What option/s do you find makes the difference?
I was reading a neat write-up about the comparisons from "How Stuff Works"
Braided Brake Lines:
Braided steel lines are a type of brake part that attempts to remedy some of the problems associated with solid steel brake lines. In a braided steel brake line, a soft brake line is encased in a mesh made of braided strips of steel. You can think of it as a long, thin steel basket. This type of line is sometimes used in household plumbing applications, too. In fact, if you take a look under your kitchen sink, you just may see some braided metal lines.
Because the braided steel mesh has more give than hard steel tubing, the connections for braided brake lines aren't as stressed. At the same time, the braided steel protects the line encased within and prevents swelling. Another plus is that braided steel lines are very attractive. For a lot of hot rodders and classic car buffs who "dress" their car's engine compartment by adding components that look good and well as improve performance, braided steel lines are a must to go with the chrome air filters, valve covers and exhaust headers already in the engine bay.
Because the soft tubing is encased in braided steel, you can't visually inspect the lines for leaks or corrosion. While this is fine for racecars or even off-road vehicles that have these brake parts replaced often, it can be a problem for most street cars. You might not know you have a problem until it's too late. Regular brake system maintenance is critical when you're using braided brake lines.
Steel Brake Lines:
Brake lines can be made from a variety of different materials, but one of the most popular materials among off-roaders and performance drivers is steel. There are a couple of advantages to steel:
First, for serious off-road drivers, puncturing a brake line is always a concern. With soft brake lines, a rock or twig could easily make a small puncture in a brake line that could end up being catastrophic. A second advantage is that steel brake lines don't swell the way a flexible line might. With repeated use, a flexible brake line can stretch from the pressure of the fluid running through it. This is called brake line swelling. It may not seem like a big deal, but once the line is stretched, the line pressure lessens, which weakens braking performance. Over time, this decrease in braking performance will only become more if a problem. In a panic situation, you definitely don't want swollen lines. Steel brake lines can't swell and your brakes' performance will remain strong.
Steel brake lines may be strong, but they aren't perfect. They're subject to corrosion and breakage just like other brake parts on your vehicle. Steel lines are also less flexible than other types of brake lines, so their connections to each brake part in the system should be checked more often.
Organic Brake Pads:
Brake pads were formerly manufactured using mainly asbestos as the friction material. That's because brake pads are exposed to a lot of friction, which generates a lot of heat. Asbestos is a good material for absorbing and dissipating heat. So what was the problem? When asbestos breaks down, it's creates dust that's dangerous to breathe -- and brake pads can create a lot of brake dust when they're slowing and stopping vehicles on the roads. Now, some brake pads and other brake parts are made from safer organic materials.
Organic brake pads, sometimes called nonasbestos organic brake pads, are made from natural materials liked glass and rubber, as well as resins that can withstand high heat. In fact, the high heat helps to bind the brake pad materials together. Kevlar is also an important component in many organic brake pads. An advantage of organic brake pads, including Kevlar brake pads, is that they're made of materials that don't pollute as they wear and they're easier to dispose of, too. They're also softer than brake pads made of other materials, which means they're often quieter. The downside of organic brake pads is that, because they're softer, they typically wear faster. As they wear, they also create more dust than other types of brake pads.
Because of these considerations, organic brake pads aren't a good choice for heavy vehicles like trucks or for high performance cars that may need to stop quickly from top speed. Organic and Kevlar brake pads are best suited for small cars that don't typically do a lot of aggressive driving. The light weight of the car, as well as limited hard stops, keeps organic brake pads in good shape -- and that keeps the ride safe, too.
Metallic Brake Pads:
Most vehicles on the road today have metallic brake pads. In case you're wondering, these brake pads aren't just slabs of metal. They're typically made of iron, copper, steel and graphite all mixed and together and bonded to form the pad material.
The reason that these pads are so common is simple -- metallic brake pads are cost-effective and durable. They provide good performance and are good at transferring the heat generated by friction with the brake rotors. The downside of metallic brake pads is that they're heavy, which can have a (small) negative impact on the car's fuel economy. Also, because of the extra weight, metallic brake pads aren't the best choice for high-performance driving. Being made of metal makes the pads very hard. That's what makes them durable. But because there isn't as much "give" in metallic brake pads, they can cause more wear on the brake rotors than other types of brake pads. The metallic brake pads themselves hold up well, but they often negatively impact the durability of other brake parts. Finally, metallic brake pads work best when they're warm. When a vehicle with metallic brake pads first gets going on a very cold day, stops may take slightly longer than usual until the brake pads heat up.
For most drivers, the positives of metallic brake pads outweigh the negatives, especially since metallic brake pads are good for stopping heavy vehicles like trucks.
Ceramic Brake Pads:
Ceramic brake pads offer great braking performance, wear well over time and are very lightweight -- all of which are important for high-performance driving. So again, what's the problem with ceramic brake pads? They're very expensive.
Ceramic brake pads are made from ceramic fibers, filler material, bonding agents and they may even have small amounts of copper fibers within them as well. Because they're mostly ceramic, these brake parts dissipate heat well, which keeps performance strong, even after repeated hard stops. They also don't break down very much with repeated use; that means they produce less dust than other types of brake pads -- and the dust that they do produce is lighter in color and doesn't stick to the wheels. However, because they're so expensive, ceramic brake pads aren't for every type of vehicle.
Sports cars that are routinely driven hard -- as part of club racing, for example -- can benefit from ceramic brake pads; however, almost every other vehicle performs just fine with other brake pad materials. For most drivers, the extra performance of ceramic brake pads isn't worth the extra cost.
I was reading a neat write-up about the comparisons from "How Stuff Works"
Braided Brake Lines:
Braided steel lines are a type of brake part that attempts to remedy some of the problems associated with solid steel brake lines. In a braided steel brake line, a soft brake line is encased in a mesh made of braided strips of steel. You can think of it as a long, thin steel basket. This type of line is sometimes used in household plumbing applications, too. In fact, if you take a look under your kitchen sink, you just may see some braided metal lines.
Because the braided steel mesh has more give than hard steel tubing, the connections for braided brake lines aren't as stressed. At the same time, the braided steel protects the line encased within and prevents swelling. Another plus is that braided steel lines are very attractive. For a lot of hot rodders and classic car buffs who "dress" their car's engine compartment by adding components that look good and well as improve performance, braided steel lines are a must to go with the chrome air filters, valve covers and exhaust headers already in the engine bay.
Because the soft tubing is encased in braided steel, you can't visually inspect the lines for leaks or corrosion. While this is fine for racecars or even off-road vehicles that have these brake parts replaced often, it can be a problem for most street cars. You might not know you have a problem until it's too late. Regular brake system maintenance is critical when you're using braided brake lines.
Steel Brake Lines:
Brake lines can be made from a variety of different materials, but one of the most popular materials among off-roaders and performance drivers is steel. There are a couple of advantages to steel:
First, for serious off-road drivers, puncturing a brake line is always a concern. With soft brake lines, a rock or twig could easily make a small puncture in a brake line that could end up being catastrophic. A second advantage is that steel brake lines don't swell the way a flexible line might. With repeated use, a flexible brake line can stretch from the pressure of the fluid running through it. This is called brake line swelling. It may not seem like a big deal, but once the line is stretched, the line pressure lessens, which weakens braking performance. Over time, this decrease in braking performance will only become more if a problem. In a panic situation, you definitely don't want swollen lines. Steel brake lines can't swell and your brakes' performance will remain strong.
Steel brake lines may be strong, but they aren't perfect. They're subject to corrosion and breakage just like other brake parts on your vehicle. Steel lines are also less flexible than other types of brake lines, so their connections to each brake part in the system should be checked more often.
Organic Brake Pads:
Brake pads were formerly manufactured using mainly asbestos as the friction material. That's because brake pads are exposed to a lot of friction, which generates a lot of heat. Asbestos is a good material for absorbing and dissipating heat. So what was the problem? When asbestos breaks down, it's creates dust that's dangerous to breathe -- and brake pads can create a lot of brake dust when they're slowing and stopping vehicles on the roads. Now, some brake pads and other brake parts are made from safer organic materials.
Organic brake pads, sometimes called nonasbestos organic brake pads, are made from natural materials liked glass and rubber, as well as resins that can withstand high heat. In fact, the high heat helps to bind the brake pad materials together. Kevlar is also an important component in many organic brake pads. An advantage of organic brake pads, including Kevlar brake pads, is that they're made of materials that don't pollute as they wear and they're easier to dispose of, too. They're also softer than brake pads made of other materials, which means they're often quieter. The downside of organic brake pads is that, because they're softer, they typically wear faster. As they wear, they also create more dust than other types of brake pads.
Because of these considerations, organic brake pads aren't a good choice for heavy vehicles like trucks or for high performance cars that may need to stop quickly from top speed. Organic and Kevlar brake pads are best suited for small cars that don't typically do a lot of aggressive driving. The light weight of the car, as well as limited hard stops, keeps organic brake pads in good shape -- and that keeps the ride safe, too.
Metallic Brake Pads:
Most vehicles on the road today have metallic brake pads. In case you're wondering, these brake pads aren't just slabs of metal. They're typically made of iron, copper, steel and graphite all mixed and together and bonded to form the pad material.
The reason that these pads are so common is simple -- metallic brake pads are cost-effective and durable. They provide good performance and are good at transferring the heat generated by friction with the brake rotors. The downside of metallic brake pads is that they're heavy, which can have a (small) negative impact on the car's fuel economy. Also, because of the extra weight, metallic brake pads aren't the best choice for high-performance driving. Being made of metal makes the pads very hard. That's what makes them durable. But because there isn't as much "give" in metallic brake pads, they can cause more wear on the brake rotors than other types of brake pads. The metallic brake pads themselves hold up well, but they often negatively impact the durability of other brake parts. Finally, metallic brake pads work best when they're warm. When a vehicle with metallic brake pads first gets going on a very cold day, stops may take slightly longer than usual until the brake pads heat up.
For most drivers, the positives of metallic brake pads outweigh the negatives, especially since metallic brake pads are good for stopping heavy vehicles like trucks.
Ceramic Brake Pads:
Ceramic brake pads offer great braking performance, wear well over time and are very lightweight -- all of which are important for high-performance driving. So again, what's the problem with ceramic brake pads? They're very expensive.
Ceramic brake pads are made from ceramic fibers, filler material, bonding agents and they may even have small amounts of copper fibers within them as well. Because they're mostly ceramic, these brake parts dissipate heat well, which keeps performance strong, even after repeated hard stops. They also don't break down very much with repeated use; that means they produce less dust than other types of brake pads -- and the dust that they do produce is lighter in color and doesn't stick to the wheels. However, because they're so expensive, ceramic brake pads aren't for every type of vehicle.
Sports cars that are routinely driven hard -- as part of club racing, for example -- can benefit from ceramic brake pads; however, almost every other vehicle performs just fine with other brake pad materials. For most drivers, the extra performance of ceramic brake pads isn't worth the extra cost.