Squeaking...new rotors with brakes?
 

I bought my Z, used, about a month ago now. The front brakes have been really squeaky. I had Nissan check them during service and they are at 30%. I've never bedded-in brakes before but started reading about it since I joined these forums...to do that...should I go with new rotors as well when I get new brake pads because of the leftover material on the rotors? Or turn them?

Bottom line, I don't want super squeaky brakes on Z. Its really noticable...loud and frequent.

Depends what is squeaking. When you replace pads, the caliper should be lubed with caliper grease. It prevents the pad-caliper from squeaking.

If its the pad to rotor, then replace the pads. I recommend turning the rotors when replacing pads.

The extra material on the rotor ends up hitting the edge of the pad thus causing it to squeak. This fairly normal as most performance cars have rotors that are somewhat soft to allow for better braking. Turn the rotors when you get the new pads and make sure that the pads are spec'd for the Z if you have stock rotors.

Having similar Problem
 

I recently installed Stoptech 2 Pot 13inch rears with Axxis Ultimate pads. I completed the bedding process with 2 cycles, 10 stops per cycle with 10mins cooling period between cycles. The rear brakes squeal when I'm about to come to a complete stop and I'm barely applying pressure to the brake pedal.

I tried bedding the brakes again by performing 1 more cycle of 10 stops, but it has not helped. I suppose I could try some anti-squeal gel on the back of the pads, but frankly I don't see why I should have to do this. I am running the exact same set up in the front, only with 4 Pots, and have had no problems.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Wow old post. I don't squeak anymore...don't know what I did though. All 4 pads are relatively new now, but I didn't change the kind of pad.

Problem was mostly with light pressure like you are describing though.

I'm hoping it goes away. I called the Stoptech tech line and left a voicemail. I'm waiting to hear back from them. I really don't feel like removing the pads to put the gel chit on them.

I'm the type of guy that likes to search to find my topic, then add on to it instead of starting a new thread. :thumbup:

Found the answer
 

Pat from Stoptech called me back. We discussed the problem and he suggested I "Chamfer" the brake pads. This should alleviate any brake squeal.

VO(goes out and find answers to his questions 99% of the time)

Update...
 

I tackled the job on Sunday evening. Total time including removing and reinstallation was only a couple hours. One thing I didn't notice when I had originally installed the Axxis UTL's is that they were already chamfered. Since I had already had the car lifted and wheels removed I figured I's chamfer the pads some more. In the pics below you can see the original condition the pads come in. The last pic is of the grinding wheel I used to remove the bulk of the pad material. I then used a steel file to even out the entire side.

Here are pics of what the pads looked like after I made the leading and trailing edges identical..

The last pic is a comparison of the pads in orginal state vs. grinded down state..

Final conclusion, while this may work on some applications, it did not work for me. After a long discussion with Pat @ Stoptech tech support, we decided that I would have to go with a less aggressive quieter rear pad. Reason being is because I don't drive the vehicle enough to ensure that the pads will ever get "broken in". It's a show vehicle that only recieves about 30 miles per month. Pat advised that I would have to drive the vehicle several hundred miles before the Axxis pads actual break in and the noise stop.

Just an FYI, the back side of the pads already have a sound dampening material attached.

Update...
 

This past weekend I took the rear Axxis UTL's off and tried my hand at making them quiet again.

This time I picked up some CRC Disc Brake Quiet at Autozone. It's roughly about $4.00 per bottle.
Here's their website:
http://www.crcindustries.com.au/cata...t?openDocument

I removed the noise supressing tape that the factory sticks on the back of the pads. It obviously doesn't work. After this, I applied a nice thick coat of this stuff directly to the metal backside of the pad, then let it sit all night to cure. You only have to let it sit for 10mins or so, but I had somewhere to go.

The next day it was dry, but extremely tacky, sticking to everything. In order to slide it back into the caliper without getting this gooey stuff everywhere, I pushed the pistons in a little bit with a C-clamp. This gave me enough clearance to slide the pads back in without dislodging any of the tacky gel.

Took it for a test spin last night. I still squeaks every now and then, but nothing as bad as previous. Personally, I'm a perfectionist and even the slightest squeal is not going to go well with me so I'm going to end up replacing the pads with another brand. Posi Quiet 104's will probably be my choice. Just thought I'd share this info with the community since my search only turned up 2 thread that had to do with brake pad squeal.

New Pads
 

I finally ordered new rear pads. I decided on Posi Quiet 104's at the advice of Stop Tech tech support. They came in today. I'm going to try and get them installed tonight, then test drive it if it's not raining. I attached a few pics so you guys can see what they look like. Posi Quiet pads are suppose to be performance pads that are close to OEM design, hence eliminating squeal. You can even see they come with a brake shim attached already. No need for the gooey coating. I'll post results when I get to test drive it.

Subscribing.

Man, I tell ya... I've put alot of time and effort into ressolving this brake squeal ordeal. I sure hope this works. The squealing on my current pads is so bad. It's embarrassing everytime I pull into a parking lot or stop at a light.

Yeah you've put a lot of effort into it. Will be interesting to see the difference with the shims on there this time.

I'm figuring that will be the key to stopping the squeal....

*fingers crossed

New Brake Pad (Posi Quiet 104).....
 

I managed to set aside some time last night to change out the rear pads.

It was a good night to work on the car. A clear cloudless night, around 58 degrees outside. Before starting the work, i had to get the setting right. Stevie Ray Vaughn and a few bottles of Heinekin....:icon17:

After the wheels were removed, I proceeded to remove the old Axxis UTL's I was previously using. The red gooey coating I placed on the back of the pads made it pretty hard pulling them out because the stuff acts like glue and pretty much glued the pads to the pistons. With a little persistance I was able to pry them free. You can see the caked up stuff left over on the pistons. Surprisingly, I was able to remove it with a little finger rubbing, a small screwdriver, and small needle nose pliers...

Next went the new pad install. I had already pryed the pistons back some ways with a flathead screwdriver, wedging it between the old pad and rotor. It was enough to pull the old pads out, but not enough to install the new pads. No problem, I used the trusty old C-clamp to recess the piston futher back into the caliper. A towel placed on the end of the C-clamp kept any paint on the caliper from being damaged....

Last step was the new pad install. This didn't go so smooth. I've included a close-up pic of the backside of the Posi Quiet pad. In the pic you can see the shim does not exactly have the same size hole as the pad itself. This proved to be a pain in the arse when trying to push the Stoptech thru-pins in place. What was happening was the pin would snag on the lip of the shim, making it difficult to push through the pad. The first pad took me awhile to get the pin through. The shim actually belt back off the pad a little because I kept trying to force the pin through, but it kept snagging on the shim. I finally got it through by using a tap on the end of the thru pin and hitting it with a light hammer.

When installing the next set of pads, I used a phillups screwdriver to wedge into the pad hole. With the screwdriver in the hole, I worked it in a cirrcular motion to bend the shim back a hair. It wasn't visibly much, but enough to allow the thru pin to slide through easier...

After completion I took a test drive. Seeing this Posi Quiets reach operating temperature quicker than the Axxis UTL's, I immediately felt better grab with the pads being cold. I test drove the car for about 10 miles. The Posi Quiets squealed a couple times, but nothing compared to the Axxis UTL's. Of course, this is a comparison based on none aggressive driving at around the same outside temperature. The Posi Quiets rarely squealed when coming to stops, and if they did it was very mild and only lasted a split second. This would be my comparison of the two pads on a scale of 1 to 10, with regards to the amount of squeal, 10 being the worst.

Axxis UTL's = 8
Posi Quiet 104's = 3

That's my write up. I hope everyone has enjoyed my suffering. :rofl:
If there are any changes I will update this thread...

Great write-up VO!! Def worth buying you a Heiny or two for your troublez. :)

:thumbup:

Thanks for the write up vo, I'm actually replacing my rear pads cause the set I put on squeaks all the time and it's slowly driving me insane, lol.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/e...e/IMGP3393.jpg

vatos locos!!!!

Good job dude, i plan on tackling this job next weekend.

Glad I could help...

orale! :icon17:

Well, guess it was a good thing that I subscribed to this thread, cause now my Stoptechs are starting to squeal like a pig. :icon20::icon22:

Rears? Are you running the Axxis UTL's?

Axxis UTLs. :( Just got this BBK installed about two weeks ago.

Is it the rears sqealing?

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. Just started noticing it this weekend and on my way to work this am. Kinda embarrassing having such a hot car and squealing like a Yugo. :icon43:

It's more than likely the rears. Save yourself the trouble and just get new pads. The evidence and attempts to recify the ULT's sqealing problem is all here in this thread cut n' dry... :dunno:

To add to the thread, my stock brakes and calipers squeaked hardcore and it was pretty embarrassing. I replaced the fronts with powerslot slotted rotors and Hawk HPS pads. A little squeak here and there, but 96% of the time, there's nothing. :thumbup:

Don't say I didn't warn you!!!!!!:icon17:

Bite me! LOL! Yep, you did. :icon17:

IMHO Stoptech should stop selling these pads as their "standard" package. It is so obvious that most customers are not going to be happy spending several thousand dollars on brakes that you can hear squeal from a few blocks away. Stoptech's response is to tell you to go through the bed-in process again, but as several people will atest, it makes no damn difference.
I will probably go through the expense of replacing my pads within the next few weeks - doesn't make me happy:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

A standard pad is a requirement and the bang for the buck of the Ultimates is undeniable. Some have better luck with them than others related to the squealing but we still feel that the number of complaints due to noise is far outweighed by the positive feedback regarding the performance. The Ultimates are basically free with the kit based on the pricing structure leaving you to decide if you want something different. No matter what pad we include, there will be something that someone will complain about and we feel that having a pad with higher bite than stock along with a higher temperature range while not raising the price of the kit is what people are looking for with a performance upgrade and appeals to the widest audience.

All of your points are very reasonable and I totally agree that you will never make everyone happy. However, when you are selling brakes which have such a high likelihood of being associated with an issue (in this case squealing), it would just seem reasonable to address that issue ahead of time (for example providing or offering a different pad), rather than leave the consumer to discover it for himself. Somehow the "free" pads are not such a great deal when you have to pay another installation fee to have the pads replaced. Hope I don't sound overly negative - I DO love my Stoptechs:)

Agreed 100%.

I have the complete 4 wheel set. 4-pot 14 inch cross drilled fronts and 2-pot 13inch cross drilled rears. At the incredible price consumers such as myself pay for such products, I'd assume Stoptech would appease us by swapping out such an inexpensive component.

My trouble and time wasted in rectifying this situation were hardly enjoyable to say the least...

We used to offer this but now that most kits are stocked and ready for immediate shipment, it is not feasable to tear everything open to change the pads out.

Clipdin wanted to know if my how my PosiQuiets are still doing. I am happy to report I took the Z out last night for a 15 minute drive. Outside temp was 57 degrees. The brakes are still quiet. I believe I heard one tiny squeak during the entire trip. :)

Great news VO!!! Hey, I took your advice and called brakewarehouse.com and ordered a set for me too! :) Talked to a guy named Chuck (nice guy) who helped me order them. I ordered the whole set for fronts AND backs. Get this, the specs recommend the Posi Quiet ceramics for the front 4-piston calipers and the semi-metallic (which is what you got) for the rear 2-pistons.

Gonna try to install them this weekend. Not sure if I will install the fronts if the current pads don't squeal....yet????

Thanks again for laying the groundwork and doing all the testing on your brakes man! I'll be glad to buy you a beer or three! :D

When I had the stock Brembos on my STi, I used the 104 pads front and rear and was very happy with them. They felt almost as good as stock in terms of bite (the stock Brembo pads are quite good) with almost no dust and no noise whatsoever. I recommend them to people all the time who want a nice inexpensive low noise and dust pad.

Sweet man! Chuck is who sold me my pads too. The front axxis UTL's should be fine. My fronts have never had any problems, even in the cold, but's that's because fronts always bite harder than rears. That is where most braking power comes from. You could try leaving the axxis UTL's on the front and just swap the rears. You'll have better bite with the axxis fronts than the PosiQuiet ceramics.

Glad I could help someone not have to go through the same thing I did...;)

One last update..
 

Outside temperature dropped to 50 degrees last night. I took the car for a spin. The rear pads are still quiet. :)

Hey VO, got my pads today, gonna put them on tomorrow. You answered my question. I was wonderin about just changing out the rears and leaving the Axxis up front. Didn't wanna change em out if I didn't have to.

Hey, these things say they are scorched and need no break in?? Did you bed these pads when you put em on? Or can I just slap em on and be done? :confused: Then again, not sure if you can try to bed your brake pads if you only swap out the rears????

If you are only swaping the rears, just replace them. dont worry about any bedding, they dont need it.

So yeah, just slap them in and be done with it.....

Ahhhhhhhhhh, music to my ears!!!!
 

NOTHING!!! :D Just swapped out my rear pads for the Posi Quiet semi-metallics. NO MOAR SQEALING!!!!! THANK YOU VO!!!!!!

That is great news! I'm gonna do the same! I've put up with this for 6 months now, hoping it would get better (- which of course it didn't).