2006 6MT 56,000 miles. Replaced front pads at my local shop last week. They could not find any pads so I located a set of Hawk HPS that they put on along with new rotors. After about a week they are starting to make a horrible squeak at lower speeds. Any suggestions I can let my shop know about? They were surprised that I could find a set of pads- they called 3-4 places without any luck and a set of pads from the dealership, well, we decided not to go that route. Any suggestions? I intend to call the shop Tuesday.

 

Do the pads have the 3 knobs on them? If so, I think the middle knob needs to be filed off (might only be true for the rear, can't remember for sure. There's a thread on this, search).

Edit: Never mind, looks like that only applies to the rear brakes. (Search for "3 knobs").

Also, IIRC, HPS' are notorious for noise.

There is plenty of info on pads here in the forum, plus vendors who carry them:

OEM-can't be beat but dusty and expensive $160 shipped onn ebay
Racing Brake ET300s (I have these) almost zero dust, near OEM performance $99 at heeltoe
DuraMax Gold $60? good reviews from forum members, used to have lifetime guarantee, not sure now
EBC red/green, a few forum member running these.

 

i have hawk HPS pads on my front (i have brembos as well). my fronts do not make a peep. my rears on the other hand...squeal like a ran over a cat whenever i back into my driveway (i back down a slope to the bottom). dealer said nothing they can do.

have you bedded the pads to the new rotors??

 

Good question- I doubt the shop did this. I will go do it tomorrow. Considering that I have driven roughly 50 miles since replacing would the brakes still benefit from a bedding procedure?

 

You might want to check the rears. That middle tab rubs on the caliper piston and causes the pads to be uneven when compressed. Read these posts:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...3&postcount=32

https://acurazine.com/forums/showpos...5&postcount=10

Won't hurt anything.

 

Between myself and a few friends, we've owned about 6 cars with brembo 4-piston calipers (Evo STi and G35-SC). In our experience a little squealing from these brakes is quite normal at low speed. Especially when backing out of your driveway. If you search the internet, you will find this is a common phenomena. If your pads are squealing a lot more than you think, get them checked out. Probably nothing you can do about it.

 

thanks for the info nfnsquared. i will have to look into this. that little third tab isn't causing any damage is it?? the squeal is particularly worse (and loud as hell)when turning the wheel a little. i've had the hawk pads on for over 1 1/2 yrs. they pretty much squeal since i had them installed.

 

I'm using hawk hps pads on brembo slotted rotors and my brakes don't make a sound. You should get your brakes checked out especially if you just had them installed, the shop might not have bedded them properly.

 

Well- I just went through the bedding procedure . As was pulling in, great big squeal. Oh well, time to call the repair shop.

Should they have used the Hawk or brembo shims? I am trying to eliminate problems and help them out.

 

Do you have the ability to take the wheel off yourself and inspect the install?

Brake installs are pretty straight forward for most shops, but not saying there is nothing wrong.

When installing pads usually there is brake grease supplied that should be applied to the back of the pads. Usually the instructions say not to use between the shim and the back of the pad and only on the back of the shim, but I have found no harm in applying between the shim and the pad and the shim and caliper. It actually eliminated some sequel problems.

When I worked at a garage there were a couple of things I found that cause brake sequel. If installing new rotors or re-installing the original rotors the hubs should be smooth so sanding off the surface rust was necessary. The second was the insufficient amount of brake grease supplied with the pads. I tend to think the more grease the better and always use the OEM shims. The install instructions say a thin layer of grease, but I use a thick layer and never had any negative outcomes only a positive. I have never had a brake sequel problem and I run a more aggressive pad setup, EBC Yellow.

I use this for my brake installs and really like it, Permatex® Ceramic Extreme Brake Parts Lubricant. Like I said above I run EBC Yellows and they are notorious for squealing for the first 500-1k miles and supposed to, but mine barely squealed in that time frame.

http://www.permatex.com/products/Aut..._Lubricant.htm

Good luck!

 

i'm running hawk hps. they squeak at low speeds pulling out of the garage when they're cold and dust like mad. the increased stopping power is noticeable though. i wouldn't get them again.

 

I am having the same issue with me EBC reds, when i press the brake lightly they start sqealing, but if i press hard they dont, i have had these on for a few thousand miles and it didnt start out this way. its very annoying to have to press the brake harder than needed just to get rid of the sqeal. Any suggestions.

 

Based on what I've read on this forum, I wouldn't touch Hawk pads with a 10-foot pole. Too many stories about significant noise issues with (iirc) HPS and/or HP+.

 

check the wear indicator. it should be on top and towards the outside of the car.

 

squeaking is from people not bedding the pads in right, or not lubricating the back of the pad.

im on my 2nd set of hps's and i have never had a noise problem. btw there is less brake dust with my HPS pads and stoptech rotors then oem pads and rotors.

 

Mine were fine for a while, until one day they just started squeaking when i press the brake lightly. I am thinking about taking the brakes apart and putting them back together. I was going to do that this weekend. Hopefully it will work.

 

For EBC read step 9 and try re-bedding your pads. I would also apply more brake lube to the back of the pad. Also if your pads did not come with shims and you did not reuse your original shims, call EBC tell them you did not receive shims with the pads, you're experiencing brake squeal and they should send you shims for free.

http://www.ebcbrakes.com/typicalq&a.shtml

 

Well I took the car into the shop. The resisted at first because the pads are not 'their'. They relented and offered to add/replace more backing to the pads. Still in the process of bedding the brakes. For now the squeal is even worse. Both wheels make noise at low to medium pedal pressure- before it was just one. Super loud! Am I missing anything? Or should I just keep trying to bed them in?

 

or it could just be a bad rotor and pad combo...idk...just a thought. the materials may not like each other.