Pads

[cam fan]

I know there is an ongoing thread for the v6 brake squealing and an actual co. adjustment made for the brembo folks, but when do I know the pads just need changing?

I have just under 17k miles and my 2LT has been squealing for the last couple hundred miles.

From my research pads need changing about every 20k miles depending on city/mountain/aggressive driving

I know the best thing is to take it to the shop (who I dont trust anyway lol) but in the mean time - what do you think?

[JohnZ]

How hard do you get on the brakes? I also have a 2LT with 30,000 miles and last week i had my car serviced and i still have over 50% of my brakes left.

[cam fan]

I'm oftentimes in NYC traffic so the stop & go may play a role. I guess I just have to get it to a shop and see how much is left bc the noise is terrible; it is constant around 1k or under rpm.

[hypurone]

The pads have warning scrapers on them. They are designed to make a constant scraping/screeching noise even when you are NOT on the brakes. When this happens you need to replace them. Depending on what wheels you have you can see the outer pads with the wheel spokes aligned the right way as not to block the caliper. Minimum pad thickness is around 2/32" not including the metal backing...

[cam fan]

This noise is only when applying the breaks at low speeds. If I attempt a hard stop from 40mph+ there is no noise.

Just normal stop light to stop light and down shopping center parking complexes (where the echo is miserable) do you get this brake noise.

[JDP Motorsports]

I would suggest going to a car wash and spraying the wheels/brakes well with water. A lot of times you just get dirt/dust between the pad and the rotor. You can also turn the wheel or remove it and check to see how much pad is still there. My feeling is your pads are fine at your mileage.

Please feel free to call, email or PM me anytime with questions. Have a good one!

Kind regards,

Jordan Priestley
888.308.6007

[hypurone]

Originally Posted by cam fan

This noise is only when applying the breaks at low speeds. If I attempt a hard stop from 40mph+ there is no noise.

Just normal stop light to stop light and down shopping center parking complexes (where the echo is miserable) do you get this brake noise.

That happens with some types of pads. My point was, IF it starts making noise when NOT on the brakes you KNOW you have a problem and most likely worn out pads.

I would take the car to a no-traffic road where you can do some hard stops without anyone behind you. Go about 50mph and use hard pressure to slow the car to around 20mph. Let off and repeat 2 more times without completely stopping and drive around for 10-15 mins to allow them to cool. This will break the glaze on the pad/rotor surfaces. Though the squeak is most likely to return depending on braking habits and if the pads got overheated early on in life...

In case you decide to change the pads cuz you can't get rid of the noise for good. I highly recommend the Hawk Ceramics. VERY low dust and very quiet...

[cam fan]

thanks for the advice! My car is a weekend car (not on purpose bc i am lucky enough to be able to walk to work, otherwise I would drive it everyday)

I will try that!