Chaning Brake Pads

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
luckily pad swaps on my car take about a minute a corner. and on track i dont care about vibrations or noise. actually track pads that are quiet arent working well enough.


Where was I talking about quiet versus noisy pads?


meaning i dont have to worry about keeping things clean, just drop the pads into teh calipers and tap the retaining pins back in. dont bother cleaning anything out. maybe spray some brake cleaner in there or blow some compressed air over the caliper if i have a respirator on.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: moribundman
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: moribundman
Checking runout is advisable each time you have access to the rotor, but not checking runout when replacing rotors means a shortcut that may cost more time and money later.

How often do you get a comeback due to a runout problem? Very rarely.


Fine by me if you cut corners, Wan. That doesn't make it a sensible choice in my book, though.

I don't wait until 14k to change my oil though, unlike you.

My engine's spotless.

 

[unDummy]

Reread critics post. Covers everything well.

I tend to NEVER use OE pads. They are the sure thing if you have a picky customer or a vehicle with known issues.

I prefer to upgrade my pads. A tad bit of noise, a tad of dust, for brakes that work much better is what I want. Visit tirerack for some good pad choices. Even autozone/partsamerica can order some of the 'boutique' pads and have good online websites. You almost can't beat rockautos prices. But, sometimes their selection isn't 'boutique' enough for me.

 

[Squishy]

There are a few OE pads I would stay away from, though. Notably the ones on my Ford Escape and, I've noticed, on some Mercedes-Benz sedans. HEAVY dusting pads that require you to wash your wheels twice a week. You couldn't pay me enough to put OE pads back on my Escape.

You can see a few of these cars where manufacturers have either cheaped out or sacrificed dusting for performance. Shiny new cars just off the showroom floor with dirt black wheels. Ick.

 

[Rtstrider]

If I were to buy the brake pads from Rock Auto, do I have to make 1 order, or 2 orders for the front? I think I'm going to try those Centric Brake Pads recommended by Critic.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: Rtstrider
If I were to buy the brake pads from Rock Auto, do I have to make 1 order, or 2 orders for the front? I think I'm going to try those Centric Brake Pads recommended by Critic.

Just one order for the front. They are Centric Part # 10504760, $30.79. Insert the coupon code 951319840107 into the "how did you hear about us" field.

It's VERY important that you either resurface or replace the rotors, or else there's a good chance that there will be a noise problem.

 

[globey]

I just want to bring up something that isn't covered here. I recommend replacing rotors if you're using stock-style rotors rather than turning them. New rotors are lighter than their past counterparts. They are lighter because they contain much less machineable surface than they did years ago. Once upon a time, you could go to a junkyard and pull an old rotor and get it machined several times...nowadays, you may be lucky to get one turn.

 

[bdcardinal]

also on some vehicles, such as the newer 04+ 2wd F150s you have to use a on the car brake lathe as noone makes adapters for those rotors on a off the car lathe.

 

[bamorris2]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
also on some vehicles, such as the newer 04+ 2wd F150s you have to use a on the car brake lathe as noone makes adapters for those rotors on a off the car lathe.


Yeah, and unfortunately on the 04+ 2wd F150's, the rotors are expensive as heck, because they are an integrated hub/rotor with sealed bearings. Napa's Ultra Premium's run $205 each. Plus you have to replace the spindle nut (not re-usable) at $40 each at the dealership (although you can get cheaper aftermarket).

 

[bdcardinal]

Originally Posted By: bamorris2
Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
also on some vehicles, such as the newer 04+ 2wd F150s you have to use a on the car brake lathe as noone makes adapters for those rotors on a off the car lathe.


Yeah, and unfortunately on the 04+ 2wd F150's, the rotors are expensive as heck, because they are an integrated hub/rotor with sealed bearings. Napa's Ultra Premium's run $205 each. Plus you have to replace the spindle nut (not re-usable) at $40 each at the dealership (although you can get cheaper aftermarket).


ask me how i know about the prices. my dealer only charges $31.20 a pop for the nuts. those are a popular item. one of the few that we keep both teh OEM and the motorcraft in stock, to cover warranty and customer pay jobs. they warp really easy too, which makes rotor replacement common. in fact i sold a set of OE rotors and nuts, no pads though, not covered under the warranty.

 

[WishIhadatruck]

Originally Posted By: unDummy
Reread critics post. Covers everything well.

I tend to NEVER use OE pads. They are the sure thing if you have a picky customer or a vehicle with known issues.

I prefer to upgrade my pads. A tad bit of noise, a tad of dust, for brakes that work much better is what I want. Visit tirerack for some good pad choices. Even autozone/partsamerica can order some of the 'boutique' pads and have good online websites. You almost can't beat rockautos prices. But, sometimes their selection isn't 'boutique' enough for me.


I once bought some premium pads (don't remember the brand) but they didn't work as well until warmed up. Is this common? For that reason I haven't used them again since. I've been using Wagner ThermoQuiet the last few times and have been happy. Better braking is always something I'm interested in so I'd consider other brands but I want to stop well at the beginning of the trip too. Maybe I just picked a bad brand to try. They weren't racing pads but were suppose to be a step up from the normal pads.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: WishIhadatruck
Originally Posted By: unDummy
Reread critics post. Covers everything well.

I tend to NEVER use OE pads. They are the sure thing if you have a picky customer or a vehicle with known issues.

I prefer to upgrade my pads. A tad bit of noise, a tad of dust, for brakes that work much better is what I want. Visit tirerack for some good pad choices. Even autozone/partsamerica can order some of the 'boutique' pads and have good online websites. You almost can't beat rockautos prices. But, sometimes their selection isn't 'boutique' enough for me.


I once bought some premium pads (don't remember the brand) but they didn't work as well until warmed up. Is this common? For that reason I haven't used them again since. I've been using Wagner ThermoQuiet the last few times and have been happy. Better braking is always something I'm interested in so I'd consider other brands but I want to stop well at the beginning of the trip too. Maybe I just picked a bad brand to try. They weren't racing pads but were suppose to be a step up from the normal pads.

It just depends on the individual pad. Some pads are designed to have higher friction once they warm up. The Centric 106 series Extended Wear comes to mind.

 

[The Critic]

Just a bit of advice. Someone on another forum bought the Centric 105 series Ceramic pads and Centric Premium rotors for their Acura. The pads made some noise during low-speed driving until he bedded them in using the Stoptech method.