Are you confused between the options of Akebono vs. Brembo vs. Wagner? You need not worry anymore, as the best properties of each of these brands are in evaluation now. That will help you to finalize one of these brands based on your requirements.
All of these brands have their own advantages. Hence, you can go through all of their features, pros, and cons to make an informed decision. You will receive a clear insight into the particulars of all the brake brands this way. Apart from these brands, Bosch is another brand of brake pads and you can check out a detailed Bosch review to know more.
Therefore, you have to consider the different features before finalizing your choice. Hence, some of the key elements are present below.
How to Choose the Best Brake Brand?
Most users often tend to overlook the aspect of maintenance of their vehicles. However, you need to pay careful attention to the needs of your vehicles constantly. Brake pads are an integral component, be it any vehicle, including cars, SUVs, or trucks.
Hence, it would be best to be mindful of some of the key differences present concerning brakes and other associated parts. Hence, the first comparison is between riveted and bonded friction material.
Difference between Riveted and Bonded Friction Material
Both of these are variants under the category of brake linings. Likewise, they essentially comprise methods of attaching the friction material on the backplate.
- Basic Structuring: Firstly, riveted friction material makes use of highly-powered rivets. They attach the material to the backplate. Meanwhile, bonded friction material uses a kind of adhesive for this attachment.
- Longevity: Bonded friction material wins in this aspect due to the usage of adhesive. On the other hand, rivets come in contact with the brake rotors after wearing them out. Hence, you will notice disturbing squealing sounds. Therefore, you should go for the best brake rotor brands to get the best performance.
- Protection Of Rotors: Certainly, riveted friction material has the upper hand in this aspect. On the other hand, bonding friction material damages the rotors if you do not replace them.
Differences between Brake Shoes and Brake Pads
The differences between brake shoes and brake pads are as follows:
- Basic Build: Brake shoes are used in drum brakes manufacturing. It is present on the rear axles of trucks and cars. On the other hand, brake pads are available in disc brake technology. Therefore, you can find them on the front axles.
- Heat Generation: Brake pads experience heat when the brakes of the vehicles are applied. That is due to the location of brake shoes. Specifically, drum brakes are situated between the suspension and the rim of the tires. Hence, the resulting friction generates excessive heat.
- Stress Factor: Brake pads experience more stress than brake shoes while braking. Hence, it is imperative to ensure that there is no compromise in the quality of these elements.
Therefore, brakes play a principal role in ensuring the smoothness of your ride. Likewise, shocks also have a crucial part in this aspect.
Focus on Your Requirements
Moreover, you know your driving requirements better than anyone else. Hence, it would help if you examine your needs efficiently before selecting the perfect variant. Therefore, some of the crucial factors that you should take into consideration are:
- Ruggedness of your region
- General traffic density you encounter
- Climate and heat capacity of your location
- Your tolerance towards brake squeals
- Extent of water stagnation during monsoon
Despite these details seeming very trivial, they play a significant role in helping you make the right decision.
The Differences between Akebono vs. Brembo vs. Wagner
You can take a look at all these brake brands’ features individually before comparing them. Accordingly, the process of choosing between Akebono vs. Brembo vs. Wagner will become simpler. Also, check out the comparison between Akebono and Performance.
Akebono Brake Pads Features
If your focus is on organic, semi-metallic, or low metallic brake pads, Akebono will be the ideal choice for you. Furthermore, they have come up with an up-gradation for the materials of brake pads.
Moreover, the central plus point of Akebono brake pads is the factor of control. Hence, all disturbance-causing aspects such as vibration, noise, and harshness are under limits. In addition, the stopping power of this product is tremendous as well.
Additionally, this brand of brake pads is known for its quietness and smooth functioning. As a result, you will experience utmost comfort, and disturbance is entirely out-of-bounds. The requirement of a break-in period is also absent here.
The longevity of Akebono brake pads is yet another remarkable factor that you can enjoy. Hence, the optimization of pad-wear performance ensures the protection of rotors and increases the life of the brake pads.
Pros
- Established reputation
- Enhanced durability
- Smooth, luxurious performance and feel
- Protects the pad from wear
- Rotor-friendly; absence of break-in period
Cons
- Lubricant level is low
- Friction level is low
- Not suitable for European vehicles
- Clip hardware may be absent
Brembo Brake Pads Features
In the compilation of Akebono vs. Brembo vs. Wagner, the next option at your disposal is Brembo. In fact, it is one of the premium range of brake pads. Subsequently, the entire experience of braking is made smooth and quiet for you.
Additionally, the minimization of braking distance is one of the key features of Brembo. The usage of ESE (elastomer-steel-elastomer) is another benefit for Brembo brake pads.
Subsequently, this multi-layered shim plays a significant role. First, it lowers vibrations and the resultant noise.
In addition, Brembo uses ceramic discs. It provides you with a wonderful experience concerning friction coefficient. Therefore, the high friction coefficient provides you with a better grip. You can also observe an improved reaction mechanism from the vehicle’s system.
Furthermore, you can observe a systematic approach in the way Brembo deals with its braking system. Brembo manufactures all of the components that you will find in a braking system. Therefore, this ensures that the quality of none of the parts is compromised, even slightly.
A decent weight/stiffness ratio is present. It ensures that the brake pad functions in a light and shape-optimized manner. Moreover, the controlled manner in which fuel consumption and emission take place improves the functionality of the braking mechanism.
Pros
- Presence of red shim
- Lowered vibration and noise
- Usage of ceramic pads
- Minimization of the braking distance
- Extensive range of calipers
Cons
- Price is costlier
- Generates a lot of brake dust
- Slower speed results in squealing
- Frequence of pad wear is high
Wagner Brake Pads
A type of one-piece brake pad, you can opt for Wagner if you want brakes for a diverse range of vehicles. Furthermore, they are budget-friendly. Additionally, custom-molding the friction provides results in the domain of reduction of vibration and noise.
Furthermore, incorporating laser-shaped friction technology provides a boost in several aspects for this brand of brake pads. Hence, the mechanism is quiet and smooth. Moreover, the stopping power is also tremendous.
The elements include a copper-ceramic mixture that improves the performance of this braking system for you. The aversion to scorching is yet another significant feature of this brand of brake pads. The oven cure is a gradually happening, long process here.
These pads are also famous for their longevity. Although wear-and-tear is impossible to avoid entirely, the process is lengthened here. Therefore, it offers enhanced durability. You can also notice a reduction in the generation of brake dust, as opposed to other brands.
The Wagner brake pads are renowned for their ease of installation. In addition, the performance it delivers does not rely on the surrounding temperature. Therefore, a uniform output is present in all weather conditions.
Pros
- Noise generation is very low
- Rotor wear is under control
- Increased longevity
- Copper percentage is low
- Extremely budget-friendly price point
Cons
- Aggressiveness is low
- Vibration is high
- Break-in period produces a weird smell
- Brake dust generation
Final Comparison Of Akebono vs. Brembo vs. Wagner – A Tabulation
Features | Akenebo | Brembo | Wagner |
Price Point | $ | $ | $ |
Material Used | Old-metallic, Semi-metallic, and Organic | Ceramic | Ceramic Blend |
Noise Generation | Low | Squeals at slower speeds | Low |
Longevity | High | Average | High |
Fuel Consumption | Average | Very Low | Average |
Conclusion
Therefore, you can now choose between Akebono vs. Brembo vs. Wagner as the key features of all the brands are present in this guide. Accordingly, all of these brands have their unique advantages and cater to different customer requirements.
For example, Brembo would be your go-to option if you require premium quality products and massive systematic performance. In contrast, Wagner is the best bet for budget-conscious customers. Meanwhile, Akebono is the only contender for the non-ceramic-based material of brake pads.
Hence, you can opt for the brand which suits your needs the best. In conclusion, it is up to your discretion to choose which brand will cover all your demands effectively.
