What lubes do brake manufacturers recommend?

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: mcwilly
Just curious where this lube is used?

I've replaced a couple pads and rotors in my time. Was I supposed to lube something up?


Yes, you are supposed to lube stuff. At the very least free up the slide pins and lube them up good. I used to not do this and when the pins stick you get uneven brake wear (inside pad wears out, while the outside pad doesn't wear much), and it wears on your rotors more (not really much of an issue if you are replacing them all the time anyway, but I don't). Also lube where the pad backing pads touch other pieces of metal. That prevents the pads from sticking. There are lots of YouTube videos on this, watch a few.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted By: Studly
Originally Posted By: Leo99
I use this stuff. Not saying it's the best but it's all I use. $7.50 at AAP.

Do most of you who use Sil Glyde agree with what its package claims: "Sil-Glyde Brake Lubricant is a silicone-based brake lubricant recommended for the entire brake assembly"?

Is that the only brake lube you need if you buy that? Seems like it has quite a following.


You can buy it at the part store, that is why is has a following.

I put sil-glyde on my pad ears and it washed away and turned into black gunk over the winter. I would not recommend it for anything but slide pins.

EDIT: I know copper anti-seize is hilariously expensive, I bought a small permatex bottle and it was half full for like $18 CAD. One of the reasons to do the work yourself is that you can buy the tools for free, and you might find yourself needing high temp anti-seize for some other project.

 

[mx5miata]

I am a fan of and personally use Lubriplate products.

 

[punisher]

For anything that contacts rubber components

Ford XG-3-A Silicone Brake Caliper Grease and Dielectric Compound


This is the only stuff I can personally vouch for, but I don't think other silicone greases are very much different. Used it on brake calipers /pistons, pin slides, cylinder cups/seals, sparkplug coils/wires and even AC o-rings. Three tubes got me through about eleven years at FoMoCo.

Darned near as handy as F4 tape.

 

[nthach]

Originally Posted By: Yah-Tah-Hey
DO NOT use any of the various colored Permatex goops because they will swell the lower pin bushing which is an elastomer of some kind. Use Sil-Glyde or one of the silicone brake greases like 3M. Stay away from that red,green,purple or any other colored goop.

The silicone-based Permatex compounds, either the gray-colored Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube Silicone Formula or the new orange-colored Silicone Ceramic Extreme formula should be fine for slide pins although I'm not a fan of lubricants with solids for that area.