Thoughts on brake pads.

[vincematthews]

I replaced the front wheel bearings, discs and pads the other day and the brake pads (Mintex MDB1133) had a profile I'd not seen before.
The braking material had a 15 degree chamfer top and bottom (as seen by a rotating disc) which reduced the initial pad area in contact with the disc by about half !
Also all pads I have bought until now have had a central slot in the braking material, which was absent from the Mintex pads.
The braking area is further reduced (slightly) by the slots for wear indicators, which are not fitted to early cars.

I queried these two features with the Mintex Technical Dept. and they said their testing showed the central slot was only necessary for race applications and the chamfers were there to stop brake squeal. They assured me that there would be no loss of brake performance because of these chamfers (reducing the braking area).

If this is true, I can only assume the brakes were initially overdesigned for road applications to allow the car to be used for racing too.

Does anyone know any different?

 

[Neil Haughey]

Vince I have Mintex 1144 in my Megane and they look just like you describe. They seem to work well enough though but sadly do squeal a little at some speeds and amounts of peddle pressure. I think your assumption is reasonable as my experience with these pads is they are fine in a daily driver car but have fantastic stopping power if one stomps on the peddle, no idea how well they cope with heat buildup though which is the key for serious circuit work.