Questions about Strut wear and Brake Piston Attachment
 

Hi Community,

I was replacing my brake pads and had a couple of questions on what I am noticing in the wheel well area.

1) Front strut
Is the wear on the foamy cusion surround of the upper part of the strut normal? It looks a bit hard and cracked, but I don't see anything underneath exposed. Secondly, is the rubber boot supposed to be loose and not attached on the bottom?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1375137702.jpg

2) Brake caliper piston attachments
I removed the rear brake pads and found (4 per wheel) these attached to the pistons. Do I reuse these or dispose of them and only use what comes with the new brake pad set (which doesn't seem to come with anything except for the pads)? I plan on using Mintex OE brake pads. Lastly, where, if any, should I apply brake quiet goo? Does anyone have pictures or diagrams on where best to apply?

http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1375137721.jpg

Thank you in advance.

What you have there are "mushrooms" , or anti squeal fixings .
You could reglue them onto your new pads , or buy new ones .
Not sure on the current prices from porsche .
Basically , they fix your pads to the pistons so they go out as well as in ...

Thanks for the response. It sounds like it's a required part. I didn't see this listed on the DIY instructions on the Pelican Parts 101 projects forum, which is why I'm a bit confused on the reuse or replacement of it. However, I was wondering how the brake pads would retract and not touch the rotors without something like this to keep it stuck to the pistons.

Question: What kind of glue shall I use (or just the anti-squeal compound)?

Only the cars with drilled discs have them iirc .
I have heard of people cleaning them , then inserting into the pistons before a drop of superglue before quickly inserting the pads and pressing back .
Never tried it , there where never that much to buy new .

Interesting. I only have standard rotors with no slots.

Does anyone know how the brake pads separate from the rotors without the "mushrooms" attached to the pistons? Other cars have spring clips or similar tension mechanisms on the calipers, whereas the Boxster does not. I'm wondering how the brakes stay separate from the rotors when not braking.

Thanks again.

They're just fancy anti-squeal pads, not required for operation. I just left them out when I went to EBC Red pads, and haven't had a single squeal.

Pads don't need to be pulled back by the caliper piston. you actually want minimal clearance between the pad and rotor, to eliminate excessive take-up before the brakes start to work. The minute "wobble" present every rotor/hub assembly pushes back the pad to provide clearance while not in operation. Some production based race cars actually need light springs behind the caliper piston, pushing it Towards the rotor. These anti-kickback springs can counter a soft pedal caused by hub/axle assemblies that aren't stiff enough.

Thank you for the explanation.