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Ceramic brake pads?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by BZzap!, Jan 14, 2013.

  1. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    What would be the effect of ceramic brake pads on the regenerative braking system on the Prius? I know from experience that ceramic pads are much easier on brake rotors under normal driving conditions. Can anyone give some insight?
     
  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Probably won't make any difference.... The main thing to think about is rusty brake rotors... If you aren't an aggressive driver you'll almost never use the mechanical brakes and the rotors get rusty sometimes. Many mechanics will try and make some extra money by talking Prius owners into replacing rusty rotors when you can get all the rust off simply by putting the car in neutral and braking from freeway speed.
     
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Huh? You use the brakes every time you come to a stop (from 8 mph on down or in the event of emergency stops or loss of traction). They get used, just not as much as a regular vehicle.

    For whatever reason, the rotors are really susceptible to rust. If/when I replace the pads, I won't go out of my way to find anything of higher quality than OEM.
     
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    If people can go 200,000 miles without having to change the brakes I think that qualifies as "almost never use." And that needs to be qualified based on driving conditions. A taxi cab driver or a mail carrier in a Prius will be using/regulary replacing their brake pads, but a long haul freeway driver will use the mechanical brakes hardly at all.

    Back to the OP's question, I've read in threads on here about a guy buying high performance brake pads because he was always driving on a local race track with all his cars and he believed in the durability/relibility of hard braking with those pads.
     
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  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I have a 2003 Prius with over 152,000 miles and the original brake pads. I would put them in my will for the grand-kids but you know, Toyota keeps selling Prius with brake pads. Eventually the Prius skeptics will discover there are no landfills choked with Prius batteries but instead, landfills filled with barely used, Prius brake pads.

    Bob Wilson
     
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  6. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    If you watch your speedo down from 7MPH when the braking changes to discs under normal braking the wheels go round possibly once before coming to a stand still. Hardly enough to keep the discs "especially the rears in the UK" free of rust.
     
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  7. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    Thanks, everyone. I'm a first time Prius owner with only 9,500 miles under my belt. I just didn't know what longevity to expect out of the brakes. I suppose I have no worries. This car is truly amazing.
     
  8. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    As the ol' adage goes: YMMV
     
  9. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    YMMV. I have 54k and have about 1/2 left on my pads.

    I just serviced a friend's 2006 with 101k and it was down to about 4mm.


    iPhone ?
     
  10. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    You should get considerably longer brake pad mileage than you did on your non-hybrid cars car. The more gently you brake, the bigger the improvement. Very conservative braking will get you close to forever pad life. My impression from spending too much time reading PC is that most drivers that don't make an effort to achieve long pad life still get 100k miles on a Prius. You could wear them out faster with a lot of hard braking but that seems to be unusual.
     
  11. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    Again, thanks everyone but..but...but how will ceramic brake pads effect the regenerative system? Obviously there is a factor to consider due to the difference in materials. I would like to say, " coefficient of friction" but I'm not sure is that's the correct term.
     
  12. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Unless the new pads drag, there won't be any difference in FE as that is not how regen works (nothing to do with the brake pads).

    How the HSD works
     
  13. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    The Prius doesn't have ceramic pads already?
     
  14. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    This is what I'm trying to find out: Non-asbestos organic vs ceramic pads. Anyone knows?
     
  15. hlunde

    hlunde Member

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    I would say that many Prius owners experience increased levels of rotor rust (as compared to ICE-only vehicles), so perhaps you would want more aggressive pads, and not ones that are easier on rotors? This would suggest the use of semi-metallic pads.
     
  16. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    In my original post (OP) my question was aimed at finding out what effect ceramic brake pads would have on the regenerative brake system. It seems to me that ceramic brake pads would require more brake pedal force to stop the car. Brake pad wear was not the concern. The concern had to do with the effectiveness of the regen brakes to aid in charging the traction battery.
     
  17. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    Remember, ceramic pads are part of the NAO family. Ceramic pads, like pale ales, can vary significantly. Some formulations deliver better cold stopping power than others.
     
  18. BZzap!

    BZzap! Senior Member

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    I guess the only real way to find out is to install a set and monitor the state of charge (SOC) on the battery... I guess. Also, an interesting question would be, "Would it alter the run cycles of the ICE ?" Inquiring minds would like to know. :) At this point, this probably should be moved the technical side of the forum.
     
  19. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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  20. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    The type of brake pads used would have no effect on the state of charge or the regen braking. They are two different systems. Either regen braking is used (normal) or hydraulic (discs and pads) below 7 MPH, emergency braking, or braking with loss of traction.

    John (Britprius)