Lets talk about brake pad styles.

[DavidofColorado]

I just bought some sinter pads but I seen there is a whole lot more kinds like organic, metalic... What is the difference between them?
I googled and nothing.

[DavidofColorado]

Nobody's got anything to say? I guess we don't use brakes.

[D Berns R6]

try the MRA board, you might get a quicker response by some knowledgeable people....

[dattaway]

I never could find any I like. They always seem to clog the dots, scrape the rotor and make it wear quickly, give a warped rotor feeling, and don't last long at all. They always seem to be some kind of soft metal fiber mixture.

I found some asbestos or aramid pad material and epoxy them to the old brake pad plates. Its an uncompressable ceramic fiber and very strong. Much better braking feel and the rotors don't show any wear. And the pads seem to last about 3 or 4 times longer. How well does the epoxy stand up to the heat? The brake fluid may boil under abuse, but hasn't affected the adhesion yet.

[InlineSIX24]

I haven't experimented with different brake pads to know what is best for what you are using it for, but here is some info on the different materials they use:

1. Organic
2. Kevlar
3. Ceramic
4. Feramic
5. Carbon
6. Sintered Iron

Depending on manufacturer specifications, this list also shows the general order of the amount of force the clutch materials can hold.

Organic: Metal-fiber woven into "organic". Known for smooth engagement, long life, broad operating temperature, minimal-to-no break in period. Will take hard use, somewhat intolerant of repeated abuse (will overheat). Will return to almost full operational condition if overheated. Material is dark brown or black with visible metal fibers.

Kevlar: High-durability material more resistant to hard use. Engagement is similar to organic, but may glaze slightly in stop and go traffic, resulting in slippage until worn clean when used hard again. Higher temp range in general, but can be ruined from overheating; will not return to original characteristics if "cooked". Material is uniform yellow/green and may look slightly fuzzy when new.

Ceramic: Very high temperature material. Engagement is more abrupt. Will wear engagement surface faster, especially in traffic situations. Due to it’s intrinsic properties, ceramic has a very high temperature range. Material is any of several light hues - gray, pink, brown.

Feramic: This unique material is one that incorporates graphite and cindered iron. The result is a friction material that offers good friction coefficient, torque capacity, and smoothness of engagement.

Carbon: Very high temperature material. Engagement is more abrupt. Will wear engagement surface faster, especially in traffic situations. Slightly more durable and surface-friendly compared to other aggressive materials. Material is black.

Sintered Iron: Extremely high temperature material. Engagement is extremely harsh and is generally considered an “on/off switch” both due to it’s characteristics and the engagement types this material is generally associated with. It requires a special engagement surface. Material is metallic gray in color.

[TFOGGuys]

Ok...some brake basics:

Ratings: Pads are labeled with 2 friction ratings ranging from E to H (low to high) at 30C and 200C temperatures, thus the designation HH signifying that the pads meet or EXCEED the minimum coefficient of friction to qualify for the H rating at both temperatures (as spec'ed by ASME and SAE).

Pad materials: In motorcycle brakes a variety of pad materials are used, depending on price point, desired performance characteristics, and rotor material. As with most things, compromises are involved.

Organic pads are usually a combination of metallic and aramid fibers suspended in a matrix of organic resins. Metal content varies, as does the friction ratings. They provide a reasonable level of performance at fairly low cost, and are found mostly as an OEM pad on older and/or lower performance bikes, or as a value priced replacement pad for later model bikes where cost is the main concern. They are compatible with a wide variety of rotor materials, including cast iron, and stainless steel.

Sintered pads are made by compressing powdered metal, mixed with other materials, including aramid fibers, carbon, ceramics, anti squeal agents, and heat dispersants, under enormous pressures and high temperatures. This technology was originally developed by Dunlopad in the 1960s to improve the wet braking performance of aircraft. These are the predominant OEM pad for virtually all current production bikes. They offer the best overall performance and durability, albeit at a slightly higher cost than organic pads. Some pads of this type are best suited only to extreme performance applications, and are generally labeled as "race" pads. Some sintered pads are not recommended for use with some rotor materials (like cast iron), so it's best to follow the pad manufacturer's guidelines in this respect.

Carbon/Carbon pads are designed for extreme high performance applications (think MotoGP). They are only effective at temperatures above about 250C, and pretty much useless below that, hence the appearance of brake covers on MotoGP bikes. Typically, they are only used on carbon rotors, are obscenely expensive, and have an extremely short life span.

[DavidofColorado]

I don't know what I have on my bike now, because I haven't looked at them any closer that seeing that they are thin. So the sintered ones that I bought might work well on a ZX9 in most situations like city and canyon carving?
Thanks for the information. I would like to add though that ceramic pads used on my truck have lasted 3 times as long as semi metalic pads that I used before and they don't create as much dust. That and how to prep pads and rotors as well as bleeding installing new components is really all I know about brakes so it was a shock to learn about all the different pads out there. I needed to know more.

[TFOGGuys]

Pretty much any of the street oriented sintered pads will work well on your ZX9, as it came with sintered pads when new. If you are switching to a different brand of pads, it may be of benefit to thoroughly clean your rotors by blasting with glass bead to remove the copper and other pad materials that may have been deposited over time. We can perform this operation for you for a nominal fee if you bring the rotors or front wheel in.

[DavidofColorado]

Thanks, Jim. I will keep you in mind when the weather clears and I have some me time to do this.

[Clarkie]

Carbon/Carbon pads are designed for extreme high performance applications (think MotoGP). They are only effective at temperatures above about 250C, and pretty much useless below that, hence the appearance of brake covers on MotoGP bikes. Typically, they are only used on carbon rotors, are obscenely expensive, and have an extremely short life span.

there is a cross-over pad called the SBS-Dual Carbon which has similar properties to a carbon/carbon setup. the pad will actually leave a coating on the std rotor and this helps the braking, the great thing is that the hotter the pads and rotor get the better the pads work, the bad thing is that unless you get some heat into them they feel very wooden

i wouldnt use them for the street or even just trackdays as you wont generate the heat, but for racing, yea they kick ass. they are the exact same pads that Josh Hayes uses, as well as most of the WSBK paddock, Josh tested the SBS-Sintered pads and went back to the DC pad. The great thing is that they are avaliable through Parts Unlimited from any dealer :)