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Ceramic vs semi-metallic


adallak

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I see much less brake dust on my Brougham rims compared to dust on my 91 Seville rims. The color of the dust is reddish-brownish. The brake pads look shinier compared to ones I am used to (semi-metallic). Can one visually tell the difference between these two types of pads?

I know the brakes came with semi-metallic pads from the factory, but they were replaced in 84.000 miles several times for sure.

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I find that ceramic pads give off much less dust and is easier on your wheels than OEM pads which I believe are metallic. The drawback is that when the ceramic brakes are cold, the stopping power is not as good, until they are warmed up.

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I find that ceramic pads give off much less dust and is easier on your wheels than OEM pads which I believe are metallic. The drawback is that when the ceramic brakes are cold, the stopping power is not as good, until they are warmed up.

Thanks, Mike. Can you tell visually which pads are ceramic? I am just trying to figure out what is installed currently.

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I find that ceramic pads give off much less dust and is easier on your wheels than OEM pads which I believe are metallic. The drawback is that when the ceramic brakes are cold, the stopping power is not as good, until they are warmed up.

Thanks, Mike. Can you tell visually which pads are ceramic? I am just trying to figure out what is installed currently.

You know, I dont know if you can see the difference. The last times I replaced the pads on my Deville, I searched out low dust pads, see this site they appear to all be ceramic pads creating low dust

http://www.brakewarehouse.com/brake_dust.asp

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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I have a stupid question.

Why would brakes be replaced (maybe several times) in 84,000 miles?

My DTS has almost 80,000 on it and is still on the original brakes.

A couple of weeks ago I had the oil cjanged at the dealer and they told me the pads are still at about 40 percent.

My Chevy van has 84,000 miles on it and is also, still on the original brakes.

My 2002 that I sold to my neighbor a couple of years ago, has about 130,000 and is (as far as I know) still on the original brakes.

If he has changed them... I don't know about it.

Just asking............

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I find that ceramic pads give off much less dust and is easier on your wheels than OEM pads which I believe are metallic. The drawback is that when the ceramic brakes are cold, the stopping power is not as good, until they are warmed up.

Thanks, Mike. Can you tell visually which pads are ceramic? I am just trying to figure out what is installed currently.

You know, I dont know if you can see the difference. The last times I replaced the pads on my Deville, I searched out low dust pads, see this site they appear to all be ceramic pads creating low dust

http://www.brakewarehouse.com/brake_dust.asp

Thanks for the link. Yeah, looks like the dealer put some expensive ceramic pads. I cannot see any black brake dust on the rims. The reddish residue might be rust from the rotors.

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent

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I have a stupid question.

Why would brakes be replaced (maybe several times) in 84,000 miles?

My DTS has almost 80,000 on it and is still on the original brakes.

A couple of weeks ago I had the oil cjanged at the dealer and they told me the pads are still at about 40 percent.

My Chevy van has 84,000 miles on it and is also, still on the original brakes.

My 2002 that I sold to my neighbor a couple of years ago, has about 130,000 and is (as far as I know) still on the original brakes.

If he has changed them... I don't know about it.

Just asking............

Wow! Original pads and 80.000 miles. I do not know... I used to replace the front pads on my 91 Seville every 25.000 miles or so... I have also replaced the front rotors three times in 100.000 miles. Never liked the way it stopped though. The Brougham is heavier but stops much faster.

So, you think the pads might be still original? There is a lot of life on them.

The fact there is no black dust on the rims is an indication the pads were replaced at least ones since the car came with semi-metallic pads (at least that's what rockauto.com tells).

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Wow! Original pads and 80.000 miles. I do not know... I used to replace the front pads on my 91 Seville every 25.000 miles or so... Never liked the way it stopped though. The Brougham is heavier but stops much faster. So you think the pads might be still original? There is a lot of life on them.

Just thinking out loud...

They have probably been replaced, at least once.

Time comes into play also...not just miles.

Does it still stop good?

If there is a lot of life still in them...and it stops good... there is no logical reason to replace them.

Of course, if there is a stopping issue... then by all means, replace them...even if they are almost brand new.

Stopping quickly, when needed, is much more important than how much life is left on the brake pads.

If I had any braking issues... I would replace mine in a heartbeat.

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Wow! Original pads and 80.000 miles. I do not know... I used to replace the front pads on my 91 Seville every 25.000 miles or so... Never liked the way it stopped though. The Brougham is heavier but stops much faster. So you think the pads might be still original? There is a lot of life on them.

Just thinking out loud...

They have probably been replaced, at least once.

Time comes into play also...not just miles.

Does it still stop good?

If there is a lot of life still in them...and it stops good... there is no logical reason to replace them.

Of course, if there is a stopping issue... then by all means, replace them...even if they are almost brand new.

Stopping quickly, when needed, is much more important than how much life is left on the brake pads.

If I had any braking issues... I would replace mine in a heartbeat.

They stop well. Just shopping around for stuff. I have learned the hard way you should replace brake pads immediately if car stopped a foot farther than you expected. Next time it is going to stop two feet farther and it may be just too much!

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You have such a light foot Jim, :lol:

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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You know, I was actually going to ask about the difference between semi-metallic and ceramic myself. I had my rotors resurfaced, but I still need new brake pads (one of them is actually missing a small chunk..eekohmy.gif) and am at a loss trying to decide which to buy. Keeping in mind that my ABS doesn't work (2 of the wiring harnesses need to be replaced) which would be a better choice?

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I have a stupid question.

There may be a few stupid questions but your's is not one of those.

Just asking............

It seems to boil down to driving situations and or style.

My driving situation is 90% rural roads and Interstate highways. The last time I serviced my brake pads was 90,000 miles and more than seven years in the past.

Brake pad material is not the dominant variable.

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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You have such a light foot Jim, :lol:

Yeah, Jim knows only the location of gas pedal. Hits the brake pedal accidentally. :)

The saddest thing in life is wasted talent

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You have such a light foot Jim, :lol:

Yeah, Jim knows only the location of gas pedal. Hits the brake pedal accidentally. :)

Something like that. :D :D

I don't want to wear out the brakes if I don't have to. :D

I do tend to let the engine do a fair amount of my slowing down.

I am not one to rush up to a light and then have to stand on my brakes.

In traffic, whenever possible, I try to gauge the traffic flow and not be constantly on my brakes.

And like JimD said in the earlier post... I do a large percentage of my driving in the car on the Interstates.

In the van... I am mostly on the freeways here in the Dallas / Fort Worth area.

I suppose that my type of driving would not be as hard on brakes as someone that drove surface streets all the time and had to stop for 100 red lights a day.

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The other day I was following a huge truck on a VERY hilly road for FIFTEEN miles. The poor driver was from Lincoln, Nebraska and probably did not have any idea how bad the road was ... just followed the GPS, I guess. I like that road for the adrenalin it generates when I make some 50-55 MPH, but following a truck... I probably wore out half of remaining brake pads.

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The other day I was following a huge truck on a VERY hilly road for FIFTEEN miles. The poor driver was from Lincoln, Nebraska and probably did not have any idea how bad the road was ... just followed the GPS, I guess. I like that road for the adrenalin it generates when I make some 50-55 MPH, but following a truck... I probably wore out half of remaining brake pads.

What part of the country are you in?

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The other day I was following a huge truck on a VERY hilly road for FIFTEEN miles. The poor driver was from Lincoln, Nebraska and probably did not have any idea how bad the road was ... just followed the GPS, I guess. I like that road for the adrenalin it generates when I make some 50-55 MPH, but following a truck... I probably wore out half of remaining brake pads.

What part of the country are you in?

I am in Massachusetts.

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How long brakes last all depends on the style of driving and how well the driver anticipates stops. A driver who drives mostly in stop and go city traffic that races to the next red light only to brake hard won't have good life out of brake pads. A driver who drives mostly highway miles will have much longer brake pad life.

I use semi-metallic pads on my cars since that's what they came with from the factory. I'm not comfortable with ceramic pads due to the reason BBF mentioned about them not having as good of stopping power until they're warmed up. Also, there have been reports of uneven buildup on the rotors from ceramics.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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