Best Grease for Brake Calipers and Slide Pins

[Gebo]

I think I have just learned that you need a "special" grease for the slide pins or anywhere there is rubber in your brake area. Is there one grease that I can use on my calipers and slide pins that won't swell the rubber?

Do you put any grease on the back of your brake discs? Or do you only grease the contact points on the hardware and the brake sliders?

Can I just just brake cleaner to clean every area of my brakes? Will brake cleaner mess up the rubber things where my brake sliders are?


Oh, what disc brake spreader method do you use?

 

[Merkava_4]

I use that Permatex green brake grease. Works good for me.

 

[eljefino]

Syl-glide is the industry standard for caliper pins that go into rubber boots.

I got a tub of black "synthetic disc brake grease" from NAPA.

A touch of antisieze on back of the brake discs (over untized hub bearing flanges) might be appropriate, or any grease, really. (If your discs are part of the front bearing race, obviously, you'd use wheel bearing grease.)

To spread single piston calipers, I grab them and pull them slowly and firmly towards me before taking them apart. If that doesn't push the pad back, I either pry between the old pads with a prybar or use a c-clamp or huge pliers around the caliper.

You might do well to watch a youtube on your specific car to get a feel.

 

[Trav]

I use the spray from CRC on the back of the pads, best stuff i have used, never any brake noise.
Sil-Glyde, Permatex green, and CRC black are the only pin lubes worth a dam, dont use the purple stuff, it dries out.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-disc-brake-quiet-9-oz.-05017/7040066-P
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/ameri...rm=brake+grease
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-b...ynthetic+grease
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/permatex-ultra-disc-brake-caliper-lube-8-oz-24110/12027858-P

 

[artbuc]

Originally Posted By: Trav
I use the spray from CRC on the back of the pads, best stuff i have used, never any brake noise.
Sil-Glyde, Permatex green, and CRC black are the only pin lubes worth a dam, dont use the purple stuff, it dries out.

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-disc-brake-quiet-9-oz.-05017/7040066-P
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/ameri...rm=brake+grease
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/crc-b...ynthetic+grease
http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/permatex-ultra-disc-brake-caliper-lube-8-oz-24110/12027858-P


In my experience, Permatex green dries out too. SilGlyde works great.

 

[Trav]

The only time i saw green deteriorate was with a damaged boot, it doesn't seem to play well with moisture. The purple on the other hand dried right out like old toothpaste.

 

[Gebo]

So can I use syl glide for everything?

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Gebo
So can I use syl glide for everything?


I do. I use it on the back of the pads and pad ears as well, though many state that copper anti-seize is the right product for that.

 

[JustinH]

I use syl glide for the caliper pins and slides.

I use a high temp brake grease for the pad ears and backs.

 

[supton]

On advice here I bought the Honda M77 assembly lube to try on pad ears and sliding surfaces. I had been using StaLube but found that stuff washes away too quickly. Will know in six months how it holds up.

I've been using StaLube on the caliper pins, but I'm finding it gums up there, and need to order up some Sil Glide next for those. Gums up, whatever: it gets a bit stuff. Working the pin restores operation, and it's not "stuck", just kinda sticky.

I don't use lube on shims (the shims on the back of the pads). I used StaLube on those once, and it actually caused noise. So I've been using mine dry. Maybe a better lube works better, but I'm not sure lubing shims is required.

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: Gebo
I think I have just learned that you need a "special" grease for the slide pins or anywhere there is rubber in your brake area. Is there one grease that I can use on my calipers and slide pins that won't swell the rubber?

Are you working on a Toyota? If so, you may find that what is in there now is lithium soap grease (AKA "white grease"). This works way better than Sil-Glyde because it is immune to moisture; and prevents the steel surfaces from rusting, which Sil-Glyde does not do.

 

[njohnson]

In the middle of repacking the front wheel bearings on our SUV. Had to take off the brake calipers and caliper brackets to do so. Thinking of trying white lithium grease on the caliper pins after reading this last post. Liking the immune to moisture and protecting the metal from corrosion part. Thing is, don't have any on hand. But, do have white lithium spray grease, would this work?

If not, I can pick up some white grease on my next trip into town.

 

[ronbo]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
I use that Permatex green brake grease. Works good for me.


+1 used it on two old Toyota's for years with no problems. It sticks to the parts and won't wash off. Tried sly glide from NAPA and wasn't happy with it.

 

[buck91]

I wouldn't use anything but silicone greaes- 3M makes some stuff thats widely recommended, Motorcraft also makes some good stuff.. Jet-Lube makes some too, but I haven't tried that.

Sil-glyde also works well, but does eventually dry up/wear out a little quicker. Wouldn't use any of those other "brake grease" products on slide pins as I've heard too many people with bad experiences. DEFINITELY wouldn't use a white lithium.

 

[ronbo]

Originally Posted By: njohnson
In the middle of repacking the front wheel bearings on our SUV. Had to take off the brake calipers and caliper brackets to do so. Thinking of trying white lithium grease on the caliper pins after reading this last post. Liking the immune to moisture and protecting the metal from corrosion part. Thing is, don't have any on hand. But, do have white lithium spray grease, would this work?

If not, I can pick up some white grease on my next trip into town.


The Toyota stuff, hard to get, is available if you order it BUT it's high in price for not much product. It's not the white lithium stuff you can buy in stores, which I wouldn't use on brake parts.

 

[stockrex]

Originally Posted By: Trav
The only time i saw green deteriorate was with a damaged boot, it doesn't seem to play well with moisture. The purple on the other hand dried right out like old toothpaste.

thanks, I have to take a peek at my ridgeline's caliper before this indian summer goes away.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: buck91
I wouldn't use anything but silicone greaes- 3M makes some stuff thats widely recommended, Motorcraft also makes some good stuff.. Jet-Lube makes some too, but I haven't tried that.

Sil-glyde also works well, but does eventually dry up/wear out a little quicker.


Do you (or does anyone) know the difference between Sil-Glyde and the 3M Silicone Paste that's also available? Neither is cheap, and I figured they're nearly the same product. I assumed that Sil-Glyde is a silicone-based product due to its name. But maybe it's not?

 

[KrisZ]

I use Wurth lubricating compound (apparently similar to Silglyde) and in my Mazda it does not gum up, where Premetex purple stuff did after only one year. That's good enough for me as I inspect and re-lube the pins every year, two is max.

 

[dlundblad]

I've used the green Permatex too without issues although the silglyde does seem more popular.

 

[buck91]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Originally Posted By: buck91
I wouldn't use anything but silicone greaes- 3M makes some stuff thats widely recommended, Motorcraft also makes some good stuff.. Jet-Lube makes some too, but I haven't tried that.

Sil-glyde also works well, but does eventually dry up/wear out a little quicker.


Do you (or does anyone) know the difference between Sil-Glyde and the 3M Silicone Paste that's also available? Neither is cheap, and I figured they're nearly the same product. I assumed that Sil-Glyde is a silicone-based product due to its name. But maybe it's not?


Sil-glyde is actually a wonderfully misleading name as it is NOT a silicone lubricant for the most part. IIRC a few years ago when I looked into it it had some silicates such as methylated silica and amorphous silica which I believe are thickening agents, but also Polyproylene Glycol. I also remember some discussions about the actual lubricating agent being some type of castor oil, but I don't have any real info there.

Basically, sil-glyde is NOT a silicone grease such as Motorcraft XG3A or the 3M silicone paste. Still a good product and not something I would hesitate to use, but in my experience its a little less effective than the others mentioned above.