Top 15 brake pad manufacturers

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Brake pads are an important part of the undercarriage that allows you to slow down a vehicle by regulating the contact force against the brake drum or disc and creating additional resistance on the shaft. The correct choice of this consumable depends not only on the operating parameters of braking, but also on the safety of the driver himself.

The constant demand for brake pads has provoked an exorbitant increase in the number of manufacturing companies producing the product for all price segments (from budget to premium). It becomes almost impossible to decide on the choice of one single and good model here, and consumers have to determine the quality of consumables empirically. To minimize the risk of purchasing a substandard product, the magazine's team has selected 15 of the best brake shoe manufacturers for you, whose products are recommended by a wide range of experts and experienced car owners.

How to choose brake pads

The specifics of choosing high-quality brake pads is to determine six main parameters that will help you find a high-quality, original product and identify it among low-grade fakes:

1. Preferred driving zones. At the first stage, it is very important to clearly understand where and under what conditions your car will be operated: in mountainous, hilly or flat areas, in a warm or mostly cold climate, with high humidity or aridity. It is also important to understand your own requirements for quality and comfort of use, for which you need to take into account the specifics of your own driving style (measured or aggressive driving), as well as whether you agree to put up with small squeaks of the pads during operation.
2. Shoe type. When the first stage no longer raises personal questions, you should proceed to the selection of the type of brake pads. All of them are divided into four separate groups:
3. Semi-metallic (composite) – pads, the composition of which includes up to 65% of metal powder (iron or copper) mixed with graphite, inorganic materials and friction modifiers as a binder. They are distinguished by a high degree of durability, but at the same time, increased wear, noise and instability at low temperatures. They are optimal for everyday tasks, but under high loads (driving in mountains or towing a trailer) they will be ineffective.
4. Organic (nonasbestos) – brake pads based on rubber, glass, carbon fiber or kevlar fibers. They use a high-temperature resin as a binder that can withstand significant thermal drops. Such pads are very soft when braking, they make less noise, but at the same time they give a lot of dust and wear out quickly. It is advisable to use them as a 'light' replacement for semi-metallic models.
5. Metallic – very rough and expensive brake pads, which are highly effective when braking in difficult conditions. They have a serious negative effect on the metal of the brake drum or discs, developing their resource together with their own. However, they will be indispensable wherever heavy towing work is required or the climate does not allow the use of other types of pads.
6. Ceramic – even more expensive, but the most wear-resistant pads at the moment. Designed specifically for brakes operating in abnormally high temperatures, they come straight from motorsport to the market.
7. Cost. Unlike a number of other spare parts, in the segment of brake pads this parameter depends on the delivery category. The first category belongs to products that go straight to the conveyors of car manufacturers (the so-called O.E.). The second is for those who export products to the retail market (aftermarket). The third, and the cheapest, are developed according to the standards of the country where they are planned to be delivered. Defining such pads is easy – just look at the specification and see what standards the company relied on when developing them.
8. Working temperature indicator. An important criterion, information about which is set out in an accessible form in the instructions accompanying the product. In general, pads are suitable for driving on a city or highway (highways), the operating temperature of which will be in the range of 250-350 ° C. But for the normal operation of sports cars, you should choose brake pads that can withstand 800 ° C.
9. If you are a driver of an ordinary sedan or a family hatchback, then you should not spend money and purchase pads for sports cars. Yes, the durability of such models is much higher than the standard, but the performance characteristics, sharpened for difficult operating conditions, are unlikely to fully manifest themselves.
10. Friction coefficient. A criterion that strongly influences the braking dynamics and depends on the quality of the pad manufacture. So, for pads of standard production, the coefficient of friction can be equal to 0.3-0.5; for quality (O.E.) – 0.35-0.5; for the aftermarket segment – 0.25-0.35. In general, the higher the number, the better, however, in the event of overheating, a pad with a high coefficient of friction will recover much longer.
11. Lack of mechanical damage to the pads, appearance and packaging. The purchased product must not have obvious technical defects, such as chips, cracks, bruises and bends of the metal part, as well as defects in the friction linings. The same applies to the packaging box, the neatness of which should reflect the very essence of purchasing a quality product. In addition, it must contain the ECE R90 conformity mark, and inside, in addition to the shoe itself, it must contain accompanying documentation (instructions, invoice, etc.).

Rating of the best manufacturers of brake pads

Nomination	a place	manufacturer	rating
The best brake pad manufacturers for aggressive driving	1	ATe	4.9
	2	Brembo	4.8
	3	Otto Zimmermann	4.8
	4	Ferodo	4.7
The best manufacturers of brake pads in terms of price / quality ratio	1	TRW	4.9
	2	Akebono	4.8
	3	Jurid / Bendix	4.8
	4	Sangshin	4.7
	5	Hella pagid	4.7
	6	Allied nippon	4.7
	7	TEXTAR	4.6
	8	Nisshinbo	4.5
Best low cost brake pad manufacturers	1	STS	4.7
	2	ROSDOT	4.4
	3	EZATI	4.1

The best brake pad manufacturers for aggressive driving

ATe

Rating: 4.9

The first place in the rating goes to the old German company ATE, whose history began back in 1958. However, during this time, the concept of releasing brake equipment has not changed much: with the inherent desire to create everything perfect, the Germans continue to develop (the company is constantly at the development stage) their own technical and technological capabilities. It turns out well: at least in Russia, consumers liked their pads.

ATE's strong commitment to titanium, chromium, nickel and cobalt alloyed cemented carbides is what distinguishes it from other companies. In some cases, this could lead to very rapid wear of the brake discs, however, German engineers have foreseen this nuance as well, having worked out the friction pair optimally to reduce the intensity of abrasive wear. But, perhaps, the most important representative of the company is still the line of ceramic pads, released specifically for installation on sports cars and premium cars.

Advantages

• compliance with the canons of quality production;
• methodical introduction of new technologies into manufacturing processes;
• supply of pads and brake discs for car brands of budget and premium segments;
• excellent performance.

disadvantages

• not detected.

Brembo

Rating: 4.8

The only representative of Italy in the ranking specializing in the development of brake pads and discs for elite sports and industrial sports cars. It is the title supplier of consumables for Ferrari production lines.

It is reliably known that at the time of this writing, the Brembo pads catalog contained more than 1.5 thousand models that passed homologation according to ECE R90 – the main world quality standard. Almost half of the developments in this collection fit into the aggressive driving style, but we will dwell on the fresh Brembo Xtra concept in more detail. The fact is that these pads were made specifically for sports lovers while maintaining comfort and safety. The friction linings are based on BRM X L01 composite material, containing 30 components, thoroughly tested for compatibility in operation. The result of such a combination was the minimum dust separation, a high coefficient of friction, and with it, resistance to early wear (such pads will be enough for 150 thousand kilometers).

Advantages

• emphasis on the development of braking equipment parts for the sports segment and the accompanying aggressive driving;
• over 1500 pads homologated to ECE R 90;
• a good competitive advantage due to tremendous experience and the introduction of bold concepts into production;
• very high quality standards.

disadvantages

• not found.

Otto Zimmermann

Rating: 4.8

One of only two German representatives in the category, whose brake pads are prepared for tough testing in difficult terrain and high operating speeds. Otto Zimmermann is a premium manufacturer of braking equipment that supplies conveyors (for example, Volkswagen Group) to the retail market in more than 60 countries.

Since the speech in this category concerns specifically aggressive driving conditions, we will single out two most suitable groups of developed pads:

1. for Zimmermann Sport discs – wear-resistant semi-metallic and metal models with a low level of dust formation and maintaining the friction coefficient (0.4-0.5) when overheated.
2. under bimetallic lightweight discs Zimmermann Fusion / Formula – soft in their action, but very tenacious pads based on ceramic or metal.

The development of new concepts from OZ is in full swing – the geometric parameters of the friction clutches, segmentation, as well as the liner formula are being improved, going towards durable composites. the only problem with the entire range of the German company is the high price. However, this is not a pity for quality and safety.

Advantages

• fine-tuning of production for the creation of wear-resistant disc / pad pairs;
• several series focused on aggressive driving style and difficult conditions;
• a global approach to quality assurance (control at all stages of preparation);
• intensive work on the modernization of the model range;
• very long service life of consumables.

disadvantages

• high price.

Ferodo

Rating: 4.7

A very popular British company in Russia, which has established mutually beneficial cooperation with leading companies in the development of brake equipment. He is an active initiator of research in the field of wear resistance of pads, the result of which about 8 years ago was the creation of a friction material, unique in its structure. Implemented in subsequent prototypes, it has shown exceptionally good results, allowing for a 50% increase in the life of basic configuration products.

Oddly enough, but the pads from Ferodo are regarded by consumers as an inexpensive product, even though the company belongs to the premium segment. Combined with excellent braking performance, price is the main driving force behind the purchase, and very often British consumables replace (seems to be optimal) factory ones.

Advantages

• ensuring operational quality control with mandatory stress tests for each finished batch;
• a unique and upgradable friction compound that extends the life of the elements by 50%;
• multi-level boxing protection, which allows you to easily identify a fake;
• acceptable prices.

disadvantages

• not found.

The best manufacturers of brake pads in terms of price / quality ratio

TRW

Rating: 4.9

American corporation TRW, operating in Russia and Europe under the Lucas brand. Its feature, as well as its most important advantage, is its adherence to classic production methods with step-by-step quality control, which naturally affects the brake pads and their performance.

In TRW's R&D departments, engineers are dedicated to pinpoint the weakest performance, regardless of whether they are affected by the configuration or geometry of the friction plates, the composition of the working mixture, or any flaws in the metal. According to consumers, all of the most popular pads from the American company (and the original factory) show surprisingly even results in terms of wear in service. Their working life is limited by division into segments, and reaches a maximum of 80-100 thousand kilometers without a drop in efficiency. But the main nuance is that the quality indicators of the pads strongly depend on the country of manufacture, since the corporation's factories are scattered around the world. This explains the negative reviews and ongoing discussions, which, however, does not negate the fact that TRW is cool.

Advantages

• excellent performance of original pads;
• cooperation of the company with the giants of the automotive industry, including sports;
• reasonable prices for the assortment of goods;
• introduction of DTec technology, which significantly reduces dust formation;
• active 'spot' development of new models of pads.

disadvantages

• the quality of consumables depends on the country of production.

Akebono

Rating: 4.8

A premium brand with high product prices, the main advantage of which is excellent performance regardless of the brake pad model. At the user's choice, absolutely any configurations of the working part and compositions of friction linings: organic matter, composite, solid metal or ceramics, as well as intermediate 'reinforced' formulas.

All this splendor, although it is distinguished by its high cost, is, however, placed once and for an extremely long period. Particularly thrifty car owners say that one pair of pads from Akebono (composite) can be enough for 50 thousand kilometers … and ceramic ones pass all 200, however, for this you need to try hard. Perhaps the last and most important advantage of Japanese pads is the constant growth of technologies used for their manufacture. You can always find more detailed information on the official website, we can only conclude: Akebono definitely deserves such a high place in the rating.

Advantages

• a huge range of pads for more than 50 car brands;
• a good supply of a working resource (up to 200 thousand kilometers with lean use);
• generally low dust emission and good thermal stability of the product;
• high price, leveled by quality.

disadvantages

• not found.

Jurid / Bendix

Rating: 4.8

Combined divisions of Honeywell Inc., responsible for the production of other braking equipment. It is noteworthy that in this union, the Jurid company is responsible for the premium samples of the pads, and the budget segment, even if it is produced under the first brand, is produced at the Bendix factories. This little nuance can significantly spoil the mood of inexperienced and unobservant consumers, since all the difference is expressed in the last letters of the product designation.

In principle, in their class, the pads have fairly even and stable characteristics, without any incomprehensible and sharp drops in braking parameters. Premium ones honestly work for 60-100 thousand kilometers, and cheap ones from Bendix (subject to careful and unhurried driving) can live 10-30 thousand. Considering the cost of the acquisition, this is not such a bad option for buying, which is often used by ordinary users.

Advantages

• uniform quality in all segments;
• in the presence of a model for various driving conditions – from organic to ceramic;
• attractive price;
• high indicators of wear resistance and reliability of various models.

disadvantages

• both companies produce pads under the auspices of Jurid – the difference between the premium and budget series consists only in the last letters of the marking.

Sangshin

Rating: 4.7

A large manufacturer from South Korea, the most popular in the range of which are rear disc pads. It is a premium manufacturer and is in good standing of both the consumer segment and large automotive concerns.

Sangshin loves to experiment with their own products and often improves them by adding (for example) additional dust-removing grooves, or fine-tuning the composition of the friction lining. The last update of the series was the technology of Kevlar reinforcement of the metal and organic base, which made it possible to significantly improve the wear resistance of the pads and extend their service life up to 100 thousand kilometers (for example, Sangsin Brake HP1399). In addition, in the assortment of Koreans, you can find premium series products made of ceramics, suitable for harsh operating conditions. Consumers like the high quality of the assortment, and they are also quite satisfied with the price – in terms of quality, the benefits are enormous.

Advantages

• a very popular brand in Russia;
• several product lines (standard, premium, premium kevlar, etc.);
• high reliability of brake pads (proper braking even in a hot state);
• durability and wear resistance of the range at a high level.

disadvantages

• not found.

Hella pagid

Rating: 4.7

Hella Pagid Brake Systems is a nominally German company that has given its products for production to China; it takes the consumer in mass, rather than incredible indicators of quality and durability. The range of this company includes over 23 thousand brake pads for various car brands, recreated using more than 50 different patented formulas. As the official website says, such a variety in terms of the composition of the friction part allows you to cover all the features of individual car brands, including the climatic features of their use.

Together with the formulation, Hella Pagid is actively experimenting with the shape of the part interacting with the disc, shortening the lapping time to achieve nominal performance as quickly as possible. A very important plus, from the point of view of experts, is the fact that each batch undergoes a thorough quality control by arranging stress tests, in which the pads are tested for 1 thousand hours or are loaded at 200 thousand miles of run. It becomes obvious that the company is committed to ensuring safety, and for this alone it already deserves inclusion in the rating.

Advantages

• total quality control after the final stage of production;
• more than 23 thousand pads in stock;
• low prices and optimal performance.

disadvantages

• all production is concentrated in China.

Allied nippon

Rating: 4.7

The largest Japanese manufacturer of brake pads, actively supplying the world market with spare parts for hundreds of different car brands. Despite, in general, excellent results of passing functional and various stress tests, Allied Nippon brake discs and pads are not widely used in the domestic retail market, however, they can be ordered in almost any catalog.

According to experts, most of the assortment of the Japanese company is tailored for city driving, which is characterized by constant acceleration and deceleration when driving in a stream. Until recently, the main disadvantage of their pads was rapid wear (50-60 thousand kilometers), as well as intense dusting. The situation was eliminated by using a new composite material for the friction blocks – ferrocarbon – which made it possible to maintain the braking performance at the same level, but significantly increase the mileage on one pair of pads. Until now, the company has been able to use this technology, but with the activation of competitors and the proposal of conceptually new solutions to braking problems, the Japanese may be out of the lead race.

Advantages

• a wide range of pads for various car brands;
• sharpening to ensure reliable braking when driving around the city and on free routes;
• availability of urban and sports lines of brake pads;
• use of efficient technology of ferrocarbon friction material.

disadvantages

• low prevalence in the retail market.

TEXTAR

Rating: 4.6

The production company Textar, part of the TMD Friction group, was founded in 1913, and for more than one century of history has managed to collaborate with the best car manufacturers around the world: from Ferrari to Mercedes – Benz and premium representatives of the VAG group ( Lamborghini, Porsche etc.). Thanks to its own research laboratory, the German grand is on the path of continuous improvement of manufacturing technologies, presenting more and more new concepts to the market to ensure more precise braking.

In particular, recent developments at Textar have focused on reducing dust and noise emissions, and have included changes in the geometry of the friction plates, work on the composition and even variations of the iron body. The rework of the latter, by the way, gave the world lightweight EPAD model pads aimed at increasing fuel economy. Yes, the cost of the company's products is far from the budget, but due to the high quality of manufacturing and constant improvement, it is completely leveled, giving consumers a lot of positive emotions.

Advantages

• cooperation with all leading car manufacturers in Germany (Volkswagen, Mercedes, BMW);
• continuous improvement of production technologies;
• excellent performance;
• more than 100 years of experience in the braking equipment segment.

disadvantages

• not found.

Nisshinbo

Rating: 4.5

Japanese manufacturer of 'premium' class whose products have a commensurate price-performance ratio. It actively cooperates with the British company Ferodo, partially borrowing friction lining technology for the versatility of the behavior of the pads under various riding conditions. In turn, the reverse course (from Nisshinbo to the British) is the methods of assembling sports braking elements focused on the most severe operating conditions.

The result of this mutually beneficial collaboration is obvious: consumers speak highly of the braking performance of Nisshinbo pads, even after a good warm-up. Reliable adhesion of the clutch to the disc is ensured even after 8-10 brakes, which indicates high safety standards. It is noteworthy that the grinding in of the pads is slow, and may require up to 4-5 thousand kilometers. But a small drawback in the line of the Japanese brand, judging by the reviews of the same consumers, is the aesthetic moment. The overwhelming majority of products generate a lot of dust, which negatively affects the cleanliness of the brake disc – however, safety issues in this case still come to the fore, and this should be taken into account.

Advantages

• high and even quality of products in the entire range;
• mutually beneficial cooperation with Ferodo;
• separate lines of standard and sports pads;
• do not contribute to wear of brake discs.

disadvantages

• a lot of dust.

Best low cost brake pad manufacturers

STS

Rating: 4.7

The leader in the category of budget manufacturers of brake pads is another Russian company that actively cooperates with German masters of the production of brake equipment. The situation of this brand is very similar to ROSDOT, however, both qualitatively and quantitatively STS outperforms its direct competitor without any problems.

The situation is further reinforced by the fact that EST is trying to bring its products to the level of European standards in order to start supplying processes to the corresponding market segment. At the moment, the company is actively cooperating with PJSC AvtoVAZ and other representatives of the alliance, not forgetting to throw off some of the pads in retail. There, by the way, comes the product for the Korean and Japanese car industry (in addition to Nissan and Mitsubishi), as well as a large number of pads suitable for old models of German brands. Consumers are actively advising to purchase products from STS, speaking about good parameters of durability, wear resistance and the attendant low price.

Advantages

• pads are actively being pulled up to the level of European quality standards;
• the highest indicators of wear resistance and durability of work among competitors;
• optimal cost level;
• a large number of supported car brands and models.

disadvantages

• not identified.

ROSDOT

Rating: 4.4

The second line of the rating goes to ROSDOT, which produces brake pads for VAZ cars and production alliance partners (Renault and Nissan). It is highly popular with domestic consumers due to its low cost, as well as good braking performance even in a hot state.

The high quality of the product of the Russian company is the merit of technologies borrowed from more competent European colleagues in the workshop. So, from the Italians ROSDOT got a unique composition of the friction layer, which retains the wear resistance indicators of the level of semi-metallic (or even metal) pads, but gives much less noise and dust. In addition, it also allows you to significantly reduce vibrations without destruction, as well as resist the appearance of resonance at certain speeds and modes of car movement on the road. Unfortunately, in a number of other aspects, the company did not succeed too much – the classic models of the pads, according to experts, have completely different performance indicators, and can fail, simply not withstanding even the rated operating loads.

Advantages

• gradual transition to high-tech production;
• borrowing the developments of friendly companies, focusing on improving the quality of a new product;
• maintaining an attractive price across the entire product range;
• usually fast lapping pads.

disadvantages

• extremely unstable product quality in the classic line.

EZATI

Rating: 4.1

Domestic representative of brake pad firms, operating exclusively on the domestic Russian market. EZATI is one of the few brands in the budget segment that pays attention to the quality of the goods produced and follows the path of continuous improvement of production technologies. In particular, the asbestos company has adopted and strictly followed the directives on limiting the content of this substance in brake pads, releasing a number of elements of braking equipment without his participation as an obvious confirmation.

As a protection against falsification of pads, EZATI has provided two methods of indication: the first is a unique technology for painting the metal part, and the second is in a differentiated factory designation and the presence of a mark of conformity to European standards. In general, car enthusiasts express satisfaction with the performance of the products of this company: in particular, special attention is paid to good performance when heated, which is explained by a slight decrease in the coefficient of friction and allows braking in a 'fast acceleration / deceleration' rhythm.

Advantages

• compliance with the quality of products upon leaving the production line;
• a unique technology for painting the metal part of the pads, which serves as an indicator of originality and anti-corrosion protection;
• strict adherence to the directive banning asbestos in brake pads;
• the best combination of price and quality.

disadvantages

• a large number of counterfeits on the market.

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.