Installation Tips

Changing the brake pads may be a simple job, but there are few important points that are usually missed or forgotten by installers, which can lead to noise and vibration when you brake, and usually the brake pad quality is to be blamed for it.

It is true that the brake pad is the most crucial component in the braking process, however even the best quality brake pads is not able to “absorb” all vibrations. It may be caused by the conditions of other parts in brake system or even improper installation.

Brakes are critical safety parts for all vehicles. For installation of brakes, we strongly encourage drivers to always approach certified mechanics or maintenance garages when replacing brake parts. After installation, please remember to depress the brake pedal several times from inside the car so as to ensure that the pedal is comfortable for you.

※Note: It is possible that you require several pumps of the brake pedal to allow the brake pads to seat into the new positions.

Main Components of Brake System

The following is an illustration of the main components of a brake system.

Preventive Measures of Brake Vibration & Noise

Points to take note during installation:

1. Condition and Quality of Brake Disc Rotor
   
   If the brake disc rotor surface is uneven or damaged or has a grooves over 0.012″ (0.305mm) depth, it needs to be skimmed, or turned by using an on-car lathe, or even taking it to workshop for a new replacement. Usually the inner and outer part of braking surfaces will have grooves left by the old brake pad, especially if the friction material contains a high level of steel fibre that is used by many manufacturers for production simplicity and cost-saving. This is often hard to be overlooked, as this may result in the new set of brake pads to have no proper contact with the rotor surface, which will lead to noise, vibration and fast wear off of friction material.
   
   If the brake disc rotor is in a good condition, it also important to sand the rotor surfaces on both sides lightly, with a piece of 100-grit sandpaper so as to smooth the surface. An orbital sander works well for this job, since it gives the rotor a non-directional finish, which is recommended by most car manufacturers. Sanding the rotor surfaces will remove any residue or brake pad adhesive that was deposited by the old brake pads. This prevents the possibility of noise and vibration when the new set of brake pads is installed.
2. Lubricating on Contact Surfaces
   
   It is advisable to lubricate the following contact surfaces:
   • Caliper bolts (pins)
   • Clips, shims and anchors where it touches the brake pads and calipers.
   • Back plate of brake pads (on both edges) and in the centre where cylinders push.
   • Rotor mounting place where brake disc rotor fixed on bearing hub and axel.
     (It is especially important if the rotor was replaced.)
   
   High temperature grease, like Molycote77, should be used and ensure that the lubricant will not contaminate the friction material and rotor braking surface.
3. All shims, anchors and clips should be present and have “like new” condition
   
   If the conditions of the shims are bad, or it is misplaced and you are unable to replace it by new one, then a thin layer of high temperature silicone could be used as the last resort.
   If caliper uses anchor brackets to fit brake pad, make sure it has not been worn out. The brake pad should fit very snug in the anchor bracket.
4. Caliper slides (where brake pads load), bushings, bolts (pins) must be clean and rust free
   
   It is also very important to make sure that the wheel flange behind the rotor is free of any rust or debris. Failure to eliminate rust or debris will cause rotor “run out,” which, over time, will cause friction material to be transferred to the rotor surface. This might eventually cause noise due to extreme variance in rotor thickness.
5. Caliper bolts must not be bent and must be torque to manufacturer spec
   
   Otherwise, it may cause the brake pads to be not on the proper position on the brake disc rotor, resulting in brake jam, noise, vibration, etc.

All our effort put to obtain all information is made correctly.
However, we cannot be responsible for errors that inadvertently made.