Who had/has squeaky brakes, and how do you fix them?

[Kyle H]

My brakes are SERIOUSLY squeaky and I just can't stand it anymore. I'm running redbox pads on brembo blanks and ever since I put new pads on old rotors (by old I mean they had ~3,000 miles on them and i swapped the pads), they've been squeaking like crazy whenever I stop. It's only my front-right brake, the front-left is fine.


Any ideas on quieting that thing down?

I've tried:

• taking the brakes apart to check for rocks stuck in the pad
• applying more anti-squeak
• re-bedding them in

[Insomniac]

re-bedding them in

meaning?.. I was told before that pads need to seat properly onto rotors for quiet braking. I think the method used was good ol HARD braking.
And I've also been told that some pads just HATE certain rotors.

[Kyle H]

I use the method from stoptech's white pages, basically doing a couple of 60-0 stops until there is a bit of fade, then letting the rotors and pads cool while driving normally (~45-50mph) and repeating that a couple of times.

[kovalevandrew]

My brakes are SERIOUSLY squeaky and I just can't stand it anymore. I'm running redbox pads on brembo blanks and ever since I put new pads on old rotors (by old I mean they had ~3,000 miles on them and i swapped the pads), they've been squeaking like crazy whenever I stop. It's only my front-right brake, the front-left is fine.


Any ideas on quieting that thing down?

I've tried:

• taking the brakes apart to check for rocks stuck in the pad
• applying more anti-squeak
• re-bedding them in

Dude, if you think yours are bad, i've got the Hawk HP+(squeaky bastards)... Lets just say, i get VERY odd looks from people in traffic. I've also got slotted rotors, which seem to make them even louder for some reason.

[djwimbo]

I use the method from stoptech's white pages, basically doing a couple of 60-0 stops until there is a bit of fade, then letting the rotors and pads cool while driving normally (~45-50mph) and repeating that a couple of times.

When bedding in new pads you NEVER want to come to a complete stop. The point at which the pad and rotor get the hottest is when you stop. All the heat sinks into the rotor, that's what it's there for. When you come to a stop, the heat cannot escape the pads and you can glaze them, or worse.

With that being said, there's a couple of things you didn't try. How are the condition of your anti-rattle springs? And what kind of "anti-squeal" did you use?
Personally there two ways that I use that work 95% of the time, or at least for a couple months at a time.
There's the red sticky spray paint kind, and then there's "Permatex Antiseize". Either one you coat the backing of the pad that touches the caliper. What you're trying to prevent is the movement(vibration) of the pad inside of the caliper.

Ever taken a brake pad out and seen the backing of the pad worn on the outside, from the piston or the "fingers"? That's what that noise is.
The sticky red paint kind prevents it from moving, obviously by sticking. The Antiseize doesn't prevent it from moving, only dampens the movement and helps prevent backing wear on the caliper. This method generally has to be reapplied every 4-8 months.

EDIT: FWIW when I did the track day awhile back I didn't have the money to upgrade to a better pad, and I didn't think I really needed them at that point. After a full day of over heating the living shit out of my brake pads, they squealed for a month of more, until I wore off the glazed portion of the pad. In all reality, my brake pads are destroyed, but they work just fine on the street (for now).

[offroader1006]

you are wasting your time with the bedding process. go ask a dealer.

take the pads out, sand the rotor face in circular motions with a fine grit paper, until you cannot see any circular lines(like the grooves in a record).

take a grinder and bevel the right and left edge of each pad's friction material

get a copper based brake paste and apply it to the back and the sides(where the pad slides).


also, apply the paste to all springs and sliders.

if it still squeaks, it's not your brakes

[01A6Turbo]

Do what I did after throwing 2 good sets of OEM pads in the TRASH (squeaky motha F'ers) lol Dish out the money, get yourself a good set of drilled/slotted rotors (if your rotors are on their way out anyhow) and I went with Akebono Ceramic Performance pads. I have seen absolutely NO dust, heard NO noise no matter how fast/slow I'm braking -- evening creeping braking like in Starbuck's drive-thru :) With OEM Semi-metallic pads, those things would give me about 2k miles of silence before squealing louder than a dying pig! I was never so embarassed in traffic; a matter of fact I would constantly look around me acting like it was someone else! lmao ;)

[somebody5788]

I'm about to try to resurface my rotors, rough the surface of my pads, apply BG Anti squeak (this stuff makes you warm the pad first to absorb it) and then re-bedding w/ 3 good hard stops from about 40-60mph. maybe 40, 50, 60 lol. If that doesn't do it I give up. I'm just lucky to be able to do this for free...