I know if pads get heated up really high, brake fade can occur. But what about the opposite end of the spectrum…do really cold temperatures affect brake pads in any way? I know the second you do any type of braking, they will heat up from the friction, but I would think that if you live in a climate that see’s below zero temps often, it would do something bad to pads and rotors. Especially the constant heating up and cooling down quickly.

 

Some race-only brakes might have a problem but if you're worried about your street brakes being too cold to work you're probably being more careful about sliding into other cars on the ice anyway so no worries.

 

They are designed for constant heating then cooling, its the higher temps that usually cause failure. The worst thing I have had happen to rotors came from overheating them after making some rapid high speed stops leaving the rotors with overheated hard spots on them or just ending up with deep groves around them from the ceramic pads holding up better.