Brake Caliper Lube/anti-squeal
 

Hi folks,

I’m about to do some brake work and am in need of a brake caliper lube recommendation.

I plan to use the products to lube the necessary parts and apply it to the pad backings (shim) to eliminate brake noise.

I was told that the rubbery anti-squeal compound of the past is no longer preferred and new preference by pad manufacturers is to use synthetic brake caliper grease that allows more movement of the pad against the caliper.


Permatex:

PRODUCT BENEFITS
• Prevents disc brake squealing
• Prevents long bolt and sleeve seizing and galling
• Outperforms ordinary caliper grease and traditional disc brake quiet
• Non-silicone, non-petroleum based formula
• Pure synthetic lubricant, environmentally safe

TYPICAL APPLICATIONS
• Long and short bolts
• Sleeves
• Bushings
• Outboard pad backing plate
• Inboard pad backing plate
• Disc brake calipers
• Caliper pins
• Pistons

DIRECTIONS FOR USE
1. Wirebrush the caliper housing and anchor plate to remove all dirt and dust.
2. Apply Permatex Ultra Disc Brake Caliper Lube to all moving caliper hardware, mating surfaces and steel backing plates of the disc brake pads.
3. Any excess grease that squeezes out from the mating surfaces should be removed.
Note: Keep lubricant off pads and rotors.

http://www.partsamerica.com/product_.../crc/05359.jpg

CRC:

"Backing plates, brake pad contact points, caliper o-rings, calipers, disc brake pads, drum brake systems, grommets, parking brake areas of lubrication, pivot points, self adjusters"

DISC BRAKES
Shimmed disc brake pads
Rotor hats (Underside)
Caliper slides, bolts & pins
All metal-to-metal contact points

DRUM BRAKES
Shoe landings (Bosses
Brake Hardware
Parking brake hardware & cables
Drum brake adjusters

http://www.partsamerica.com/product_.../ptx/24110.jpg

Both seem to have the same uses. CRC product is $6.99 for the 8oz versus $14.99 for the Permatex.

What one is better? What direct experience do you have with either product? Which one eliminates brake squeal better?

Thanks.

I used permatex. brembo oe blanks, hawk hps pads, legend calipers, no squealing.

you can get a little package at the counter of your local parts store for $.99. 1-2 packages will do an entire brake job.

forgot to say... it looks like a package containing ketchup... kinda like the ones you get from mc donalds.

Tacky stuff is disc brake quiet. You are only supposed to use that stuff if the pads are shimless. Shimmed pads use disc brake caliper grease only...supposedly.

Wurth Anti-Squeal on the pads and paint the feet with copper paste. This is what we do on the cars at work and I have never had problems with the brakes squealing.

Wurth makes some good stuff... but typically it's only used on vehicles from the fatherland ;)

I'm speaking of the synthetic grease not the rubbery crap.

I talked to CRC again today and apparently this entire brake lube plot gets thicker.

The definition of shimmed by CRC and other polymer industries than what many pad manufacturers consider as shimmed.

CRC's engineers state that brake pads with a slice of metal built right onto the backing plate (they call this a metal gage riveted to the backing plate) is NOT a shimmed brake pad. The only pad design they consider to be "shimmed" are pads with actual, separate shims like those that are featured in the OEM pads. Shims that are detachable and must be user-installed. Any pads with riveted, pre-installed metal pieces that are not user removable are not considered shimmed pads.

Thus, nearly all of the aftermarket pads we use on this forum: EBC Greenstuff, Hawk HPS, Raybestos, etc should be using the tacky CRC Disc Brake Quiet compound (or Permatex brand one), not the synthetic disc brake caliper grease that I had mentioned earlier. My error. The only pad designs that are supposed to use the grease are the Honda ones with the user installed shims.

Hope this clears everything up...

CRC chemicals aren't that great. Their Brakleen can get you mad high if you use a lot in a confined space though.