Brake Pads: Sintered or Semi Metallic?

[slo1]

I need to get some replacement brake pads for my bike. I am curious as to the difference between sintered and semi metallic?

 

[afm199]

None. Sintered means there is some metallic compound in them.

 

[slo1]

Wow ok... I totally thought they were two
different things...

 

[afm199]

No, there are pads called "organic" for instance Galfer green, that are sometimes used, but I recommend semi metalic (HH) pads.

 

[budbandit]

I typically run the HH pads as well, one caveat being that wet braking can gnaw donkey root in some applications.

 

[kurbycar32]

HH sintered pads will stop better. i run galfer greens myself; they seem to treat rotors better, last longer and still provide great braking power. my bike is super hard to find rotors for though.. i dont think you can go wrong either way but i guess it depends on your riding style.

 

[Strokin' It]

No, there are pads called "organic" for instance Galfer green, that are sometimes used, but I recommend semi metalic (HH) pads.

Actually, Semi-metallic and sintered pads are not the same. "Organic" pads and semi-metallics pads are made of compounds of a few different materials. Many times carbon, kevlar, resins, and metallic compounds. They are the most street friendly pads since they don't need to come to higher operating temps to grab hard and work better than sintered pads when they are wet. The downside is that they can create a lot of dust and will fade much faster than a sintered pad will.

Reference from Vesrah

Sintered pads (sometimes designated as HH pads) are composed of mostly copper along with tin, carbon and other compounds. The upside to sintered pads is that they will take the most abuse and heat with less chance of fading than a semi-metallic pad. The downside is that when they are cold, like in the morning, you won't really have maximum grabbing power until they heat up and can be a little sqeeky sometimes. No big deal if you think when you ride. Of course, there are different grades of sintered pads made by many mfgs. and some aren't recommended for street use....

More Vesrah Sintered Reference
Brake FAQ from Ferodo
Sintered vs. Organic from Ferrodo

Hope that helps...

-joe

 

[OaklandF4i]

Think about the type of riding you do. If you commute everyday rain or shine the organic non sintered type pads are far superior. There is nothing worse than riding in heavy rain in traffic and your pads arent up to temp to provide instant stopping power. If you dont commute in the rain... its not an issue.

 

[Chim Chim]

FWIW I'm happy with my Galfer Greens, decent power feel etc. Now if I can only get them to stop sqeaking...

 

[kurbycar32]

theres goo that goes on the back side of the pad, mates up to the actuall caliper. you can get a little packet of it at kragen for like a dollar. makes squeeking go away

i too, love my galfer greens

 

[JimE]

Galfer greens on the street machine and Galfer HH on the track machine have worked great for me. The greens do squeek but I tolerate it for the performance. Good idea on the pad goo or backing material. I'm gonna try that....