Brutus0725

What is a good replacement for stock pads?

How hard is it to replace the front brake pads yourself? Is there anything I need to know? Do the brakes have to be bled in order to change the pads?

Thanks for you replys

Walt Boeninger

Very brief:

1) Jack up car
2) Remove wheel, 3/4" or 19mm socket
3) remove lower inside caliper bolt, 15 mm (and perhaps a 16 mm open end wrench to hold the pin from turning.
4) Rotate caliper up
5) Pick up the pads that just fell on the garage floor.
6) remove remaining pads, and 3 spring antirattle clips.
7) Making sure the master cylinder is not full to the brim, use a c clamp to carefully press the pistons back into their bores, using one of the old pads as an aid
8) Install 3 new anti rattle clips. (If you forget how they go on, look at the other side....never do both sides at the same time.
9) If the pads came with a little tube of grease, you can can pull the guide pins and grease them. the top pin can be removed with the caliper. Don't drop it.
10) If the pads came with a stick-on thingie, stick it on the outer pad with clean hands. it goes on the outer pad, the one with out the wear indicator.
11) Install the pads in the caliper bracket. Pick them up off the floor when they fall out. Now hold them while.....
12) Carefully swinging the caliper down over them
12) Reinstall lower caliper bolt, 15 ft-lbs.
13) Reinstall wheel 100 ft-lbs
14) Check master cylinder, clean up fluid that got pushed out.....
15) Step on brake pedal several times to seat pads.
16) Lower car from jacks, road test and bed pads.

I have been using raybestos ceramic enhanced....but they only last 3 or 4 days on the track..... I can change pads in my sleep now.

Brutus0725

Thanks, my dealer wanted to replace them for $245. I have changed them on my C4 and 911's so why not do it myself.

But, I need pads that will last longer than 3 to 4 days. :lol:

RPOZ4Z

I'm using napa ceramix pads, cost about $60.00.

I installed Z06 calipers, ceramic pads, braided steel brake lines, and new rotors.

took about 4hrs total including bleeding brakes! :D

Brutus0725

Ok, I just came from the dealer and they have a brake kit which includes springs. Do I really need to replace the springs and the bolt that come with the kit? Or, can I just buy the pads.

Thanks again!

Jim 47

Excellent directions by Walt. You don't have to replace the the bolts or the spring clips unless they are broken or deformed. ( Just put a dab of LOCK tight on the bolt threads before reinstalling). I've changed brake pads many times and have yet to replace the springs. If you don't race or are a heavy brake user, the stock pads should work fine for you, but the new cremacic pads look interesting. :)


[Modified by Jim 47, 10:55 PM 11/29/2001]

Sam Lin

Keep in mind that he said 3-4 days on road racing track. I use Raybestos QS on the street with a little track and absolutely love them. There's no dust, it's lifetime replacement, and they work well! On the track, they still last a little longer than stock, they're a slightly harder pad.

Ditto on the pad sliders (spring clips), no need to change them, I just wipe them off and put a dab of anti-seize on them. Grease the caliper slide pins lightly, spray the backs of the pads with brake anti-squeal, and you won't have any squeaking problems, ever.

One difference I'fe found between my experiences and Walts, I've never had any pad fall out on the floor, there's always been a little tension with the spring clip holding them in there.

For compressing the piston back into the cylinder, a small "Quik-Grip" clamp works much faster and better than a C-clamp. The rubber pads prevent scoring the piston, and the clamp clamps much quicker. Those of you who go to the track, get one of the foot-long Quik-Grips, and hacksaw off half of the clamp shaft, then silicone the rubber pads on the clamp feet so they don't get worked off. It becomes a perfect cylinder compressor that is very small for the tool box.

Sam

Brutus0725

Thanks everone. I will wait untill next weekend for the job. $60 sounds a lot better than $275 from my dealer.

Brutus0725

Sam,

Where can I find the Raybestos QS. If they have no dust then I am a buyer. :D

John Shiels

Napa pr pep boys

Sam Lin

The NAPA pads are house brand Ceramix, they are not the same thing. They need to be Raybestos QS pads in the blue box. Locally, Pep Boys and Checker carry them.

Sam

willi

There's a lot about brake pads in the racing section. Performance Friction Z-rated pads are an option that will handle some track use.

Brutus0725

Thanks Willi. I didn't think to look in that section.

RPOZ4Z

I will probably be going to the raybestos QS pads when it's time to do brakes again. :cheers:

Brutus0725

OK, Raybestos OS's it is :chevy

XTrooper

I had the Raybestos Quiet Stops on my '99 Camaro SS. They were virtually dust-free which is exactly what I was looking for with the American Racing polished aluminum wheels I had mounted on the car.

BigTed

Hawk pads have worked out great for me. Watch out for pads that do not dust. Pads will be wearing out rotor, instead of pads.

Viprklr

Walt, quick question. Do you mean 150 ft-lbs.? Just wondering because 15 seems too low. :chevy

C5Cemo

My '99 Service Manual has these numbers:
caliper guide pin bolts - 23 lb ft - I think these are what Walt is talking about.
caliper mounting brackets - 125 lb ft - These are the bolts I remove to do my brakes.
inlet fitting bolt - 30 lb ft
caliper bleed screw - 106 lb in

Everyone sure has good things to say about the QS pas. I just installed some Hawks with new stock rotors. They work real well, aside from the noise they make, but are already scoring the rotors pretty badly. And I haven't really jumped on them aside from the brake-in instructions.

Jim 47

C5Cemo:

I agree with you no all the troque numbers you posted. :yesnod:

Also, I have had the same experience with the Hawk pads, they were very abrasive to the rotors. I switched to the Carbotech Panther Plus pads and found them very kind to the rotors and also execllent for the track or the street. They do dust, but not as bad as the Hawks and the CPP dust comes off easily and doesent turn into cement like the Hawk dust did. :cool: