Braking Bad? Give Your ATV More Stopping Power With The Right Brake Pads
Posted on: 21 January 2015
ATV trails can have some pretty crazy terrain. With steep climbs, wet mud, and loads of dust and dirt, you've got to have a good set of brake pads to maintain the ability to stop when you need to. With so many options, though, how do you know which ones to choose? Read on to learn exactly which brake pads will give your ATV the best stopping power through the most treacherous of off-road terrain.
Go Metal On It
You've got 3 primary options when it comes to choosing a brake pad material: organic, ceramic, or metal. Organic brake pads are made up of ground up glass, rubber, and other natural resins. Organic brake pads are soft, making them ideal for quiet stops. Unlike metal brake pads, organic pads work just as well the moment a vehicle is turned on as they do once it's been running for a while and all warmed up.
Organic brake pads are great for your everyday car or truck, but they don't have the right chemistry for your ATV.
Ceramic brake pads are sort of a souped-up version of organic brake pads. They're quiet on even the roughest of stops, incredibly long-lasting, and produce less dust than organic brake pads. They offer amazing performance, indeed, but they're also pretty expensive, so their use is generally reserved for those who drive race cars or just really like to bling-out their rigs.
And, as top-of-the-line as ceramic brake pads are, they still aren't the right choice for off-roading in your ATV.
Metal -- this is the right material choice for you. Metal brake pads aren't engineered to be particularly quiet. Furthermore, it takes a while for them to warm up before they will deliver maximum performance. Once they do get going, though, their ability to perform on steep, wet, muddy terrain is unsurpassed.
Sintered Brakes, So Hot!
For the ultimate ATV stopping power, not just any metal will do. You need sintered metal.
Sintering is a process where metal powders are exposed to extremely high heat and compressed, making them denser and more durable than they otherwise could be.
After sintering, metals are able to not only withstand higher temperature while on the trail, but they will also carry heat away from your ATV's wheels faster. By keeping your wheels cooler, you'll boost the performance of your entire engine and you'll get less wear and a longer lifespan from your brake pads.
Sintered metal brake pads are a bit more expensive than non-sintered pads, but the added performance and longevity they provide make them well worth it.
Coolness On The Double
The harder you work your ATV, the hotter its wheels are going to get. If you're facing a steep, rocky slope and your brakes happen to fail, you're going to find yourself in a dangerous situation.
Because of the hazardous terrain of many ATV trails, you've got to keep your brakes as cool as possible and double-segmented brake pad designs stay far cooler than single-panel brake pads.
In double-segmented brake pads, the pad is divided into 2 equal-sized parts with a thick groove between them. This groove allows air to flow between each segment of pad, cooling them off fast.
If you aren't getting the performance you want out of your ATV's brakes, it's time to have a look at your brake pads. ATV trails offer rugged terrains that simply can't be handled by any old brake pads. If you want top-notch stopping power the next time you're off-roading, head to your local auto parts store and look for a set of sintered metal brake pads with a double-segmented pad design.
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