Pad friction material falling apart
Discussion
Any main causes for this ?
Over past few years I've seen it too often, on various cars and with different pad brands. So not going to target any specific make ( although Ferodo have probably been the worst )
The worst being not only pad material breaking up, but entirely removing itself from the steel backing plate.
Many are cars that would not see extreme braking. Some I had thought it was because of laying up over winter, perhaps moisture ingress and freezing was a possible culprit.
But it also happens to cars in regular use and when there has not been such weather.
At the lower end it's just pad material showing signs of cracking, but not yet actually broken up. As said, it isnt specific to one type of pad, disc, vehicle or even usage.
So why are "performance" type pads so readily falling apart in recent years ?
Over past few years I've seen it too often, on various cars and with different pad brands. So not going to target any specific make ( although Ferodo have probably been the worst )
The worst being not only pad material breaking up, but entirely removing itself from the steel backing plate.
Many are cars that would not see extreme braking. Some I had thought it was because of laying up over winter, perhaps moisture ingress and freezing was a possible culprit.
But it also happens to cars in regular use and when there has not been such weather.
At the lower end it's just pad material showing signs of cracking, but not yet actually broken up. As said, it isnt specific to one type of pad, disc, vehicle or even usage.
So why are "performance" type pads so readily falling apart in recent years ?
Good question, I can only offer up 'poor quality' as an answer.
I remember pulling up outside someones house in a used car i'd bought, it may have been sat around for a while before I got it. I went for reverse and heard a clunk, as I carried on going backwards most or the whole friction part of the front pad came into view laid on the road....
I remember pulling up outside someones house in a used car i'd bought, it may have been sat around for a while before I got it. I went for reverse and heard a clunk, as I carried on going backwards most or the whole friction part of the front pad came into view laid on the road....
I'm nearly tempted to go back to an old tried and tested Mintex 1144/1155 type pad. Certainly a decade or more ago, I never recall such issues happening with those.
Today....maybe silly EU rules or something dont allow them to glue the pads together correctly or something ? Pads that fall apart must be safer lol
Today....maybe silly EU rules or something dont allow them to glue the pads together correctly or something ? Pads that fall apart must be safer lol
I've had it happen to cheapo "direct" pads (maccess own brand i think?) and a fake set of mintex pads with no holo sticker and the fitting instructions sheet was in typical bad linglish 
Not a problem i've had with decent pads except for one set where the car had been through a small flood so could it possably be an issue with hot pads through a puddle?, maybe a ford (as in a river crossing not the car maker), 99% of my customers want the cheapest job possable so i get to see some really cr@p pads, you know the type, 5 mins with each pad on the bench grinder so they actually fit ! but they tend to wear in a year rather than fall appart, maybe they dont have the time to fall appart ?
Not a problem i've had with decent pads except for one set where the car had been through a small flood so could it possably be an issue with hot pads through a puddle?, maybe a ford (as in a river crossing not the car maker), 99% of my customers want the cheapest job possable so i get to see some really cr@p pads, you know the type, 5 mins with each pad on the bench grinder so they actually fit ! but they tend to wear in a year rather than fall appart, maybe they dont have the time to fall appart ?
It isnt really a problem I've seen with cheap pads, OEM replacements and that type of pad.
By far the worst have been DS2500's, but for a long time they were about the most common performance pad around anyway. So with more out there, likely to see more problems.
But I've also had it with AP, CL, PF. So it is not a unique phenomenon to one brand, car, disc type etc etc
On some as said, I could make the excuse yes they did see extreme usage...but then they're competition pads, of course they'll see hard usage ! lol
Others you could make the excuse the car had been lying up all winter outside and perhaps moisture was a cause. Lots of potential excuses...few real answers though
But it is not something that should ever happen, and even more so not to the extreme the entire pad material removes itself from the steel backing.
By far the worst have been DS2500's, but for a long time they were about the most common performance pad around anyway. So with more out there, likely to see more problems.
But I've also had it with AP, CL, PF. So it is not a unique phenomenon to one brand, car, disc type etc etc
On some as said, I could make the excuse yes they did see extreme usage...but then they're competition pads, of course they'll see hard usage ! lol
Others you could make the excuse the car had been lying up all winter outside and perhaps moisture was a cause. Lots of potential excuses...few real answers though
But it is not something that should ever happen, and even more so not to the extreme the entire pad material removes itself from the steel backing.
I've seen it happen when the pad backing plate can't move in the caliper / carrier properly and the caliper piston distorts the backing plate slightly.
Apart from that it's only ever been down to moisture and not moving for a length of time.
I'm on my second set of DS2500s, I've not noticed them falling apart at all, but most damp mornings they release from the discs with a 'clunk'.
I'm guessing high metal content compared with some other pads..?
Apart from that it's only ever been down to moisture and not moving for a length of time.
I'm on my second set of DS2500s, I've not noticed them falling apart at all, but most damp mornings they release from the discs with a 'clunk'.
I'm guessing high metal content compared with some other pads..?
Edited by Martin350 on Tuesday 3rd January 15:08
Martin350 said:
I've seen it happen when the pad backing plate can't move in the caliper / carrier properly and the caliper piston distorts the backing plate slightly.
Apart from that it's only ever been down to moisture and not moving for a length of time.
I'm on my second set of DS2500s, I've not noticed them falling apart at all, but most damp mornings they release from the discs with a 'clunk'.
I'm guessing high metal content compared with some other pads..?
Performance type pads can have a habit of rusting/sticking to the disc like you describe. Not a big deal I think. Some pads do seem to have quite high metal contents if you try a magnet on them.Apart from that it's only ever been down to moisture and not moving for a length of time.
I'm on my second set of DS2500s, I've not noticed them falling apart at all, but most damp mornings they release from the discs with a 'clunk'.
I'm guessing high metal content compared with some other pads..?
Edited by Martin350 on Tuesday 3rd January 15:08
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