Read my brake pads... Tell me my future!

[Bob]

Okay, well... these are the pads I have been having trouble with lately. They left uneven deposits on the rotors. I drove around for a few weeks in order to try to smooth the rotors out.

Now they look like this. Are these things okay to use again?

I'm surprised they are so non-uniform across the faces of the pads. Any ideas as to why?

 

[JAJ]

What are they and how did they get that way?

The round dot looks like a brass wear-alert pin. As I understand it, the pin is supposed to make the brakes squeal by rubbing on the rotor when the pads are worn out. They don't look worn out, but they don't look very healthy either. It's almost like they were overheated and starting to crumble, except there are no chunks missing.

As for the future, I see new pads...

 

[5lho]

They look pretty glazed. What was your break in on the new pads like and did you cut or put new rotors on?

 

[VTXFrank]

Get new pads. While you're at it, check for proper hardware on your calipers. Looks like the caliper piston area is the only part being pressed to the rotor.

 

[Bob]

These are Pagid RS29 pads, installed on resurfaced rotors.

I don't think I did a good enough job bedding them. Which might explain the glaze.

But I'm surprised by the tapering on the sides. Perhaps it's due to the resurfacing? O'Reilley put a surprisingly-rough finish on the rotors, and I was concerned that it would chew through the pads. Perhaps at times the pads sit at an angle to the discs which caused the edges to get rubbed off by the rough rotor surface?

Oh, and those pins are apparently the brass pad retention pins that Pagid uses. Their web site suggests that they don't negatively affect the rotors.

 

[Paul.]

Are they stopping the car? Are you road racing the car? If the answer to the first question is yes, and the second question is no, then put 'em back in and drive until they're toast. Why spend money on new pads if you don't have to?

Paul.

 

[cbass]

Are they stopping the car? Are you road racing the car? If the answer to the first question is yes, and the second question is no, then put 'em back in and drive until they're toast. Why spend money on new pads if you don't have to?

Paul.

Remind me to never let you follow me somewhere!

It looks like something was binding or forcing the pads onto the disc at an angle. I would probably put back on with plans to replace shortly. Maybe throw them in the box of things you bring to the track as a backup.

 

[jcw427]

Bet new pads and rotors. Way cheaper than replacing the whole car

 

[Bob]

Update: These pads were more worn in the center than they are at the edges.

Only when I put each pad against a flat surface could I really tell.

So I think what happened was this:

1) inadequate break in
2) glazed the pad
3) somehow wore the center of each pad more than the edges
4) drove around on it for a week with each pad really only using the outside edges. That's why the outer rim of each pad in the original photo looks unglazed.

I sanded each pad for a while this evening against a flat surface, and now you can see they look much better, with only the center areas of each pad are still a little glazed looking.

 

[302GT]

What do the rotors look like?

 

[Steve@Tasca]

Remind me to never let you follow me somewhere!

It looks like something was binding or forcing the pads onto the disc at an angle. I would probably put back on with plans to replace shortly. Maybe throw them in the box of things you bring to the track as a backup.

^^
What he said, they look like they weren't being held evenly against the rotor.

How well do the slide pins fit? Does anything seem excessively loos or did anything feel like it was binding?

Personally I'd replace them.

-Steve

 

[JAJ]

These are Pagid RS29 pads, installed on resurfaced rotors...

OK - so they're good (actually great) pads. To find out what really happened, send an email with a picture to Pagid Racing (http://www.pagidracing.com/service/contact/) in Florida and see what they say about it. They are the North American factory reps, so they know their stuff.

 

[Bob]

that's a good suggestion, thanks JAJ.

 

[Bob]

as JAJ said, Pagid has responded:

"You are right, the pads look glazed. I suggest grinding the surface with a rough sandpaper (put the sandpaper on a flat surface e.g. table) and re-bed the pads. Usually they come back."

 

[5lho]

They are glazed most in the centre because that's where most of the pressure is, hence the highest temp. That's not surprising.