Squeaky brakes & questions

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MG

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My brakes are really squeaky now and it seems like they're not braking as hard as they should be. I'm not doing any real hard driving so what would you recommend? I'll probably just take it in to Midas for new pads and resurfacing, should I buy pads beforehand or what? I'm new to this stuff so any advice would be good.

I searched, but the posts I found were more geared to racing.
 

sdpatt

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There are many options for brake pads and rotors and to replace them is a very simple job. You didn't indicate what year (or engine/transaxle) your car was so I cannot specify the pad and rotor prat numbers, but I highly recommend Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads and AIMCO rotors (or the cheaper versions) from AutoZone.

The PF pads come with a lifetime replacement warranty through the 'Zone and will greatly increase the braking performance of your SHO. They are also very reasonably priced at $28-$35. The PF pads and the 'Zone's $19 rotors for my '91 SHO have provided good street service for frisky driving and periodic SHO Club drives.

You can use the search feature available at the top right of the page adn look in this topic for more information that has been previously discussed on brakes and any subject. Midas? Only if you must.
 

MG

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Sorry, I have a 93 ATX. I've never done anything like brake work before so I'm a bit apprehensive about it, that's why I figured I'd take it in somewhere.

Are the prices for 1 or a set?
 

shojuan

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MG:
Sorry, I have a 93 ATX. I've never done anything like brake work before so I'm a bit apprehensive about it, that's why I figured I'd take it in somewhere.

Are the prices for 1 or a set?
Brake work is very easy plus it's sort of obvious how to do a quality conscientious job when you take your time. Now's the time to learn to do your own brakes. And you will learn by DOING! Apart from saving LOTS of money on labor, money you can put back into buying more replacement brake parts or simply higher quality parts you will learn that when you do your own brakes you know they were done right and you won't be in any hurry to ever have anybody else do your brakes ever again. I'm not sure that the cheap rotors that Scott mentioned are still available for the great prices he's thinking of. In the past there were very cheap rotors from autozone that had a lifetime warranty. I think a lot of the rotors have moved to a 3 month warranty and the prices have gone up. If you can get the rotors dirt cheap with a lifetime warranty then by all means go for it. You've got little to lose. If you're willing to spend a few dollars more then you might want to look into the Brembo rotors from tirerack. They are high quality made in the USA castings. Don't expect miracles from any rotors with the undersized brake system you got however. Choosing a good pad compound can make a substantial difference. Not a miraculous difference, the only way to get that is to upgrade to 96 brakes or better (Cobra/Baer brakes, SHO Stopper Jr (Wilwood 4 piston fixed calipers on the 96 knuckles using 96 rotors), or full SHO Stoppers (4 or 6 piston Wilwoods on custom modified knuckles using quality lightweight Wilwood 2 piece rotors ->reusable aluminum hat bolted to iron disc. No compromises).

For pad compounds the best street compound you are going to be able to get for your current brake system is Carbotech Bobcat, about $90. Hawk HPS is good, about $50 or $60 from tirerack (if the prices have gone up to $60 then just spend the extra $30 and get Carbotech Bobcats). The Performance Friction is supposed to be good too, but there's no way it's going to be as good as the Bobcat pads. Really, for the money those Bobcat pads are a bargain compared to how much better they can make the compromised early brake systems.

Scott's right, Midas only if you must. I'd really hate to see you get soaked for new brakes using mediocre materials when you can do it yourself, do it right, and put 100% of the money towards whatever quality of consumables you choose and tools that you will have forever.
 

MG

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The Hawk HPS is $55 for the fronts on TireRack, but they don't list the backs, how does that work?

Brembo rotors are $46 each for the front, $39 for the back, not sure about the warranty.

Autozone lists the AIMCO rotors as $30 (for one I think), with only a 3 month warranty, so it seems like the Brembo are a given.

I have a friend who said he put cross-drilled rotors on his car and they're really noisy - will these slotted ones be quiet? That's my main complaint right now, aside from the so-so braking capabilities of the car.

What all do I need to buy if I want to do my brakes? Should I do all four at once? Do I need new brake lines? What kind of fluid is good to use?

Thanks for the help. :)
 

shojuan

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Keep in mind there's shipping too. The Brembo rotors aren't slotted. With shipping you might be looking at $193 or so for 4 Brembo rotors front + rear for your 93. Looks like Autozone doesn't have lifetime warranty rotors anymore (better make a note of that Scott). But they have cheaper rotors than the Aimco: Valuecraft front -> $20 each and Valuecraft rear -> $25 each.

Rear brakes don't wear as quickly as fronts. If you have some pad material left on the rears I would just do the fronts to start with. It will be easier that way, less intimidation for you, and you can focus on getting quality materials where it really counts. The fronts do more than 75% of the braking. If you are going to hit any budget limits then I would get the cheapest autozone $20 front rotors from your local store and then spend the extra money on Carbotech Bobcat pads. Either get them from Carbotech directly -> http://www.carbotecheng.com/main.htm or from Josh at shonut (he's a Carbotech distributor. He might be able to get you a slightly better price) http://www.shonutperformance.com

The Brembo rotors aren't going to necessarily make much difference. If anything they might be slightly less prone to warping because of the higher quality castings. But all the quality in the world won't make up for the fact that the 93 brakes are too small for the size of the car. It's your call. If spending the extra money on the Brembos doesn't bother you then go for it. But DON'T get the Brembo rotors if it means that you will go with a lesser pad than the Bobcat to save money. Better pads are way more important right now than better rotors.

Replacing the brake lines is a good idea but if your lines aren't in immediate need of replacing (cracked or swollen or you know they're collapsing internally) then you can do them later. Pedal feel will be improved tremendously if you get stainless steel braided teflon brake lines. Besides pads those are the best upgrade you can do for your stock brakes. The Valvoline sythetic DOT 4 brake fluid is good and cheap. You can worry about using fancier fluid later. Chances are you'll find out later that you don't need a better fluid. If you do then ATE Super Blue is really good stuff. I would just start with Castrol LMA Dot 4 or the Valvoline sythethic DOT 4 for now. You'll need a Torx T-40 bit to remove the front caliper pins. You'll probably want a 3/8" drive bit. Do you live in the San Jose area? If so go to All Parts Auto and just plop down the $9 for a 5 oz tube of Sil-Glide Silicone grease. You'll need some silicone grease for lubricating various parts and although it's a little pricey, that tube of Sil-Glide will last you a very, very long time. I always buy the little 5 gram packets that are $.99 of either Permatex silicone brake grease or silglide and after picking up two more packets recently I realized that the $2 would have been much better spent towards a big 5 oz tube of Sil-glide. You'll also want a can or two of brake cleaner. The best is CRC brake cleaner in the red can. spray the friction surfaces of your rotors and pads before you install them to make sure those surfaces are grease free. Don't wash any of the silicone grease you've applied to the sliding surfaces onto those friction surfaces (or if you do, make sure to clean it up good with brake cleaner...hence the reasoning behind having an extra can on hand).

You'll also want a caliper piston compressor tool or you can just use your old brake pad and a really big c-clamp. A one person brake bleeding kit would be a nice thing to have too. Even better would be getting a set of Russell's speed bleeders or Earl's solo-bleeders. Get a set of those and you will never go longer than a year between brake bleedings because it's so easy. I think that's it. No more tools required to do the front brakes that I can think of. Other than the wrench for the brake bleeder screw. If you decide to change your brake hoses now you'll need flare wrenches to remove the brake lines. Also spraying PB Blaster on those connections you're going to take apart is a good idea.

Once you do the front brakes then you can worry about doing the rears. The rears require a special tool (which you can rent for free after leaving a deposit at autozone) that turns the caliper piston inwards. Also after you do the fronts and before you do the rears you can decide if you need/want to get new rear caliper pins, boots, and maybe brackets.
 

PAracer

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Also, you can reduce any squeaking frm new pads by putting a bevel on the leading edge of the pads. For the prices we are discussing, you may even want to think about a 96 upgrade. Since you need to buy new part anyway, the price difference wont be too bad, plus you will go longer between rotor warpage.
 

DHMag

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sdpatt:
There are many options for brake pads and rotors and to replace them is a very simple job. You didn't indicate what year (or engine/transaxle) your car was so I cannot specify the pad and rotor prat numbers, but I highly recommend Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads and AIMCO rotors (or the cheaper versions) from AutoZone.

The PF pads come with a lifetime replacement warranty through the 'Zone and will greatly increase the braking performance of your SHO. They are also very reasonably priced at $28-$35. The PF pads and the 'Zone's $19 rotors for my '91 SHO have provided good street service for frisky driving and periodic SHO Club drives.

You can use the search feature available at the top right of the page adn look in this topic for more information that has been previously discussed on brakes and any subject. Midas? Only if you must.
Scott,
AIMCO 5470 is now 29.99. Valucraft 5470B is 19.99. both with a 3 month warranty. these prices are for SHOs built after 2/91.

Dale
 

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