Scotty Kilmer
4 minutes
Brake Pad Friction Materials
Pad compounds trade off bite, heat tolerance, noise, dust, and rotor wear: semi-metallic (30-70% metal) bites hard and sheds heat but dusts and wears rotors; ceramic runs quiet and clean with long life but less cold and extreme-heat bite; organic (NAO) is gentle and quiet but wears fast. OEM Prius pads are NAO/ceramic-class because a hybrid's brakes run cool.