Brake Pads: Stop Quicker, Quieter and Last Longer

That's right! Unlike some of our competitors we don't trade off shorter stopping distances for noise. Or quietness for increased wear. Or any other performance measure, come to that. Far from it! In recent tests our pads fitted to a VW Passat 2.0 TSI excelled in all key areas: they stopped quicker, quieter and lasted longer than the OE and six other leading aftermarket brands.

When it comes to stopping, every meter counts. Literally! It could mean the difference between a near collision and a nasty bump. And we know which one we'd choose in those circumstances. The good news - at ECE Regulation 90 speeds of 100 mph, our pads stopped the quickest and by some way. Four meters ahead of the next placed brand and over 17 meters ahead of the worst. Better still, and unlike some of our competitors, the vehicle fitted with Delphi pads stopped under control. In technical terms that means a stable friction coefficient that performs like the OE.

Our pads stopped equally well in the wet too. Whilst in an ideal world the vehicle would stop in the wet, exactly as it did in the dry – we know brakes are less effective in wet weather. Delphi provided the lowest reduction in friction levels from dry to wet conditions, with an average loss of 30 percent across the six stops, compared with 34 percent for the next best brand and 81 percent for the worst. So come rain or shine, our pads outperform the competition.

We know that noise is one of the biggest issues for both car drivers and technicians. Not with Delphi pads. That's because on the noise index they recorded a near silent 9.6. And on the odd occasion that they registered noise above the 70db threshold...well it's hardly worth mentioning because it occurred 0.1 percent of times – that’s only one out of every 1000, and well below most vehicle manufacturers noise limits of ten percent.

By now you won't be surprised to hear that our pads lasted the longest too. After 2140 stops, our front axle pad, where most of the braking is done, experienced the least wear with only 0.9 mm – lasting 33 percent longer than the next closest brand and providing exceptional value for money. Some say perfection doesn't exist. With these results, we like to think our brake pads are very nearly there.

Read on for more on stopping distances, noise, wear and wet braking.