My front brake pads are about gone and they need replacing asap. When I looked in the maintenance items post the directions from maximadriver.com seemed doable however without some pictures to match up what im reading I may have problems. If I did have to have someone do it for me what would the cost be for just the front? Will shops install aftermarket pads or just their own? What pads work best with stock rotors? How many of you replace your own brakes?

Thanks in advance,
T

 

Brake pad are very easy, they are just heald in by to metal clips. I think in the shop talk on the org, front page their is Shop Talk, if you need more help just IM me at on AIM Slowandsenile.

 

You had better do it yourself. :-) It's really easy. You'll need a a jack, a lug wrench, 14mm socket, a C clamp and a good strong forearm. There are two bolts on the back side of the caliper. Remove both of those. (if you break them it's about $10 to replace those pins so be careful.) The caliper should move now but might require some.....persuasion. Take off old brake pads. (slide toward and away from you, respectively for both pads). Put new ones on.
There should be a packet of graphite that came with the pads...it's up to you to put it on. I personally never have but it does help with brake squeaking. Take the c clamp and squeeze the caliper in as far as it will go. Put the caliper back on and the bolts back into place. put the tire back on and lower the jack. Turn on the car and press the brake a couple of times as far in as you can until it feels firm. Next, grap a drink, pat yourself on the back and go smoke a civic. :-)
Gary
(P.S. If I've missed anything feel free to add something)

 

Front are easy to install. The back on the other hand needs a special tool that hooks to the caliper piston(or whatever it is). From experience, I was changing mine and couldn't get the brake piston back in and poked a hole in the piston boot. Had to go buy a boot kit that came with all kinds of stuff to repair the back brakes on my year max. Luckily my dad's friend specializes in brakes and had it fixed in 10 minutes.

 

Would you like a step by step guide with over 30 color pictures?

If so, have a look at www.motorvate.ca and click on "Brakes" and then click on part 1, part 2, and part 3.

I documented this on my last brake job on my 95 SE.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for all the info, looks like ill be doing this the first chance I get. Any opinions as to which pads work best with stock rotors? I was thinking Axxis or porterfield.

Thanks,
T

 

wow...great site. very useful info. bookmark!

 

Depends what you're looking for. Porterfield= better stopping power and fade resistance, very rotor friendly, but dust a lot. Axxis=slightly cheaper, slightly less stopping power and fade resistance, a little less rotor friendly but don't dust as much. They both have an excellent reputation, so it depends on how you prioritize.

 

That is a great site. Comes in very handy for all sorts of things.

SuDZ