I put ceramic pads on the wife's durango. This weekend I lost our brakes in the mountains

which made me wonder?? I heard that they are better with brake dust (which is why I put them on there) but do they hold up as well and especially with the heat? I don't care if the truck looks good going over the side of a cliff.
Also, the truck was pretty heavy too. It had 6 adults and one mini me. 8)