When brake pad replacement looms, definitely consider these advanced sintered pads.<\/p>\n
When a friend of mine needed new brakes on his 2008 Harley-Davidson FLHX Street Glide with 160,000 km on the clock, he asked me what brand I\u2019d recommend. Tom has owned his bike since new, so obviously he\u2019s quite familiar with OEM brakes but thought he\u2019d like to try something different.<\/p>\n
DP Brakes are well known in the motorcycle industry, and its pads are original equipment on all Performance Machine, Arlen Ness and HHI calipers. In addition, DP Brakes produces sintered brake pads for practically every make and model of motorcycle on the road, some of which date back several decades. The Harley-Davidson XLCH Sportster and FLH listings go back to 1973, and some Hondas and Suzukis back to \u201971, for example. The company also makes pads for ATVs, snowmobiles, scooters and even mountain bikes.<\/p>\n
DP Brakes\u2019 advanced, long-lasting sintered brake pads are asbestos-free and made from a mix of metallic powders (absorbs heat), refractory material (provides friction), friction modifiers (better feel) and graphite (eliminates noise); these materials are accurately and evenly mixed together, pressed and formed to the appropriately shaped pad, then fused at high temperature and under high pressure. <\/p>\n
DP Brakes is unique in the industry and claims to be the only aftermarket manufacturer that focuses 100 per cent of its resources on developing and producing sintered metal pads.<\/p>\n
Installation into Tom\u2019s Street Glide was a cinch, as the replacement DP Brakes\u2019 pads were an exact match \u2013 as you would expect for OEM replacement parts. The original rotors were slightly grooved from many years of use, dirt and grime, and by rights should have been machined or replaced. <\/p>\n
After installation, I went for a ride first, then handed the bike off to Tom. I spoke with him a few days later, after the pads were \u201cseated in,\u201d and he said he noticed a marked difference in braking performance and a solid feel compared with his OEM pads.<\/p>\n
This test period took place over 3,500 km of combined city and highway riding. Tom noticed that the sintered pads left no residue or dust on his wheels over the course of the test. Anyone who has ever had whitewall tires knows the frustration of having brake dust sully their whitewalls. The pads also worked better and had a consistent firmer feel in the rain, whereas braking tended to fade in the wet with OEM pads.<\/p>\n
Tom also didn\u2019t hear any squealing during the test period. The pads were lubricated at the critical contact points upon installation, which will help reduce noise, but also the content of the pad actually can cause squealing. DP Brakes ensures proper distribution of its granular graphite to ensure the pad surface doesn\u2019t squeal throughout its life span. <\/p>\n
Brake fade occurs when heat is transferred from the pad through the backing plate and to the caliper\u2019s piston, which then heats up the piston seals and the brake fluid inside the caliper. OEM brakes use a stainless-steel radiator of sorts to pull heat away from the brakes because this is the least expensive way to dissipate heat. DP Brakes bonds its sintered pad material to the backing plate with a layer of ceramic (think: the space shuttle\u2019s ceramic tiles), which is the best way to stop heat from transferring to the backing plate, and therefore not heat the fluid. Sintered pads like to be hot and fluid likes to be cool, and that prevents brake fade. That is a comforting feeling when persistent, heavy braking is needed, such as in heavy traffic or on twisty mountain roads.<\/p>\n
After 3,500 km, we removed Tom\u2019s brake pads for inspection and measuring \u2013 his brake pads\u2019 wear measured only 0.02 mm. As an unexpected bonus, he noticed shortly after installation that the high spots of the grooves on his rotors seemed to be diminished. The pads had helped to slightly smooth out his rough rotors. (As mentioned earlier, the rotors should have been machined. If they had been, I suspect the pad wear may have been even less.)<\/p>\n
DP Brakes\u2019 website claims its pads last three times longer than most other pads. I can\u2019t attest to that without testing other pads side-by-side. But I can say that the wear on Tom\u2019s brake pads was negligible. The bottom line is that he said wholeheartedly that he\u2019d buy pads from DP Brakes again.<\/p>\n