Brake Pads Ceramic Fiber
Ceramic fiber—now this is a material that gets hyped, but for once, most of the hype is true. It’s the reason modern brake pads are quiet, low-dust, and hold up to daily abuse. But here’s the tea: Not all ceramic fiber is the same. Some is top-shelf, some is just fancy dust in a pad mix.
What Makes Ceramic Fiber Special?
It’s heat-resistant—like, really heat-resistant. We’re talking up to 1200°C, which is way more than your daily driver will ever throw at it (max temp for most commuters is 400°C). That means no fade, even if you’re braking hard down a hill with a car full of kids and groceries.
Low dust is its superpower. Traditional semi-metallic pads leave brown dust all over your rims—such a pain to clean. Ceramic fiber pads? Barely any dust. I put them on my wife’s Audi Q5, and she hasn’t complained about rim grime in a year. Win-win.
Oh, and it’s quiet. Ceramic fiber dampens vibration, so no more squealing or grinding. Perfect for people who hate that awkward "everyone’s staring at me" moment when you stop at a busy intersection.
The Catch: Not All Ceramic Is Equal
Here’s where brands cheat. Premium ceramic fiber (the good stuff) is made from alumina-silica—strong, heat-resistant, and durable. Budget brands? They use recycled ceramic fiber mixed with clay to cut costs. It looks the same, but it wears out 2x faster.
Annat Brake Pads Mixes uses 100% virgin alumina-silica ceramic fiber in their CF-400 model. I tested these against a budget brand on two identical Honda Civics. After 50k miles, Annat’s pads were 30% worn, the budget ones 75%—and the budget ones started squealing at 35k.
Pro move: Check the fiber length. Good ceramic fiber has long, interlocking strands; cheap stuff is short and crumbly. You can even tell by feeling the pad—premium ones feel firm but slightly flexible, budget ones feel brittle.
A Fail Story (Don’t Repeat This)
2022, a customer came in with his Subaru WRX. He’d bought "ceramic" pads from a discount auto parts store for $70. Big mistake.
Turns out, the pads had almost no real ceramic fiber—just clay and a tiny bit of recycled ceramic. He took it to a track day, and within 2 laps, the pads glazed over and started fading. Scared the heck out of him, and he had to tow the car home. We swapped him to Annat’s CF-400, and he’s been tearing up the track ever since with zero issues.
Lesson learned: If a ceramic pad set is cheaper than $120, it’s not real ceramic. Save your money (and your sanity) and spend the extra cash.
Myths That Annoy Me
Myth 1: Ceramic pads don’t grip well. Total lie. Modern ceramic fiber pads have a friction coefficient of 0.4–0.5, which is the same as semi-metallic. I’ve done emergency stops in both—no difference in stopping distance.
Myth 2: They’re only for luxury cars. Baloney. I put Annat’s entry-level ceramic fiber pads on my dad’s old Toyota Camry. He’s at 60k miles, and he says the brakes feel better than when the car was new.
Myth 3: They’re bad for rotors. Wrong. Ceramic fiber is gentle on rotors—way gentler than steel fibers. I’ve seen rotors last 150k miles with ceramic pads, vs. 80k with semi-metallic. Less rotor replacement = more money in your pocket.
DIY Tips for Ceramic Pad Success
First, break ’em in correctly. 500 miles of easy stops—no hard braking. Ceramic fiber needs time to bond to the rotor. Skip this, and you’ll have glazed pads that squeal and fade. I’ve seen people ruin a set in 10k miles because they ignored this step. Dumb, but fixable.
Second, use the right lubricant. When installing, put a thin layer of ceramic brake lubricant on the back of the pad (not the friction surface!). This prevents noise and ensures smooth operation. Don’t use regular grease—it’ll melt and cause problems.
Third, check for fitment. Ceramic pads are slightly thicker than semi-metallic, so make sure they fit your caliper properly. I once had a customer force a wrong-size pad in, and it damaged the caliper. Cost him $200 to fix—avoid that headache.
Random Final Thoughts
Ceramic fiber is the best thing to happen to brake pads in the last 20 years—when it’s done right. It’s quiet, low-dust, durable, and grips great. What’s not to love?
Just remember: Not all brands are honest. Annat Brake Pads Mixes gets it right, but there are plenty of fakes out there. Do your research, read reviews, and don’t cheap out.
Oh, and one last thing: I once saw a pad package spell "ceramic" as "ceremik"—total typo. If a brand can’t spell their main feature right, imagine how bad their quality control is. Avoid those, especilly (typo for "especially") if you drive a performance car.