Originally posted by Stazi the Aussie:
Are you sure Roger, or are you guessing? The OEM spec for the rear pads is organic. Nonetheless there are some metallic flecks in the friction material, but not enough to call the material semi-metallic.

I have brake catalogs that show the OEM listing for the rears as organic.



Well, guessing is such a strong word, really.

Define "organic," because to me, that means you're throwing in the $6 cheapies from Autozone, with the pressed paper and wood "friction" material. If that's the case, then there are a lot of people selling semi-metallic pads that aren't really semi-metallic, including Axxis, Autospecialty, and others.

Furthermore, most people don't recommend mixing materials front to rear, because you can throw off the brake bias.

Originally posted by BAT Catalog:

Mintex A/F Brake Pads are the highest quality, best performing, standard replacement pads available for
Contour cars. Mintex brand A/F "Abestos Free" semi-metallic linings operate over a wide temperature range
with very little fade or brake dusting.



Mintex pads arrived with Bendix stamps, and looked identical to the pads coming off the car. (Bendix owns Mintex, or vice versa, so no surprises there.)

Originally posted by Tire Rack:
PRO Performance OE replacement disc brake pads provide ??Intelligent Friction,? effective noise reduction and impeccable quality. Using Satisfied Brake Products ??Intelligent Friction? vehicle-specific formulations, PRO Performance OE replacement semi-metallic disc brake pads are designed to match the characteristics and performance of the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OE) disc brake pads.



Now, I don't have the same catalogs as you do, but I have seen with my eyes and I have read these types of listings and I've employed some deductive reasoning here to arrive at my "guess." Not ironclad, I know, but your statement surprises the heck outta me. To think that these companies are getting away with selling "organic" pads as "semi-metallic" and charging $30 to $55 a pair for $7 pads?


Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998