Comparative Evaluation between Original and Aftermarket Brake Pads

The current paper addresses the comparative analysis of the performance (friction and wear) produced by original and aftermarket brake pads. The brake pads selected in this study belongs to a large circulation vehicle in Brazil, which also has a high number of sales. An original and 4 others aftermarket brake pads were purchased at Porto Alegre, Brazil. The braking tests were performed on a braking tribometer, which is located on the University facilities. Experimental data of the coefficient of friction produced by each brake pad have been recorded. A precision scale was used to measure the mass loss of the materials subjected to the tests. Results of the performance obtained by the brake pads are evaluated and discussed in this paper. Results have shown that the original brake pad has superior properties in terms of friction performance (magnitude and variation), while aftermarket 1 and aftermaket 2 materials have the lowest vibration magnitudes. The method used for ranking the brake pads (Kr index) shows that by weighing friction, wear rate and cost in the same proportion, the aftermarket 2 was the preferable brake pad. Meanwhile, regardless the purchase cost and giving more importance to the friction performance, the original brake pad is indicated as the preferable material.