When buying a car, one typically considers the power and speed of a vehicle. Who wouldn't want to have the fastest car on the road? But one should also think about the most important part of a vehicle, its braking system. The reliable VW vehicle equally needs an efficient braking system to avoid accidents. Checking up one's braking system once in a while is also advisable.
One essential part of the system is the VW brake pads. Brake pads are some the main components of a disc brakes. This is the part of the system that does the actual work of stopping the car. In most modern cars, disc brakes are located on the front wheels and some have disc brakes on all four wheels. In a disc brake, the brake pads squeeze the rotor instead of the wheel and the force is transmitted hydraulically, instead of through a cable. Friction between the pads and the disc slows the disc down, thus stopping the car.
VW brake pads will not last forever. They are also prone to wear out someday. Worn brake pads can have a trem***ous impact on how they stop a car. This can be very dangerous in any situation especially when one needs to immediately stop the car. That is why VW car owners need to observe if they still have efficient VW brake pads. Some signs of brake pads trouble are: squealing brakes, pulling of the car from one side to the other, brake pedal pumping, sudden and hard brake pedal, spongy brake pedals or grinding of the brakes.
When it is time to replace the existing VW brake pads, one can opt to upgrade to ceramic brake pads. VW ceramic brake pads are generally quieter and lower dusting than most OEM pads and organic based brake pads. Many ceramic formulations offer extremely low dusting characteristics, preventing dust from accumulating on wheels. Instead of the semi-metallic pad's steel fibers, ceramic brake pads make use of the ceramic compounds and copper fibers. This allows the ceramic pads to handle high brake temperatures with less heat fade, provide faster recovery after the stop and generate less dust and wear on both the brake pads and rotors. Moreover, the ceramic compounds in the ceramic brake pads make the braking much quieter. This happens as the ceramic compounds help dampen noise by generating a frequency that is beyond the human hearing range. According to durability tests, ceramic compounds extend brake life compared to most other semi-metallic and organic materials. VW ceramic brake pads also outlast other premium pad materials by a significant margin. Take note that there are now many companies manufacturing ceramic brake pads. And some of them are only developing so called ceramic pads that are just organic pads with a small amount of ceramic content that is coated over the top of the brake pad. So choosing the right make should also be considered.
The choice of changing to ceramic brake pads or regular is up to the car owner. Car owners also have the choice of hiring a mechanic to replace the brake pads or one can do it himself/herself. Keep in mind that there are always pro's and con's to every car part. The important thing is that one should regularly check the braking performance of the vehicle and not just limit one's attention to its speed.
