Brake Pads

Your brake pads are responsible for stopping the car using friction against the rotors that turn with the wheels. The energy mainly gets turned into heat, but the pad wears down in the process. As such, pads must be checked and replaced as needed.  This is very easy to do at home with no special tools.

Brake pads or linings as they were called with older style drum brakes, used to be made of asbestos, very nasty stuff especially for the mechanics that used to blow the dust out of the drums and get a face full of asbestos powder.  Asbestos is now illegal for use in brake pads and as technology has moved on, different brake pad compounds have emerged using various compounds including metal, ceramic and carbon fibre.

Some things to consider when choosing brake pads include:

  • Cold Stopping Performance. How well does the pad grip on the first stop when the system is at ambient temperature?
  • Hot Stopping Performance. How the pad reacts in higher temperature such as on the track?
  • Pad Life. How long will the pads last in a given driving environment?
  • Rotor Life. How aggressive is the pad on the rotor, will it groove the surface?
  • Noise. Does the pad squeal?
  • Dust. How much dust does the pad generate, how easy is it to clean?
  • Cost. Is the pad affordable compared to how it performs?

Inspecting the pads.

You may be able to see the outer brake pads with the wheel on, but you won't be able to see the inner pads which may be worn differently, so do it properly.

Jack your car up and remove a wheel.

Use a 14 mm socket and a long breaker bar to undo and remove the lower calliper bolt.  This picture shows the upper calliper bolt which you don't need to undo, but gives you an idea of the calliper bolt locations.

Brake-Pad-01

The calliper can now swivel upwards on the remaining bolt allowing you to see the pads.

Brake-Pad-02

You can see the vent slot in the rear edge of the pads showing that these pads are almost new. The rear pads don't have this slot

Brake-Pad-03

 

 

 

 

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