FMP Automotive Malaysia is aware of the frequent questions that customers ask about brake pads and decided to share its expertise in these areas.
FMP Automotive Malaysia Shares Expertise on Brake Pads
FMP Automotive (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, is part of FMP Group (Australia) Pty. Ltd, in which FMP stands for Friction Material Pacific, better defining the products that they produce and the business in which they are involved.
With Bendix becoming more and more popular in Malaysia and being an expert in the field of automotive friction material, FMP Automotive Malaysia is aware of the frequent questions that customers ask about brake pads. The company has therefore decided to share its expertise in these areas, helping workshops on what to tell their customers:
1. How to inspect brake pad condition? How to know whether the brake pad is worn out or not?
There are a few things to look out for that indicate that your brake pads are reaching the end of their service life. If your brake pads are on their way out, chances are you’ll start to feel them not working as well as they used to. Another obvious indication you might come across is a squealing sound when you hit the brakes.
This is usually a tell-tale sign that your brake pads are nearing the end, with that squealing being the wear sensors coming in contact with the rotors. On the more extreme side of things, more of a metallic scraping noise might arise if your brake pads are worn to the point where the metal backing plate is coming in contact with the rotor. Another symptom you might experience is vibration under braking.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it pays to have a look at the condition of your brake pads. In most cases you should be able to get a good enough look without even taking off the wheel. Simply have a look inside your brake calipers and try to gauge the level that your brake pads are sitting at. With Bendix’s latest innovation Brake Wear Indicator, this is as simple as checking the imprint on the edge of the pad marked ‘REPLACE’. This will give you a clear indication on how much life your brake pads have left.
2. There are so many types of brake pad in the market made of different materials, the prices can be vary a lot too. What are the reasons, and does it make any difference to the car?
Yes. There is a world of difference, not only to the car, but your overall braking experience as well. Which is why it’s important to match your driving needs and vehicle with the right brake pad formulation.
There are three main types of friction material used for the manufacture of brake pads. They are Non-Asbestos Organic (NAO), Semi Metallic (Semi-Met) and Low Metallic (Low-Met), and each material is suited to a different application.
First of all, let’s discuss about NAO formulations, also known as ceramic materials. These are used in Bendix General CT and 4WD/SUV brake pads. Ceramic brake pads have low levels of noise, dust, and rotor wear, while providing consistent pedal feel. The Bendix General CT brake pads are suitable for small to mid-sized cars involved in general stop-and-go traffic driving. As for the Bendix 4WD/SUV, it is specially developed for 4WD and SUV makes.
3. There are some cars that generate a lot of brake dusts, what is the reason for this?
Brake dust is a very common (and unavoidable) by-product of the braking process. Basically, it is made up of iron particles and is caused by abrasion of the cast iron disc rotor by the brake pads. Brake dust also contains some of the metallic elements as well as carbon residue from the brake pads. Indeed, it is unsightly, but the good news is, generally brake dust will not affect the braking performance.
If brake dust is your main concern, choosing Non Asbestos Organic (NAO) / Ceramic pads such as Bendix General CT would be an ideal option. Semi Metallic and Low Metallic brake pads, such as Bendix Metal King & Bendix Ultimate tend to generate more brake dust, but the level of stopping power of these pads produce is unbeatable.
PS: you may have noticed most of the Continental cars have quite a bit of brake dust on their rims, the reason being they are using low metallic brake pads. Considering the weight of these cars, it would require at least Semi Metallic or more commonly, Low Metallic pads to generate enough stopping power to stop the car safely.
Which is why, the brake experts from Bendix can never emphasize enough the importance of matching the right brake pads based on each application.
4. How long/how often do we have to replace our brake pads?
The rate of brake pad wear depends on a wide range of variables. Everything from choice of brake pad, driving style, to the condition of your brake rotors or if your brake calipers are working as they’re supposed to.
On average, a set of brake pads would last between 40,000km to 60,000km. However, we have heard of cases whereby the brake pads lasted more than 80,000km.
Choose Semi Metallic brake pads such as Bendix Metal King if you wish to extend the service interval of your brake pads as these pads generally provide longer pad life compare to NAO pads or Low Metallic pads.
5. How to determine which kind of brake pad should I opt for?
There are a few things you need to consider when it comes to brake pad selection. Your car model (size / weight), driving style (normal / fast), roads that you frequently travel on (town / off road / steep & curvy roads etc).
Visit Bendix’s official FB page for more product information.
刹车片的常见问题
FMP 汽车（马）有限公司是FMP集团（澳大利亚）有限公司的分部，而FMP的缩写为Friction Material Pacific，更能显示他们所制造的产品和经营的业务。
随着奔德士（Bendix）不断提高的知名度和作为汽车刹车片的专家，马来西亚FMP汽车列下了客户最常提出的有关刹车片的问题。该公司决定与修车厂分享这方面的专门知识，协助他们解答客户的疑问。
1 你如何检查刹车片的状况？如何知道刹车片 已经需要更换？
你可通过好几种方法来判断你的刹车片是否需要更换。当刹车片的使用寿命已经到了更换极限，你就会开始感觉到刹车的表现不向以前那样好。 在这个时候，更明显的是你踩刹车器时会听到刺耳的声音。
通常发出这类刺耳的声音是在告诉你需要更换刹车片了，这是刹车片上的特殊磨损记号与刹车盘产生了摩擦。如果任由刹车片进一步磨耗，就会听到更刺耳的金属刮擦声，这是因为刹车片的金属垫板与刹车盘摩擦所致。最后，如果你在刹车时感觉到明的震动，也是刹车片耗损的征兆之一。
如果你遇到以上这些症状，你就需要检查刹车片的状况。你通常能够在不需要拆下轮胎的情况下清楚看见。你只需看看刹车卡钳内部，查看刹车片厚度。奔德士最新的磨损标识设计（Brake Wear Indicator），让你只需查看印在刹车片末端的“REPLACE” 字眼就可大略知道刹车片寿命还有多长，非常方便。
2 现今市面上有许多以不同材质打造的各类刹车片，这些产品的价格差距也颇大。原因为何，对汽车又会有什么影响？
不一样的刹车片材质能够带来截然不同的刹车体验，最重要的是选择正确的材质来配合你的驾驶需求。目前市面上用来制造刹车片的主要摩擦材料有三种，它分别是无石棉有机（Non-Asbestos Organic）、半金属（Semi Metallic）以及低金属（Low Metallic）材质。
首先，让我们来讲解无石棉有机材质的刹车片，无石棉有机也被称为陶瓷刹车片，奔德士的 General CT 以及 4WD/SUV 系列刹车片采用的正是这类材质。陶瓷刹车片具有低 噪音、低粉末等优点，对刹车盘的损伤也较少，而同时又能提供稳定的刹车表现。奔德士 General CT 系列的刹车片主要适用于平时在市区一般走走停停进行日常驾驶的中小型车辆，而奔德士4WD/SUV 系列则是专门为四驱车款以及时下流行的SUV 车型开发的产品。
至于粗用的车辆如皮卡、时常拖曳或载重的货车与普通汽车等则需要能够抵抗热衰退的高性能刹车片，而这方面 奔德士的 Metal King 系列就能符合需求。半金属材质制成的 Metal King 具备了超长持续工作时间、抗热衰退以及操作宁静等特点。MetalKing 刹车片含有大量的钢与铁，金属含量较高并经过特别设计，以确保在制造过程中能够释放出足够的气体，提高刹车片结构的完整性。
最后就是低金属材质制成的刹车片，这类刹车片含有高含量的矿物磨料材质，能够提供更好的制动表现，适合性能与高速驾驶风格。而 奔德士的 Ultimate 系列刹车片正是以这类材质打造，它能够提供卓越的制动性能之余还具备更短刹车距离的优点。此外，Ultimate 也具备优越的高温抗热衰退效果，在持续激烈驾驶下还能够提供稳定的刹车表现，在这里我们也建议会下赛道或进行激烈驾驶的高性能车款采用这款品。
3 为什么一些车款会产生非常多的刹车粉尘？
刹车粉尘是刹车过程中所产生的“副产品”，常见之余也几乎可说是无可避免。它由铁颗粒组成，主要是刹车片与铁制的刹车盘直接摩擦所造成。刹车粉尘除了包含金材质，还带有一些碳渣，形成所谓的“刹车粉”。这黑黑的刹车粉虽然不太雅观，但好消息是它并不会影响刹车性能。
如果你很介意刹车粉尘，你可以选择无石棉有机（NAO）的刹车片，像是奔德士的General CT 就是理想的选择。至于 Metal King 及 Ultimate 系列则较与倾向产生更多的粉尘，不过这两款刹车片的制动性能也是无可匹比的。
还有，你可能会留意到许多欧系车款都会产生较多刹车粉尘，并粘在轮圈上，这是为什么？原因是它们采用了低金属质（Low Metallic）又或半金属的刹车片，因为这类材质的刹车片才能够产生足够的制动力将车子安全地停下来。这也是为什么奔德士的制动专家一直都在强调应该根据应用匹配合适刹车片的重要性。
4 我们应该多久更换一次刹车片？
刹车片的磨损率取决于各种因素，从刹车片的材质、驾驶习惯、刹车盘状况、乃至刹车卡钳是否如常操作都能够影响刹车片的寿命。通常刹车片可用上4万至6 万公里，不过我们也曾经听过刹车片使用超过8万公里的情况。
如果你想要更为耐久的刹车片，请选择半金属材质的刹车片，如 奔德士 Metal King 系列的产品，相比无石棉有机或低金属材质的刹车片，半金属刹车片通常拥有更长的使用寿命。
5 如何鉴定我应该使用哪一种刹车片？
选择刹车片必须考虑的事项有几种，分别是车款（尺寸与车重）、驾驶方式（普通驾驶/高速驾驶）、路况（市区驾驶/较具挑战性的崎岖路段）等等。
更多产品信息，请 查阅奔德士官方脸书：https://www.facebook.com/BendixMalaysia
