Depends on the situation I would go slotted and avoid the drilled I like having the added rotor mass. But that talk is out of my league modern pad designs don’t necessarily benefit from drilled and slotted even some oem’s with performance brake package opt for a high carbon only or high carbon + slot rotor. Check out the huge brake package that’s available on a hell cat. Factory rotors are not drilled.
New brake pads, new noise
- Thread starter mojoe
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I do pad slaps all the time. Everything gets cleaned thoroughly and then grease points greased. Including slide pins. I always put a mag base dial indicator on and do a run-out of the rotor. Then, a couple clockwise and counterclockwise passes with a hone or even 800-1000 grit sandpaper on a small block. Brake cleaner to clean up. You don't have to go crazy with the hone or sandpaper, you're just looking to clean up any glaze in the surface. If I do replace the rotor, make sure the mating hub surface is clean and flat. Do a run-out even with a new rotor. In South Carolina, not much of an issue, but you folks in the salt belt need to clean those hubs good.
I did slotted, I did drilled, not the combo. One thing and vehicle and weight dependent for how loud (Sequoia, slotted) was each brake application you would get a whrrrrrrr. In the Sequoia it drove the wife crazy so had to go back with solid. Sonata had drilled and I found it wore the pads a lot faster. The difference was that when pads were HOT and off gassing (brake fade) that gas had somewhere to go, same with slots. The question comes how much of that really hard, consistent braking do you do daily where you get to brake fade? I would get it between my house and firehouse at the stop sign every block for 10 blocks. By number 10 it was questionable. That was also when I was younger and only at those over radio "forthwith" calls.
Hopefully my problem is soon solved; new pads and rotors ordered from Rock Auto. I went with Bosch Quietcast rotors and Akebono ACT pads. I'm ready to be done. I think pad slaps can work just fine in the right situation, but this wasn't one. After reading the comments here, and considering what I've done so far, I think the rotors are just too far gone. Thanks again for some great advice and suggestions. Always learning!
I do pad slaps on my euro rotored vehicles, but have always replaced with same formula/compound pad. Proper bedding and never had issues. Now, if I was switching pad formulas/compounds, I would "scrub" the old pad material off the rotor with a flat garnet stone (never use regular aluminum oxide sandpaper 
) and re-bed. With the "softer" pad compounds. I can get one pad change before the rotor needs replacement. Semi-metallics? I'm lucky to get the rotors to last as long as the pads 
.
) and re-bed. With the "softer" pad compounds. I can get one pad change before the rotor needs replacement. Semi-metallics? I'm lucky to get the rotors to last as long as the pads .This is the way. I just got Carquest rotors, the raybestos high carbon version and platinum Carquest pads for my sons Sentra. All 4 wheels for $150 shipped. All these parts are available at my local advance and would have cost over $400. I enjoy using good parts but not as much as I like scoring a great deal on them.
UPDATE: Replaced front rotors and pads on the 2016 Outback today. Bosch QuietCast rotors and Akebono ACT pads. Since I decided to do as much of my own car maintenance as I could less than a year ago, this was probably the smoothest, most successful job I've done yet. No big surprises, no major frustrations. And the results have been great so far. Right off the bat, as I was backing the car out of the garage, no squeaking or strange noises. I took it out, warmed it up, and bedded the new brakes. Then drove around like normal for about 15 minutes, and everything is perfect. Nice pedal feel and quiet as a mouse.
Next up is the 03 Camry. I already got the Bosch rotors ready and waiting, and I scored Akebono ACT pads on closeout at Rock Auto today for $21.79 (plus shipping).
Thanks again for the advice and encouragement from everyone here.
Next up is the 03 Camry. I already got the Bosch rotors ready and waiting, and I scored Akebono ACT pads on closeout at Rock Auto today for $21.79 (plus shipping).
Thanks again for the advice and encouragement from everyone here.
Glad it all worked out. Just go easy with the bed-in I don’t think the akebono pads require all that much out of the box to start working
Good deal. Your experience is one I had myself and why I won’t reuse rotors. I had relatively low mileage brembos that I replaced the god awful organic brembo pads on. Wasn’t long and I had new rotors on order due to noise that wasn’t a squeak.
One brake job that was a dud failure is when I used brembos. Never again on my vehicles.
I had a similar experience recently on a '21 CRV. The Honda dealer had actually quoted a pad slap at $250. They wanted me to match and I felt compelled to do so.
I ordered some Akebonos and pad slapped. All was fine on my break-in but the next day they were complaining of an intermittent squeal. I apologized and said I'd redo it.
They never took me up on it but I learned my lesson: go with your instincts and stick to your guns. In the future I will tell people we must at least turn rotors or I will NOT stand behind my work AT ALL, PERIOD.
I realize this is largely superstitious and N=1, but I don't care. I don't like looking incompetent. From now on, no more pad slaps on paying work.
The rotors were actually good for the 20k that they were on. It was the horrible NAO pad material that glazed the rotors so bad. I scuffed them but it didn’t work. Turning rotors now days is a few buck less than new. Lesson learned.
That's probably the same issue I ran into with the NAO ceramic brembos
I’d bet. Just a horrible pad. No dust but absolutely no bite at all. My brake system felt like the pads were carved from a block of cheese.
Same here not much more bite over the PowerStop Z17 as you say if any, but I had way more brake dust over the Z17's.
The next time someone has noise after doing a pad slap, which is perfectly safe and not an issue if the rotors are in spec, take that sucker out and re-bed those brakes. Take it out somewhere with no traffic and no lights or stop signs and get those brakes almost smoking hot but not too the point of fade. Long, medium hard stops down to 10 mph or so. Do NOT come to a complete stop. Then, once you've got them hot, cruise for at least 10 or 15 minutes, trying not to touch the brakes while they cool. This will deposit a fresh later of pad material on the rotors that is compatible with the new pad material.
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Sounds like you've got "creep groan". Here is sample noise to confirm if you're suffering the same symptons...
It's harmless (it typically disappears as you get heat into the pads)...it's moreso an annoying noise to hear when the brakes are cold.
To fix, either machine your rotors, or replace both your rotors and pads...
Good to see you fixed the problem!
Doesn't surprise me. Putting new pads on a slick, shiny surface usually results in a poor brake job. I only want to do the job once, I replace everything when I do a brake job.
Yep - that was it!
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Ok great!
Yeah, the noise itself is harmless. It's just annoying hearing the noise when the brakes are cold...but the noise (at least for me) disappears after you get some heat into the pads...
For my car, the noise began after a pad switch (OEM semi-metallic to Ferodo semi-metallic pads, which to my disappointment (for my normal street driving) are GF rated pads, not the FF rated pads the online images show). Noise disappears after a few brake applications...
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