Kevin Wong

I noticed today when I lifted my car on jackstands that my brake pads seem to be in contact with the rotor. The front driver's side especially almost has a grip on the rotors. Is this normal? I can spin the rear wheels by hand and there is a little resistance and noise every rotation. The front passanger's side has more resistance than the rear, but I assume that's normal. The front driver's side is by far the worst. I can't recall the last time I have my brakes serviced, but is that all the solution is? I've noticed my Accord holds its speed longer when I throw it neutral in comparison to the Maxima.

Chunger

iTrader: (1)

The pads' friction material should be in contact with the rotor (or at least look like it). If you mean the metal part of the pad then you need to replace them with new pads.

If you hear/feel uneven catching at every revolution on the brakes as you spin the tire by hand, then your rotors are probably warped and need to be turned too...

Kevin Wong

I guess I could get them serviced and smoothed out, or I could install those Wilwoods that are just sitting in my dining room, hehe. It just seems like a waste of brakepads to me. My front pads are not even half way worn and I have 50K miles on them.

vmok

the reason you feel more resistance on the front wheels than the rear is that when you spin the rear wheels, they are spinning independently. if you take note, when you spin the passenger front in a forward direction, the driver front is spinning in reverse. the front wheels are connected via the differential, which distributes power between the two wheels. basically, you're spinning 2 wheels when you're spinning the front ones. in a rear wheel drive car, the rear wheels would be harder to spin/turn.

if you had a cattman/quaife limited slip differential, both front wheels would spin in the same direction, either forwards or reverse. differentials are designed so that the two wheels can spin at different speeds. otherwise, it would be very difficult to turn as the inside wheels follows a shorter path than the outside wheel on a turn. non limited slip differentials is also what causes only one wheel to spin when you light up the tires.

if the backing material on the pads is touching the rotors, that's bad. normally, by the time that happens, you'll see grooves in your rotor from the rivets that hold the pad material to the backing (on most brake pads). when you're braking, do you notice a pulsating sensation through the pedal? if so, you may want to resurface the rotors. if you look at the rotors, and they look very shiny, that may be a reason to resurface them as well (glazed rotors). they should normally look slightly matte.

the wheels being difficult to turn may also indicate that the brake caliper/piston may need to be rebuilt as it may be sticking and not releasing properly.

-V

Chunger

iTrader: (1)

I really wonder how many have them on... I haven't heard any feedback from anyone else...

Kevin Wong

Well, I'm a bit scared to go at it alone, so I was waiting for OrgreDave to get his hands on a set of SS brakelines so that we can do our brakes at the same time. He's having the same problem I had a few months ago in obtaining a set. I was on back order for about 3 months. Until then...