Sport pkg brake squeal

AP - Chris_B

This is not unusual, but can be mitigated by rebedding the pads. Fixed, opposed-piston calipers with larger pads can often squeal a bit, especially if not used very hard. The pad transfer layer get slowly rubbed off over time by easy braking. Rebedding refreshes the transfer layer so the pad is rubbing on it's own material instead of raw iron. Not only does the squeal usually go away (or close to it), but the brake will be more effective as well.

Do NOT use sandpaper of any kind on a brake rotor. There is no way to maintain the flatness required for optimum brake performance manually. You can use either Scotch-Brite (and elbow grease) or a Flex-Hone on an electric (not battery-powered) drill motor to remove pad material deposits on the friction surface. After cleaning the rotor surfaces, the pads will need to be bedded again.

Below is a bedding procedure that is useful for street pads. If you still have trouble after going through this, let me know and I can offer a bit more assistance with more aggressive solutions.

• Lightly brake from 45 MPH down to 25 MPH five times in succession. Do not attempt any high-speed stops down to zero at this point.
• Increase the braking effort (like stopping in traffic) for another 5 times, again avoiding full stops.
• Increase speed to 55-60 MPH. Brake to 35 MPH five more times using heavier braking than normal, but not so heavy as to engage the ABS.
• You may now notice the smell of hot brake pads (off-gassing) and the pedal becoming a bit soft or mushy (green pad fade), which is normal. If no fade yet, repeat step #3 again.
• Drive the next 1 mile using no brakes. If safety concerns require using the brakes, apply them as gently as possible and attempt to keep from completely stopping.
• Allow the brake system to completely cool upon return.
• After cool-down, the brakes will be 70-80% bedded (100% is usually achieved by 500 miles).

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Chris Bernal
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