hard pads "lifetime"
costing more. The cheap pads generally last well over 100k. I have
not seen any poor quality brake pads in decades.
Put the ceramics in if you are racing. Put the cheap ones in if you
are just driving to work or across country. The cheap ones always
work, will dust, and DON'T make you "pucker" various parts of your
body on the first stop on a cold morning. The cheap ones are prone
to fade under hard continued braking, as in racing. I do not
recommend them for track events at MBCA events, or other track
events. That said, the cheap ones do well for everyday driving. If
you live in WA and plan to coast down mountainsides without the
benefit of engine braking, then put in the ceramics, and heed ernests warning.
My R75/5 has the fantabulous "dual leading edge" front brake. IF the
front brake is cold and damp, or if you are riding in the rain , it
has only 2 modes: off and locked up. To counter this you have to
gingerly tap the brake lever as you first start off, riding in a
straight line., then gradually ride the brake harder and more often
until the brake is warm and dry. TO start off otherwise results in
severe road rash. It is a great braking system in the warm and
dry. It also will not hold you much from rolling backwards. That is
a problem in places like Burlington IA, Dubuque, and San Fran. I
made the mistake once of tapping the front brake for the first time
before I had fully straightened up turning onto the road from the
driveway. Went down Smack. One other time, I came over a hill in
the rain to a line of stopped cars on an bridge, grabbed a handfull
of brake and the front locked because it was wet, and the rear slid
out from under me because I had one of those hard badyear sportster
tires on the back. Went down Smack, and was lucky not to get run
over. It was a short time until I had a Metzler tire on the rear. I
always wanted to put a disk brake on the front, but never have. That
experience is one of the reasons why i like softer tires that grip
really well as opposed to hard uniroyals that will wear 100k miles,
but slip if you spit in front of them. I believe soft, grippy tires
are the best insurance you can buy. I like soft grippy brake pads too. YMMV
At 08:32 PM 10/14/2008, you wrote:
i find that it's not how much pads cost that determines their wear
rate and how fast they wear rotors, but their hardness (or lack thereof).
the ceramics are nice in that they don't dust and don't fade as
much under extreme and/or extended braking. downside is that they
*may* wear rotors faster and that they typically need a bit of
initial warm-up time before they begin to 'bite'; that can lead to
some serious pucker-time if your first stop on a cold morning is at
the bottom of a hill,...
cheers!
e
Loren Faeth wrote:
Buy the least expensive pads from McParts. Oreilly, AUtozone,
Advance, and NAPA all have house brand inexpensive pads. I use
NAPA or oreilly. Fronts generally run $16-$20.
Expensive pads wear out your rotors. SO next time, you have to
replace pads and rotors.
Unless you are racing, not much difference in stopping power. The
human factor (reaction time) is much more significant.
At 01:00 PM 10/14/2008, you wrote:
Okay, this will reveal that I an considering going to a McParts (thought I
did try to call Rusty a couple times and he must have been swamped, and I
had to go).
Remind me what the difference is that I will see with ceramic brake pads.
I called the local Schucks (theyre called Checker where I come from). They
offer ceramic for the front at about $60. Otherwise their Professional line
is about $50 for front and $30 something for rear.
Talking about the 87 190D in which the brake light has been coming on, and
the brakes squeal a bit.
Havent made time to pull the wheels and look yet. Hoping mightily that I
havent let them go too long.
Brian
_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Loren Faeth
_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
Loren Faeth
_______________________________________
http://www.okiebenz.com
For new parts see official list sponsor: http://www.buymbparts.com/
For used parts email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to:
http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
