1. What is the best way to retract the pistons when changing the pads? I don't want to screw up the pawdercoat on the calipers or anything. I'll also be swapping rotors, so I'll have the calipers off, if that will aid the process...

2. I'll be usning Project MU BForce pads with Brenbo cross-drilled rotors. Can I just do the swap and drive (properly bedding in, of course), or do I need to bleed the syetem or change to a DOT 4 fluid? I won't be tracking the car.

Any help or advice with this would be greatly appreciated.

 

you can use a c-clamp but i guess if you are worried about the powder coat finish, use a disc separator tool. this tool will not touch the finished-surface at all. it's about 8bucks.

you can just swap and drive w/o bleeding the system or changing the fluid.

i just did my pads/rotors yesterday. i am sore as hell. haha. make sure to have a 19mm wrench (rear caliper mounting bolts) and a 22mm wrench/socket (front caliper mounting bolts).

 

Leave the calipers mounted and when you slide out your old pads, use them to pry back the pistons.

Thanks,
Gary

 

Just noticed your other questions. Should not have to bleed or swap your fluid. How many miles on it? Does the fluid in the reservoir look clean?

 

Good idea; thanks for the tip. The fluid looks clean and there's only 26k miles on the car, so I guess I'm good on the fluid, then.

Yeah, I bet I'll be a bit sore afterward, but hopefully it won't be too bad. I've already had the calipers off once to put in longer studs for spacers. Those front caliper bolts are a b!tch; had to buy a 22mm socket and breaker bar for those.

 

You can also "twist" your rotor by hand to puch the front pads back before you take the calipers off.

 

Yeah, that might work too; I'll give both a shot and see what works best. Doing the job tomorrow. I assume same tequniques work equally well in the rear?

 

If the e-brake is not on, yeah!

 

I just use my old pad as a lever to push the caliper in. Either that, or my fingers.

 

To elaborate further on using the pads...

Leave one pad in the caliper...either the inner or outer. Otherwise, when you push the pistons in on one side, the other side will pop out!

Pull out a pad on one side, and turn it 90 degrees vertical. Use it as a lever to push back both pistons. It should be just wide enough to contact both. Be careful with contact to the dust boot so you don't tear them.

 

Here's detail:

http://forums.evolutionm.net/showthread.php?t=77123

 

Got the swap done today. Using the old pads to lever in the pistons worked like a charm; thanks for the tips! Not a difficult job, but took a few hours, since I cleaned the insides of the wheels and calipers really well in the process. The Brembo cross-driller rotors look great and you can just see the funky blue of the Project MU pads poking out; kinda cool. Only thing about those pads is that they do not have wear indicators on them, so you need to check how much pad you have left periodically. Been raining like a mother here in H-town today, so I haven't driven it yet. When it dries up, I'll bed the pads and get some pics.

 

Nice, glad it went well for you.