What are the part numbers on the box of front pads? Centric doesn't make the SRT-10 front pads in their "ceramic" compound. They only make the Posi-Quiet semi-metallic and C-Tek semi-metallic. The rear pads
are available in the Posi-Quiet Ceramic compound. If the first 3 digits of the part number are "106", then you have the Semi-Metallic pads. If the first 3 digits are 105, then you have ceramic.
What your dealer is telling you about "ceramic" pads warping the rotors is complete nonsense and based on a lack of understanding of the physics of braking and root cause of brake judder. Heat is created by your brakes in direct relation to the speed from which you brake, the weight of the vehicle, and the distance over which you completed the stop. You're converting the kinetic energy of the vehicle into thermal energy. It doesn't matter what kind of pads you have.
Speaking of "ceramic" pads, this is a creation of pad manufacturers' marketing departments. Ceramic is just one of about 30 different ingredients and comprises anywhere from 1 to 5 percent of the pad compound. A "ceramic" pad is not made from a solid chunk of ceramic. And just because the box says "CERAMIC" on the outside, you can not assume anything about the performance or behavior of the pads. There are ceramic pads that are low dust, there are others that are high dust. Some have very low grip, others have high grip. Some are ultra quiet and others are for race only and will make your car or truck sound like an old school bus. The marketers have tricked consumers into calling up their vendor and asking for a single ingredient, rather than asking technical questions about initial bite, average friction level, maximum operating temperature, dust level, pad life, rotor wear, noise, etc. Just because you or your mechanic had a good or bad experience with one brand of ceramic pad does not mean you will have the same good or bad experience with another brand of ceramic pad. Seeing the word "ceramic" on the side of the box tells you
nothing! If you like a pad, make note of the brand and model. Don't simply tell someone they should buy (or avoid) ceramic, semi-metallic, Kevlar, etc. pads.
The SRT-10 uses gigantic 15" front rotors that weigh 40 pounds each. These have plenty of thermal capacity and will not "warp" from braking. In fact, rotors virtually never warp. The steering wheel shake you experience is actually caused by a thickness variation in the rotors that is the result of uneven pad deposits. This can almost always be cured by re-bedding the brakes per:
Bedding in brakes. In case you're interested, you can read details about the physics of brake judder in this excellent white paper written by the late
Carroll Smith on StopTech's web site:
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml
:rock::rock::rock:
