Rear Brake wear ??
#1
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Location: NJ
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Rear Brake wear ??
How many miles do you get out of your brakes ? bought my 2001 430, with 58000 miles on it 1 year ago. As soon as i bought it i noticed the rear bads were paper thin. I replaced them with some cheapo Satisfied pads, and since put 18's on the car. ( the front pads were thick as hell) Conventiaonl wisdom telling me that you should wear out your front pads before the back....i figured i would not be messing with the rear for a LONG time....well 20k miles later yesterday I heard the rear grinding and thought WTF ....pulled the pads today...toasted. I bought pricier Ceramic pads, and chucked them in ....and looked at the fronts....still meaty as hell. What gives ?
#4
Pole Position
On a related note, could someone tell me how to check the pads to see if they need to be replaced? Is anyone aware of a DIY to replace the pads. Chuck, I know you did the pads on your old ES, but did you ever try to do the pads on the GS?
#7
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#8
Checking the pads:
Pull off the wheel and look at the pad thickness by looking straight down through the center of the brake caliper. Pads must be thicker than 2-3mm (not including the metal pad support!) on both sides. If one pad is worn a lot more than the other you may have a sticky/siezed piston.
Changing the pads:
If the pads are worn (and roughly the same thickness) changing them is SOOO easy.
- Push down the spring clip towards pads
- Pull out the safety pin and remove spring clip
- Pull out the old pads
- Push back the pistons SLOWLY
- Stuff in the new pads (apply anti-squeal grease if neccessary)
- Refit and push down the spring clip
- Push in the safety pin
New pads done.
Now is also the time to adjust the rear shoes for the handbrake (the tiny hole between 2 lugnuts)
Pull off the wheel and look at the pad thickness by looking straight down through the center of the brake caliper. Pads must be thicker than 2-3mm (not including the metal pad support!) on both sides. If one pad is worn a lot more than the other you may have a sticky/siezed piston.
Changing the pads:
If the pads are worn (and roughly the same thickness) changing them is SOOO easy.
- Push down the spring clip towards pads
- Pull out the safety pin and remove spring clip
- Pull out the old pads
- Push back the pistons SLOWLY
- Stuff in the new pads (apply anti-squeal grease if neccessary)
- Refit and push down the spring clip
- Push in the safety pin
New pads done.
Now is also the time to adjust the rear shoes for the handbrake (the tiny hole between 2 lugnuts)
#10
Pole Position
Thanks for the info, GS-Ireland. I wonder if anyone has ever done a DIY with pictures. I've seen them for other models, but I don't think I've ever seen a write-up for the GS.
#11
2 further points if you plan to do this DIY
- Dont push the piston too far back, you will overflow the brake fluid reservoir. Brake fluid is nasty stuff.
- Dont use anti-squeal grease if you use anti squeal shims as above!
FYI. The parking brake must click 7-9 times for correct adjustment. These are shoes in behind the discs. That equals 4 pads per rear wheel! You should never need to change the rear shoes as they dont slow the car down, only hold it in place.
Last edited by gs-ireland; 01-24-07 at 11:38 AM. Reason: typo
#12
I prefer to have the rotors surfaced every time I change the pads, they just take enough off to even out any irregularities. This seems esp important up front, but it only costs $7 a disc to have done.