ceramic vs. semi-metallic brake pads

[pppt03turbo]

hi all - after 39,000 miles, i need new brake pads. i want to go ceramic, but the parts guy said semi-metallic is the way to go, as they are easier on the rotors. i guess the ceramic pads (because they are so hard) cause hot spots on the rotors - which in turn - causes warpage. anyone out there know the scoop on ceramic vs. semi-metallic pads?

[Hoot23]

I've been using 100% ceramic. The brake dust problem is almost nil and no squeaks. No rotor problems yet but stock rotors are not expensive.

[bobs turbo pt]

put ceramic on wifes pt no problems and no DUST !! the best part lol

[soonercruiser]

The dust on the front really sucks!
I will go ceramic at the first opportunity.

[quicksilverdon]

Agree with others. I have ceramics on mine and no dust is great, and no problems.
I had ceramics on my '02 as well. Put them on at about 30,000 miles, and replaced disks (with new pads) at about 80,000 miles. Never had any problem.

[pppt03turbo]

thanks for everyone's replies. i decided to go with semi-metallic (the type of pads that came with the car).

actually, i had to do the front brakes twice, because the raybestos pads came with new aluminum channels. these are what each end of pads ride on. after installing everything, the test ride yielded massive sqeaking. i turned around and popped the wheel off. turns out, the new channels were not as wide (by a 1/4+"!) as the stock ones. so, i cleaned up the old ones and swapped them out. no more sqeaking. i don't know if this was packing mistake by raybestos or if they did not consider that gt's have larger brake calipers.

anyway, if you buy front raybestos pads, make sure the aluminum channel ends are wide enough. otherwise, you will be doing your brake job twice.

[quicksilverdon]

Originally Posted by pppt03turbo

thanks for everyone's replies. i decided to go with semi-metallic (the type of pads that came with the car).

actually, i had to do the front brakes twice, because the raybestos pads came with new aluminum channels. these are what each end of pads ride on. after installing everything, the test ride yielded massive sqeaking. i turned around and popped the wheel off. turns out, the new channels were not as wide (by a 1/4+"!) as the stock ones. so, i cleaned up the old ones and swapped them out. no more sqeaking. i don't know if this was packing mistake by raybestos or if they did not consider that gt's have larger brake calipers.

anyway, if you buy front raybestos pads, make sure the aluminum channel ends are wide enough. otherwise, you will be doing your brake job twice.

Those are stainless steel shims...
The GT has bigger rotors, and they always send shims for the standard disks.
I cleaned and re-used the original shims, too.

[R_I_PT]

I put ceramics on mine with stock front rotors and I will never go back to cruddy OEM pads.

I'd rather throw the low $$ for new rotors than deal with the dust noise and cruddy pads.

[nevinsrt]

im going with Hawk Ferro-Carbon pads

"race-level" braking = increased rotor wear, noise, and dust

I will never go back to semi-metallic or ceramic again.
it doesnt compare to the stopping power
it makes the car feel like a BBK was installed

brake dust is an optional and stylish

[hoppyloop]

How about green stop pads are they good