when should I replace my front pads? how much material should be left on them? I want to get them before they start squealing....

 

If you take them off, there is a slanted section on the ends of each pad that tells you when it's too worn. When that has worn away and your pad is completely flat, then you need to start looking into new pads. You will also feel a slight vibration through the brake pedal when you apply the brakes. The more you need the pads the more the vibration. Then the last step is of coarse the squeaking.

 

thanks. I do get some vibration, so looks like it's time.

any suggestions for good pads? OEM Nissan? Ceramic?

 

Unless you can provide us with before (new) and and current (now) pics, we can't tell you how much life is left in your pad. We don't even know how many miles you have on your car, how many miles you put on your brakes, what type of driving you do, how fast you drive, conditions of the car, or how loaded (junk) the car is.

 

Why don't you inspect the brake pads yourself? Its very easy. Every pad should have a metal bar on the side of the pads. Once you've reached that metal bar, it'll make a constant squealing sound, even if you're off the brakes. Look and see how much pad life you have left before it reaches that point.

Vibration is not always a sign of worn pads, its a sign of a scored or warped pad and/or rotor.

 

I just put in four new rotors and pads from courtesyparts.com, they sell nissan parts at dealer prices. I personally stayed stock, but people go with other pads. I asked about them and I heard that the performance gained by pads is negligable if you don't upgrade rotors as well. If I were you I would just stick with Nissan if you are using Nissn rotors. No squealing and it won't dust like crazy. Just my two cents.

 

i think that he was just looking for an answer about what the general guideline is for pads and replacement, not for him specifically.

 

I think when it gets down to where the pad part is 1/3 the size of the back part.

 

The first question was fine, I told him to check his pads. Thats basically a for-sure way to tell if you need changing. The second question was extremely vague that you could almost give him any answer within complete brand new-completely worn.

 

Yeah Nissan pads have a "meter" I guess in the corners of the pads that show when it's coming to the end of the life of the pads. All those other variables that you asked him about don't really apply. I figured he doesn't race or heavily mod or anything. The only way to know what's going on is to take them out and visually inspect them.

 

10char

 

This is not true.

1. What has vibration got to do with worn pads? Explain to me how worn pads cause vibrations.
2. Some pads have no bevel at all - so that can't be a good indicator of when pads are near the end of their life.
3. Not all pads have wear indicators, which is what cause the squealing as the pad starts to get thin.

There are definitely some telltale signs, and squealing is one of them - but that is only going to happen if you have wear indicators on the pads. The only other way is to inspect the pads yourself, as Loe Max has stated.

Here is an example of a new, vs. worn brake pad:

 

If you don't want to run the pads right down to the wear indicator, replace them when 10% to 20% remaining. I went with Raybestos pads (PGD 540) in the spring on the rear, when I had the right rear seized caliper. They show no brake dust or squeal whatsoever.

 

He doesn't have to take them out. He can just take off the wheel and peek through the caliper viewing hole.

 

Notice I only used Nissan pads as a comparison. I realized there are many different pads, and that's why my final statement was to just visually inspect them.

 

great pics NJ - that helps me a lot. I have inspected my brakes and I have a little more than your worn out example. they haven't begun to squeal yet, but I think I'll change them to be safe, and will stick with Nissan OEM parts. might look at new rotors too (for the vibration).

thanks to everyone who responded - great & instant feedback from you guys!

 

If you change your rotors and pads at the same time they are going to smoke for a little while, just be aware of that.

 

are you talking about? You need to stop giving out bad information.

 

I replaced the pads and the rotors at the same time last week. I started driving them and pulled over when my car started smoking. I did it with my friend that works for audi and he told me that if you put on new pads and rotors at the same time as they work themselves into eac other they will smoke and you will smell them a little. It happens for the first couple of days and goes away. It happened to mine and I was just warning him.

 

That's a load of crock. Your brakes are binding, that's why they were smoking. Have you ever tried to think logically about what you are typing and whether it even makes any sense.

 

My rotors smoke when brand new too.. But it was with my old pads













Because I'm too lazy to clean off all the oil they come pakced in

 

I can only go off of my experience. If I ask a mechanic what is going on and he tells me what I am supposed to say. I was trying to look out for this person. I don't know what binding is. If that's what was going on and i knew about it then why wouldn't I tell him. How about you try to think logically instead of reacting. If you know about it more than me great, help the guy out. I never pretended to know everything there is to know about brakes. Jeez you guys act like you were born knowing everything about cars.

 

yeah they are probably sticking. I had the same problem on an old toyota camry - the caliper stuck after a brake job. at first it was a little smoke during short drives, but when I finally got on the hwy the pads/rotor completely seized. had to get all new parts, and a new wheel bearing too!

 

Trying to help is a noble thing, but providing bad information, ESPECIALLY about brakes, is a bad thing. If you aren't sure, put that disclaimer on top of your post... and btw, find another mechanic.

McNasty - your brakes are not working properly if you are seeing smoke (or perhaps you didn't clean the oil off the rotors before you installed them???)...

Vibrations in the brake pedal indicate rotor runout (commonly called warped rotors). This can happen with worn or new pads and doesn't necessarily indicate pad wear.

Keep reading and learning, but just be careful dishing out advice if you aren't sure of it yourself. Don't trust anyone, and question everything.

 

be careful on the way home wen u change ur brakes, lol. i almost died, they tend not to stop u as quik as u would like rite away.

 

lol yeah I noticed that too. I got the brake cleaner for the oil, but maybe we didn't get all of it. They stopped smoking the next day and since then I haven't had any problems with the brakes, which lead me to believe that the mechanic was right. They are working well now. If I thought something was up I definately wouldn't have passed along the info.

 

It REALLY helps if you are able to bed your brakes in after changing them. If you have an area where you can get some speed up then stop, that would be cool. Basicallya series of hard stops from say 40mph up to about 65mph until you can smell the brakes and possibly see some smoke as well. You'll also have a LOW brake pedal when you're done. Then park the car and WAIT until the brakes are completely cool. Also don't forget to leave the ebrake OFF when you do park it. It'll save both the pads and rotors and won't leave any deposits on the rotors that can cause "juddering/shuddering" when you use the brakes.

 

.....

 

 

What kind of pads are best?

 

My order of preference:

1. OEM
2. Raybestos QuietStops
3. Hawk HPS

 

Yes OEM are the way to go.. More expensive but well worth the lack of squeks for the next yr.