In this review, the Bendix Metal King Titanium (MKT) pads were chosen for fitting on a first-generation Toyota Vios.
Satisfied Performance Review
A casual, non-scientific observation reveals that a good number of car owners show more concern with the appearance of their cars than the functioning properties. For example, attention might be paid to cosmetic enhancements but crucial parts like the brakes (and the tyres) are often overlooked, and largely taken for granted, until something untoward happens. The tyres are the only parts of the car that come in contact with the road and the brakes are meant to help control that contact patch and determine the fate of the chunk of metal above it. An effective brake system could be the difference between being in an accident and driving away in one piece.
Brake pads are a vital part of the brake system, clamping down on the rotors (or discs) when you step on the brake pedal to slow down the car or stop it. The friction created by the pads on the rotors could easily reach 200ºC in regular day-to-day driving; in comparison, oil only needs to be at 180ºC to fry chicken. On a race track, you could expect brake temperatures to exceed 500ºC. Such high temperatures would alter material properties and affect performance; hence it is important that you use good quality parts from known brands.
The Bendix brand has a long history in automotive components. The current brand owner, FMP Group, is the largest automotive friction manufacturer in Australia; it is a joint venture between Honeywell International of USA and a Robert Bosch subsidiary, Pacifica Group. In Malaysia, Bendix is one of the leading aftermarket brands for brake components.
In this review, the Bendix Metal King Titanium (MKT) pads were chosen for fitting on a first-generation Toyota Vios. MKT pads use Superior Metallic Formulation (SMF), a specially developed metallic compound formulated to deliver better braking performance in all sorts of load carrying situations. It claims to have better high temperature performance that allows for longer pad and rotor life, as well as reduced brake fade.
Although it is designed for heavier duties like braking under heavy loads, it was picked because the Vios is driven mostly in city traffic that involves frequent braking, sometimes suddenly, as well as slow creeping. Occasionally, the car is taken on a longer drive out of the city but it is pretty much an urban vehicle that is oftentimes fully loaded with passengers; hence the decision to go with something a bit more heavy duty. The Vios was also picked to test the pads as it is a more mechanically inclined car; it does not have electronic aids like anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Incidentally, this Vios also just had its front brake pads changed not long before this review, so the the stock pads and Metal King Titanium are nearly the same condition i.e. new pads vs new pads instead of worn pads vs new pads. This makes for better comparison of braking performance.
A particular feature of the MKT is the signature blue titanium stripe on the pad face. The titanium basically provides instant friction upon installation of the new pads and cuts off the ‘bedding-in’ process of letting new pads reach optimal performance levels.
MKT is said to have higher friction ratings than many aftermarket OE brands and is able to maintain its stopping performance at comparatively higher temperatures. Driving off with the new pads from the Lim Tayar outlet, one of Bendix’s authorised sellers, the Metal King Titanium pads felt as responsive as the pads they replaced, after the older pads had gone through the bedding-in when new.
Some higher performance brake pads also require warming up to a certain temperature before they bite effectively, but the Bendix MKT had no such issue. Although this isn’t a scientific gauge, the stopping power of the Bendix felt more linear and predictable in normal driving situations. With this amount of stopping power, and no ABS on the Vios, it did take some effort to adjust tapping the brakes during sudden hard braking to avoid locking up the wheels. Cars with ABS, however, should not have any issue as the system would help modulate braking.
One drawback of the higher friction brake pads is the amount of brake dust generated. It is not a big problem for those who regularly wash their cars, but those who do not might have to contend with front wheels of a different tone. This, however, is not a tough compromise to live with especially when Bendix emphasis more towards safety of the car passengers than the colour of the wheel.
High friction pads are also more abrasive and might accelerate wear on the brake rotors. But a few months and some tanks of petrol later, a physical check of the front brake rotors showed negligible wear. Besides driving conditions, a big factor in component wear is also attributed to driving style. Personally, the better stopping performance trumps the shortcomings.
奔德士金属王钛条纹
一个非科学的随意观察显示，很多车主比较重视汽车的外观多过它们的功能性。比方说，车主一般都将更多的注意力放在如何美化车子上，而往往忽略了重要的零部件如刹车片（和轮胎），甚至把这一切视为理所当然，直到发生了意外。轮胎是汽车与地面唯一的接触点，而刹车器是为了协助控制该接触面和决定车子的命运。一个高效的刹车系统是导致汽车发生车祸或安全行驶的关键。
刹车片是刹车系统的重要部件，在你踩踏刹车板将车子减速或制动时，压在转子（或刹车盘）上。在日常驾驶中，刹车片和转子之间的摩擦温度很轻易就升至摄氏200度，若将之与油做比较，炸鸡只需摄氏180 度的热油。在赛道上，刹车器的温度预期超过摄氏500度。 这样的高温，将改变材料的属性并影响效能，因此采用优质品牌的零部件非常重要。
奔德士（Bendix）是历史悠久的汽车零部件品牌。生产该品牌的FMP集团是澳大利亚最大的汽车制动材料制造商，美国霍尼韦尔国际（Honeywell International）公司与博世（Robert Bosch）子公司Pacific集团的合营公司。奔德士是马来西亚领先的刹车零部件售后品牌之一。
在这项测试中，奔德士金属王钛条纹（Bendix Metal King Titanium）刹车片被安装在一辆第一代的丰田Vios上。该刹车片采用 优质金属配方（Superior Metallic Formulation），一种独特研发的金属化合物配方，能够在各种承载情况下，提供更好的刹车性能。它宣称拥有更好的高温性能，带来更长的刹车片和转子使用寿命，以及减少刹车效率的降低。
虽然它是为了重型使用所设计如在重载下刹车，但选择它的原因是因为该辆Vios主要是在繁忙的城市里行驶，经常刹车，有时候甚至是突然刹车，以及缓慢蠕动。偶尔出城，行驶的路途会远一点，但它大多时候是在城市里穿梭，而且载满乘客，因此才会决定采用重型的刹车片。Vios也被选择来测试该刹车片，因为它是比较倾向机动的车子，没有电子化的辅助装备如防锁紧刹车系统（ABS）。
顺便提一句，在此测试前不久该辆Vios才更换过前轮的刹车片，因此前轮的刹车片和金属王钛条纹可说是情况非常接近。换言之，就是新刹车片对新刹车片，而不是磨损的刹车片对新刹车片。这使我们能更好地比较该刹车片的性能。
金属王钛条纹的特点是其刹车片上的蓝色条纹。此钛条纹刹车片在安装之后就能立即发挥刹车功能，不需磨合过程。
据悉，金属王钛条纹刹车片的摩擦等级比许多售后市场的原装配备品牌更高，能够在相对较高的温度下保持刹车性能。奔德士的授权经销商之一，Lim Tayar负责更换和安装该刹车片的工作。开着安装上新刹车片的Vios，金属王钛条纹刹车片完全无需磨合就能如它们所替代，经过磨合的旧刹车片那样反应敏捷。
有些较高性能的刹车片需要升温至一定的温度，才能有效刹车，但是奔德士金属王钛条纹却没有这方面的问题。虽然这不是个科学性的评估，但是在一般的驾驶情况中，奔德士刹车片的刹车能力更线性化和更可以预测。这样的刹车能力，再加上此辆Vios没有ABS，在紧急刹车时需要调整踩踏刹车器的力道，以避免车轮被锁紧。配备ABS 的汽车不会有这样的问题，因为该系统将协助调整刹车。
高摩擦力刹车片的一个弱点是所产生的制动粉尘量。对那些经常清洗车子的人来说，这不是问题，然而那些不常清洗车子的人就必须接受前轮和后轮的外观因粉尘量的多寡而有明显不同。尽管如此，这并非无法妥协，尤其是相较于轮辋的颜色，奔德士更重视汽车乘客的安全。
高摩擦力的刹车片更具磨蚀和加速刹车转子的磨耗。但是在几个月之后和加了好几次汽油后，检查前轮转子时发现它们磨耗微不足道。除了驾驶情况，驾驶风格也是组件磨耗的最大因素。我个人的看法是它更好的刹车性能胜过了它的所有缺点。
