The metal brake pad is sintered metal.
The sintered brake pad gets its name from the process of manufacture, from which it is made. They are mainly made from powdered metal that is placed in a furnace and heated to a temperature below its melting point, 1000°. Pressure is applied, and the metal particles adhere to each other. The finished product is porous and has what I like to call “nooks and crannies.”
This makes them different from organic or resin brake pads, which are made of petroleum composite materials
Metal Brake Pads no need to run in.
The sintered brake pad has the advantage on not needing to be run in, there are ready to use contrarily to organic brake pads, which need deglazing.
Glazing of brake pads is a phenomenon specific to the organic brake pads.
This phenomenon is created, by the reorganisation of the chemical elements that they are made up of. A phenomenon, which, can be avoided by a careful running in to stabilise the corposants of the resin.
Setting up metal against metal
The running in of a metal brake pad has a very different objective, the phenomenon of glazing doesn’t exist. In this case, it consists of making sure that the brake pad marries correctly to the disk if the brake disk isn’t new, to make sure there is the maximum contact between the two. Therefore, during the running in period, the braking will quickly get better obtaining an optimum braking after some tries.
The heating process, an integral part of the formula
In both organic and metallic brake pads, the petrol products in one case, and the compacted powders in the other, the pad must be fused by heat. The major difference between these two products are the heating temperatures. An organic brake pad is heated up to temperatures between 200° and 300°, whereas the metal brake pads have to be heated up to temperature around 1000°C. These high temperatures in the fabrication have a long lasting effect as certain braking can obtain temperatures of more than 200°c. The organic in this case will degrade quickly as in the metallic is still in its comfort zone.
Metallic is more expensive
The process of powder metallurgy from different types of metals and alloys including aluminium, copper, bronze, nickel, brass, steel, stainless steel, nickel and titanium. Moreover, the fact the furnace is heated to a temperature of 1000°. Means that the metal brake pad is more expensive. However, they are still competitive compared to the organic brake pads, which are made of chemical products, which are cheaper and heated at lower temperatures.
Other than, the fact that it is impossible to glaze the pads, and the stability of the pads at high braking temperatures and the durability is tenfold, the braking quality is more stable in the long-term and in all conditions. In the rain and the mud the brake pad degrades less quickly and the braking stays good, maybe they could be a little noisier
How to tell the difference between a metal and an organic brake pad ?
The metal support and the garniture are fused together in the sinter process, for the metal pads the metal support of the brake pad is covered with a metal coating by electrolyze; Brake Authority work with a copper base, the metal support is therefore copper colour.
For an organic brake pad, the resin is glued, there is no metal covering on the support so prone to rust.
To avoid this, this is why organic brake pads are painted, so we find supports of all colours. The garniture of an organic brake pad is black whereas for a metal on it is shinny pink or sliver.
And the semi-metallic, the in-between?
The semi metallic brake pad is essentially an organic brake pad, therefore with a major party of its proprieties. The difference being that iron particles, have been introduced in the mixture to make them more resistant to high temperatures.
Synthesis
| Brake Authority Metal Brake Pads | Organic Brake Pads | |
| Made in | France | Asia |
| Raw materials | Powdered Metals | Petrol |
| Purchase Price |  |  |
| Value for money |  |  |
| Sustainability/Price Ratio | |  |
| Rick of Glazing | no | yes |
| High Temperature Performance | | |