time for a brake job

[tonythetiger]

OK, The brake wear indicator light came on yesterday and I jumped out to Pelican and bought the whole schmeal...rotors, pads, sensors, hardware, dampers.
I have the paste and cleaners already.

Ive inspected the brakes and still have some wear on them, especially given the way I drive...(i don't use the brakes much, I let a turn slow me down) but what is the collective thought on replacing the rotors.
they aren't warped, dont appear glazed, I am using soft semi-metallic pads because most of my trips with the car are short 2 to 5 mile stints and these perform well, even when they are cold. I'm tempted to swap the pads and sensors and see how it goes.

I can use the rotors anytime down the road on either car and the brake job is SO EASY, it takes 5 minutes a wheel, if that. the pads are cheap, even the sensors are cheap. If I waste a set of pads and I'm out maybe 50 bucks.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by tonythetiger

OK, The brake wear indicator light came on yesterday and I jumped out to Pelican and bought the whole schmeal...rotors, pads, sensors, hardware, dampers.
I have the paste and cleaners already.

Ive inspected the brakes and still have some wear on them, especially given the way I drive...(i don't use the brakes much, I let a turn slow me down) but what is the collective thought on replacing the rotors.
they aren't warped, dont appear glazed, I am using soft semi-metallic pads because most of my trips with the car are short 2 to 5 mile stints and these perform well, even when they are cold. I'm tempted to swap the pads and sensors and see how it goes.

I can use the rotors anytime down the road on either car and the brake job is SO EASY, it takes 5 minutes a wheel, if that. the pads are cheap, even the sensors are cheap. If I waste a set of pads and I'm out maybe 50 bucks.

Not warped nor glazed? I'd keep using them, unless you plan on tracking the car.

[rexcramer]

Measure the thickness of the rotors. If they are under the wear limits 22mm front/18mm rear or 26/22 for S's, why not change them?

[tonythetiger]

Originally Posted by rexcramer

Measure the thickness of the rotors. If they are under the wear limits 22mm front/18mm rear or 26/22 for S's, why not change them?

but if they aren't under...why change them, right? there isnt even a ridge between the wear surface and the rest of the disk. this is an S.
l'll measure to be sure.

[paulofto]

Originally Posted by tonythetiger

l'll measure to be sure.

Always a good idea. If close to or at minimum change them.

[piper6909]

My guess is that if they were too thin they'd be warped already.

[Brian in Tucson]

I'd put a bit of black tape over the brake wear light and run the summer with what you have. Do the brakes in the fall, do a complete job, and bed the pads into the new rotors carefully. If the brakes start to feel squishy, you can always do them. If you wear the pads down to rivets or bare metal, you're not really out anything, you're planning on new rotors anyhow.

I'd probably get speed bleeders too and do a brake fluid flush & bleed. Brakes will be pretty wonderful.

[patssle]

I drove my Boxster daily for several months after the wear indicator came on for the front brakes. And even then when I changed them I still could have gotten more miles out of the pads.

[The Radium King]

forget the light - the sensor is just a loop of metal inserted into the pad - the idea is that when the pad gets thin then the loop get abraded and opens the circuit causing the brake light. often heat will cause the sensor to fail when there is still life/thickness in the pads. VISUALLY inspect them. always. do not trust 50-year old tech with your life. i have just shorted the wires together and never use the sensors - most high performance pads do not even come with a spot to insert the sensor. you seem hands-on with your car, so just visually monitor the status of your pads and change when getting thin.

tips - don't let them get too thin, otherwise the pistons overextend and pull the dust covers off.

as other have said, don't change rotors until at minimum thickness UNLESS visual inspection shows cracking at the drill holes (s cars have drilled rotors) or UNLESS you change pad vendor - older rotors will start to form a ridge; move to a different pad that has a slightly different footprint and it may ride on the ridge and reduce your braking until things come to terms with each other.

if you do move to race pads (pagid, etc.) realise that they are thicker and do not work well with those anti-squeal thingies that stick to the back of the pad - if you put the anti-squeal thingies on a race pad you may get some dragging, heating, rotor warping.

[tonythetiger]

Im well aware of the sensors and I’ll replace them anyway, it’s 5 bucks a wheel.
I’m not using race pads or ceramics. No worry about fade, if anything I want the brakes to get warm fast since I only drive in the neighborhood. I like softer semi metallic pads, rarely go faster then 60 miles unless it’s a short 90mph burst in a couple of roads.
There is no ridge and I’ll measure the rotors, but careful inspection already shows they look perfect.
Thanks folks


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