Brake Pads

path1 wrote:
snip...

Out of curiosity, What point are you supposed replace pads?

I think I'm getting down there but not sure when to replace.

Any surprises putting them on?

First, which pads is so dependent on how you drive, where you drive
and what you tow/haul. Choices range from freebies that comes with
rebuild calipers to performance to pure racing. I'm in the performance
to racing with racing prototypes from buddy I test all the time

On that, recommend folks test their ABS about once a month. Find a
gravel or loosey goosey pavement with no traffic and nail them. Wakes
up most ABS systems

Purchase based on cost, generally. The more expensive generally are
better than the cheaper ones. Your decision based on how you drive
and maintain your vehicles. Mine normally list for over $100 bucks
but get discounts (AAA at NAPA, and got to know lots of the folks
at various supply shops and buddies who are always formulating stuff)

Friction material's thermal characteristics has them out gas when
at a certain temp range. That will float them off the cast iron and
is what 'fade' mainly is

Their ability to reject heat to the backing plate and then to the
other thermal pathways to reject is one key

If the friction material is too thin, it will NOT have enough thermal
inertia to both radiate and transfer heat to the backing plate

That will then have the friction material heat up quickly and out gas
A bad thing

Most of today's pads have "squealers' on them to make a squealing
noise when they touch the rotor. Most are only on one side of the
caliper and is the piston side, which wears faster than the anvil
side. Most has the piston side on the inside and the anvil on the
outside and that is mainly for clearance for the wheels (the stuff
like hose, banjo, bleeder, piston cylinder, etc)

I normally change mine before the squealers contact and depends on
which vehicle.

Just changed the mini van and still had a bit to go before the squealer
touches. Noticed that braking was lessened and with the level of
performance pads...made a ruckus...like gravel on the rotors once
they came up to temp

For the mini van I buy from NAPA and found a new performance level
I like a lot for 'cars'. Nissin is the brand

For the Silverado still have Praise Dyno Brake front and rear. Great
stuff out of Texas and GREAT folks (love that family run business)

Suburban has buddies prototype and will have to give them back soon
for him to check out in his lab

The Sub's rear are Praise Dyno Brake shoes and think around +100K miles
of SEVERE duty on them



On any surprises...depends, but most today are very similar in architecture
So they pretty much all go through the same sequence

Key is making sure the sliders are working FREELY. I have my own setup
to inject high temp disc brake grease (loaded with Moly). I always
replace the slider boot...if they are available.

I also bleed the lines each time I change the pads. Use the 'C' clamp
method and can do it alone without the need for a helper