Anti seize or brake grease on brake pads

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Originally Posted By: Audios
Throughout the years, peoples opinions varied. At some dealers it was all silver anti seize, some used the pink brake paste, and the BG additive that you let soak into the pads. BMW said nothing on the pads at all, only the slide pins. Its all what works best for you. Ive been going with lubing slide pins, under ears, and in the channel for the ears on the caliper bracket


Au contraire.

Unless its philosophy has changed, BMW's recommendation has always been for dry slide pins (and spark plug threads).

They do call for plastilube on the ears and backing plate area, which is why they go to the trouble of making it available in small packets. The TIS is very clear on where it should be applied.

But it is not rubber safe, and not to be applied to those parts of the caliper, which also makes it unsuitable for caliper rebuilds, despite what some parts suppliers imply in their product listings for it.

Sil-Glide is mentioned often, and I use it, but it definitely has its limitations.

Despite its name, it's castor oil, not silicone based. And I don't find its durability to be that good. It won't last the life of a set of pads, and it gums up as it ages. I've also tried it on some Toro plastic sprinkler heads, which get sticky as they age and don't extend fully. It works as intended when first applied, but such a wet environment illustrates how quickly it can be diminished.

As a rubber and plastic safe lube, I guess it's ok because it's cheap and easy to find. But there are probably better products out there.
 
My SOP for brakes is either Dow 111 or Toyota Red Rubber Grease on the slide pins, and Permatex's Silicone Hi-Temp brake lube for shims and metal-on-metal contact. Although Permatex says their silicone-based stuff is safe for rubber, I don't like the solid particles on the slide pin bushings or boots.

I do use disc brake quiet if I feel it's warranted to do so. With a friend's Wagner ThermoQuiets I applied a thin coat of the stuff. The shims were primitive on the inboard pad. Don't use it on a multi-layer shim or with Honda/Toyota OEM shims.
 
There is no consensus...

My only advice is not to take the words of an amateur enthusiast on YouTube as gospel. Watch Eric on SMA, get another perspective. As this thread shows, each person has there own experience which works for them.

I've always used ATE Plastilube or Sil-glyde on slide pins, metal-metal contact and pad backs. On occasion I've used the synthetic black grease or anti-seize on metal-metal contact and pad backs. Even rarer, I've used red goop on strictly pad backs.

FYI, Mercedes OE pads used to come with a very thick, "anti-seize" like grease for the metal-metal or pad backs.

I find with good quality pads, caliper/bracket hardware (SS guides) and fitment then you don't need fancy greases to ensure a smooth and quite brake operation.
 
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