--- title: "How To Pick the Right Brake Pads for Your Car" description: "When you're brake pad shopping, you'll see a few different options for materials. Here's how to pick which one you need." date: "2022-05-20" modified: "2024-05-21" authors: - name: "Kevin Williams" job_title: "Contributor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kevin-williams" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/guides-and-gear/which-brake-pads-should-i-get-your-options-explained" categories: - "Car Parts" - "Cars 101" - "The Garage" tags: - "commerce" - "maintenance" - "NoAds" --- # How To Pick the Right Brake Pads for Your Car ![Honda Civic with ceramic brake pad.]() *\Andrew P. Collins\* I’m not so good at shopping for technology. Even the computer I’m typing this thing on was on recommendation from my tech-obsessed roommate. I did little to no research because I didn’t know what the hell anything meant. Suddenly, I understood how normies feel when shopping for cars or car parts. Brake pads, for example, you'll often see different versions of at different prices for the same car. There’s a lot of lingo and vocabulary that describes and categorizes complex auto parts and systems, and it’s hard to parse out what any of that gobbledygook means. Even the most hardened and knowledgeable of car folks can be intimidated by something that should be simple, like brakes. Brake pads come in a variety of flavors, and it can be confusing to figure out what each material is, what they do, and what is right for the car’s needs. Let me help you out by breaking down pads into material types and providing some context on what's what. ## Organic **Cost**: $ **Pros**: Cheap, quiet **Cons**: Reduced stopping abilities, longevity Organic pads can be found as Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) equipment on many mainstream cars. Organic pads are made of, you guessed it, naturally-derived materials like rubber, glass, kevlar, or silica. They’re cheap and they’re quiet, but honestly not good for much else. They’re not so good at stopping, and they don’t last all that long. In my experience, it’s nigh impossible to find an organic replacement for most aftermarket pad replacements. Sometimes, organic pads might be called NAO pads, or Non-Asbestos Organic pads because they’re no longer made with asbestos like they were in the past. ## Semi-Metallic Cost: $ to $$ **Pros**: Stopping power upgrade over organic pads, still very cost effective **Cons**: Noisest of three types, can generate dark dust Semi-metallic pads are the ubiquitous choice in brake pad replacement. The pad, made up of metals like copper, steel, and other metals, are held together by graphite and work a lot better than the organic-type pads. Still, semi-metallic pads tend to make more noise than organic and ceramic-type pads. Also, this pad type works best when the pad is somewhat warm, so stopping distances might not be ideal when the weather and brakes are cold. The pads themselves tend to generate more dust than the other types, too. They’re cheap, though. ## Ceramic **Cost**: $$ to $$$ **Pros**: Quiet, low dust, durable **Cons**: Not always great for performance driving, most expensive Ceramic pads are made of a hardened-clay material, actually not unlike what comprises any sort of kitchen dishware. These pads are strong, quiet, dissipate heat well, are light, and generate a lot less dust than the organic or semi-metallic type. These pads are also pricey, and some insist that they aren’t the best for performance driving either, because they’re not so good at absorbing heat. That heat can be transferred to the rest of the braking system and prematurely stress things out. Still, things are not all cut and dry. Some manufacturers use proprietary blends of materials to offset the inherent problems of a particular type. For example, the aftermarket brakes on my [Fiat 500 Abarth]() use a complicated carbon-fiber ceramic mix that provides way more braking power than a metallic pad, but they still have that strength and low-dust quality that ceramic pads provide. ## Brake Pad Friction Ratings In an effort to quantify things less subjectively, each set of brake pads comes with a special number and letter from the DOT (Department of Transportation) that signifies its technical mechanical stopping abilities. These numbers, or letters rather, will be represented via a two-letter code. The first letter stands for the brake pad’s cold performance, and the second letter is for the brake pad’s warm performance. The lowest performance rating is “C”, so a brake pad rated for GG would have superior warm and cold performance compared to one rated at DE. Unfortunately, these numbers aren’t always the easiest to find on the box or via online shopping. They’re pressed on the brake pad itself. ## So Which Brake Pads Should I Use? This list can give a great start to even the most clueless of brake buyers out there. There are definite pros and cons to each, so think about the type of driving you do, and the budget you have, and pick accordingly. A spirited driver on a budget might be more suited for an aggressive semi-metallic pad. A car that’s mostly used for daily driving would likely be best served with a long-lasting, quiet, and low-maintenance ceramic pad. ## Video I get it, reading is hard. Therefore, let the good folks at our sister site Donut Media explain how the hell this all works. https://youtu.be/mFOYEBxnLxc ## FAQs About Brake Pads We want to try to answer any questions you have before you start the job. We’ve selected common points of confusion from our experience, as well as commonly asked questions from popular search results. We answered those questions below. ## Learn More About Brake Pads If we piqued your curiosity or didn't quite answer your brake pad question here, check out some of these related posts: **[How To Replace Brake Pads]()**: A straightforward explainer you'll want to consult before starting the job. **[Best Brake Pads for Performance and Safety]()**: A hands-on test *The Drive* executed comparing a few different specific brake pads. [**How Long Do Brake Pads Last?**](): A little more insight on how much life to expect out of various brake pad types. **Brake Pad Replacement Cost**: The Drive’s Garage Guide: A Budget-focused breakdown. **[How and When Should I Replace My Brake Rotors]()**: If you're replacing pads, it's worth thinking about rotors too! Sometimes you can get away with leaving them alone, or having them re-machined before buying a new set. ## Author Kevin Williams is a contributor at The Drive. He writes, researches, and produces off-kilter, less-traveled car content, usually about weird or a bit unloved cars from not so long ago. He lives in Columbus, Ohio. Alone. By himself. No spouse. No animals. (He is allergic to most domestic animals.) ### Author social links [Instagram]() [Twitter]()