I used to have a 96 Nissan Sentra with 1.6l. I had the car for a very long time and did at least 3 brake jobs on it. Every time i would change the pads and rotors I would try using ceramic brake pads. According to several catalogs, that's what the car came with. Every time the ceramic pads were installed the car refused to stop. The feeling was like both front calipers were locked up. Excessive brake pedal effort was required to stop the car and the front rotors would get very hot.
Every time I would change the ceramic pads out for semi-metallics and just like magic the car stopped normally. I tried 3 different brands of ceramic pads and all acted the same way. I have used these same brands on other cars with no issues. New rotors were installed every time. The last set of pads was driven with for over a week just to eliminate any possible bedding issues. Everything was clean and well lubricated in both the front and back brakes.
What would cause a car not to like ceramic pads? Has anyone seen similar issues with their cars?
(I don't have the car anymore - I'm asking just out of sheer curiosity)