Can you think of any four-wheel vehicle that spends more time off-road than your UTV? No, your zero-turn lawnmower doesn’t count. Every part of a side-by-side is designed for handling anything but asphalt—from the cab to the clutch and ball joints to brake pads.
When it comes to brake pads, you can’t just look at what’s best for your Corolla and assume it’ll be great for your RZR Turbo too. So today we’re looking at the best UTV brake pads… and the worst. But every bad brake pad has its silver lining, so we’ll be telling you where each pad makes sense to use and where you should avoid them.
So let’s quit pumping the brakes and dive right in.
Sintered brake pads use a hybrid material that fuses metallic particles with ceramic or other materials to provide strong braking action and unbeatable durability.
They’re easily the longest-lasting brake pad you can get for your UTV, and they can handle high heat better than any other material. You can ride these brakes down hill after hill without wrecking them.
On the flip side, they tend to be noisier than other popular pads, but that’s a small price to pay for brakes that work more reliably. One side effect of sintered brake pads’ strength is that they tend to be tough on rotors as well. They won’t destroy your rotor or anything—they just wear them out a little faster than alternatives.
Sintered brake pads are the best UTV brake pads for muddy and wet conditions, hands down. They have amazing stopping power even when your rotors are caked in mud or soaking wet. And they’re tough enough that grit on your rotors won’t shred them.
If you’re doing any kind of hard riding, look no further than sintered brake pads.
If you only plan on putting around on flat, easy trails when the weather’s nice or cruising through neighborhoods at a polite speed, sintered brake pads may not be for you.
They tend to work and feel better when they’re warmed up. Super easy riding means they won’t be warm enough to be very efficient most of the time.
Plus, the fact that they’re a little louder than other options mean you might annoy some people if you’re maintaining a golf course or campus.
And finally, the fact that any kind of brake pad would be good enough for the easy riding we’ve described, you might as well go with the cheapest thing you can find.
Organic brake pads are made with non-metallic fibers that are compressed and fused. They are quiet and feel firm and responsive when you use them. Plus, they’re easily the most affordable UTV brake pad of the bunch.
The big issue with organic brake pads is that they’re not very durable and tend to leave a lot of dust on your rotor as they deteriorate—not good for your braking power.
Heat is not their friend. When these brakes get too hot from riding them while rolling down hills or braking too hard, they can get glazed. Glazing causes the brake pad surface to become smooth and glasslike, which greatly hinders your ability to slow down. If you’re really unlucky, it can even crack the material, and the last thing you want is broken brakes.
Even with all their shortcomings, organic brake pads can still find a place on a UTV that’s designated for light use only. If your UTV is only used for groundskeeping around buildings, driving on roads at low speed, or sightseeing on gentle trails, you might be well served by organic brake pads.
Plus, they’re affordable enough to outfit a fleet with them… just make sure that fleet stays dry and safe.
In case it wasn’t clear up to this point, organic brake pads aren’t well-suited for your average UTV. If they get wet, they won’t work well. If they get hot, they won’t work at all. Even if you treat them nice, they’ll deteriorate quickly.
Don’t try riding them down hills or they’ll glaze. Don’t try slamming on the brakes at high speed or they’ll get wrecked. Don’t count on them for a day of mudding because they won’t last.
They’re dirt cheap, but you get what you pay for.
Semi-metallic brake pads are a composite mix of metals, alloys, and fillers. They fill the gap in performance between organic and sintered pads. They’re more expensive than organic pads and usually cheaper than sintered brake pads.
These pads are fairly durable and generally OK in any riding conditions. They can tolerate high temperatures, grip well whether they’re hot or cold, and are quiet compared to sintered.
But there are a few downsides. Like organic pads, they produce dust as they wear and are prone to glazing if they’re abused. They also don’t match sintered in durability or gripping power in really sloppy conditions.
Semi-metallic brake pads are the best UTV brake pads for general use. If you don’t spend a ton of your time in mud or water, these pads are your best bet. Their all-around utility and feel make them a great choice for any average rider.
They’re worlds better than organic pads, and they’re a jack of all trades when it comes to riding conditions.
Semi-metallic brake pads cost nearly as much as sintered pads (sometimes more), but don’t have the same durability or hardcore performance. For UTV applications, it almost always makes sense to spend a little bit extra on sintered pads.
UTVs are off-road machines doing off-road things. So go with pads that are focused on getting sloppy. Going the half step with these pricey pads can lead to replacing them more often than sintered and put a bigger hole in your wallet than you bargained for.
The bottom line for folks reading this is: you probably need sintered brake pads for your UTV. They’re the all-around best UTV brake pads with their combination of durability and performance in typical off-road conditions like mud and water.
Check out all of our brake pads here. Our brake pads at SuperATV are, of course, sintered pads. They use a copper alloy, and vigorous testing shows they outperform OEM. If we don’t have one for your machine, check back with us next time—we’re always adding more.
If semi-metallic pads are the jack of all trades, sintered pads are the masters of the kind of trail conditions that side-by-sides are made for.
Happy, uh, stopping.
