Brake pads are one of the most frequently replaced parts and one of the most important for driver and vehicle safety. The dangers of descending mountain serpentines, braking in extreme situations, and frequent traffic police checks in foreign countries make it necessary to look for brake pads that brake effectively. How do you choose them when there are so many on offer? How to distinguish between a good product and one that is only well advertised and nicely packaged.

The initiative was taken by the service manager of UAB TRUCK MASTER, who visited the world AUTOMECHANIKA exhibitions in Frankfurt am Main,  Shanghai and gathered a large collection of 30 selected samples - from the experienced, established TEXTAR, BERAL, KNORR, JURID brake pads to the nameless, cheap parts from China. 

TRUCK MASTER and its partners' fleet of over 150 trucks and trailers can realistically test a large number of pads, but it is time-consuming, and there are subjective factors to consider, such as the driver's driving style, the weather temperature, etc. How do I compare brake pads under the same conditions? 

A laboratory has been found - accredited to test brake systems. The laboratory  carries out comparative dynamic coefficient of friction and energy abrasion tests on brake pads. Over 100 braking cycles, temperature, wear, coefficient of friction and brake pad performance are recorded.  

An extensive testing programme has revealed known truths: expensive brake pads from experienced manufacturers have excellent braking performance at high operating temperatures and low wear. But they also found what they were looking for: a product that brakes the vehicle safely, has good enough wear characteristics and is not very expensive. The chosen pads were named TM. A long-term contract has been signed with the Brake Systems Testing Laboratory to test each new batch of TM brake pads produced. This will ensure that the TM manufacturer does not deviate from the performance of the benchmark and that the consumer receives a consistent quality product.