Brake Pad Shims a MUST?

[SavagePatch]

The EBC Greenstuff pads I'm running came with shims that hold onto the back of the pads via tabs. The shims shifted causing grinding a sound and a "gritty" feeling in the pedal. Are the shims a must? Or can I omit them? I'd still lube where the posters and calipers contact the back of the pads. Thanks!

 

[berniedd]

My experience with my Honda CRV is that the service manual says the pads should be installed with shims. But the Bendix set I bought didn't come with any and when I lifted the calipers of the car, I saw no shims in the factory installed original pads. So I retracted the brake pistons with my C-clamp and just slapped on the Bendix pads without any shims. So far I have not noticed anything unusual with the brakes.

By the way, how thick are your shims?

 

[DemoFly]

Every set of pads I have installed without shims has squeaked.

The shimless installs were lubed with silicone grease.

 

[The Critic]

The shims are there for noise dampening. If the shims are fitting loosely, remove the shims and bend the tabs so that they fit the pads more tightly.

 

[Ducked]

When I took my drivers side caliper apart there were the remains of one rusty shim, partly displaced. I threw it away.

The other side didn't have any.

Brakes don't squeak but I probably wouldn't care much if they did.