# fast brakes kit squeaks



## SubaruBlue200sx (Mar 21, 2004)

ok so my turbo is done.. mines exhuast and clutch lol.. i previously installed fast brakes big brake kit.. and they squeak like crazy i mean its loud and ear piercing.. and i dunno why.. ive used brake cleaner.. and disk quiet.. yet it still squeaks.. not at hard braking only on like light braking it is annoying any ideas on what it could be


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Is everything installed right?
What pads are you using?


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## SubaruBlue200sx (Mar 21, 2004)

Zac said:


> Is everything installed right?
> What pads are you using?



yeah everything is installed right.. the only thing is the bleeder screws on each caliper...i had to replace 2 on each of them cause the were leaking..im guessing that brake fluid got on the rotors and pads. how can i clean that i have a hunch thats what the squeak is


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

SubaruBlue200sx said:


> yeah everything is installed right.. the only thing is the bleeder screws on each caliper...i had to replace 2 on each of them cause the were leaking..im guessing that brake fluid got on the rotors and pads. how can i clean that i have a hunch thats what the squeak is


Brake cleaner should take that off.

Did you bed the pads after you installed them? It sounds like you're getting "new pad sound" (the sound new brake pads make when they haven't been broken in yet).


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

It is not the calipers or kit, nor is it anything to do with brake fluid being spilled. It is the pad compound you are running. What pads are they? Honestly you are now running a race setup, some compounds are quieter than others but many WILL squeal. This is what happens when you start installing parts designed for racing on a street car.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Let me make my earlier question more specefic. Are you by chance running the Hawk HP+?


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

As everyone else has asked, what pads are you running?

I've got pretty extensive esperience with Wilwood calipers and the various pad compounds available for them.. let me know what you've got on there now and what you want to do with the car, and I can point you toward the right compound of pad.

From the pics shown on fastbrakes site, you're likely using a Wilwood pad. Depending on the compound, they are great on the track but will squeal like a pig.. others dust like mad but are quiet, work well, and last forever..

it's the whole 2 out of 3 thing.
wear, noise, dust... pick two of three.


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## SubaruBlue200sx (Mar 21, 2004)

Zac said:


> Let me make my earlier question more specefic. Are you by chance running the Hawk HP+?



i believe i am... its the pads that came wit the kit... when i first installed the kit on my car.. there was absolutely NO squeak.. nothing at all they were quiet and perfect.. and stopped amazingly... yet after my problem with the bleeder screws.. thats when the squeak started happening.... im well aware that things designed for race will make noise etc etc.. but for me.. they were quiet before.. and now they are not..


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

SubaruBlue200sx said:


> i believe i am... its the pads that came wit the kit... when i first installed the kit on my car.. there was absolutely NO squeak.. nothing at all they were quiet and perfect.. and stopped amazingly... yet after my problem with the bleeder screws.. thats when the squeak started happening.... im well aware that things designed for race will make noise etc etc.. but for me.. they were quiet before.. and now they are not..


As the pads wear they will start to squeal. It should have nothing to do with the bleeder screw issue. Any crap on the pads and rotors would be BURNT off within a few good stops. 

you really should figure out which pads you have...


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Another reason they may squeel is as they wear, the pad may leave a slim deposit as it is not fully flush with the rotor. This is hard to explain and I am sure there is a technical term for it so I will post a picture of where this occurs. The way to get rid of this is to simply sand it off. While you are at it, re-apply anti-seize.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

Typically, we call that pad overhang. that's usually caused from running calipers on large rotors that are designed for smaller ones. the Wilwood dynalite works GREAT on rotors up to about 12", but anything larger than that and the pads hang over the top of the rotor.

http://blehmco.com/pics/car/brakes/rear5.jpg
It's hard to see in that pic, but you can see it. the top of the pad hangs over the edge of the rotor just a bit. (those are Z31 rear rotors mounted on a Maxima using stock calipers. The Z31 rotors are about 1.5" larger than the stockers).
as the pad wears, they create a lip across the top, and it's this lip that sometimes causes the squeal.


the HP+ will also squeal quite loudly on street use. If you want to run Hawk pads, I suggest the HPS for street and the HP+ for track, but I would try the HPS on the track as well. they weren't enough for those calipers on my Maxima, but they might be enough on a B14 that's almost 1000lb lighter. (My Max is around 3650lb w/driver in track trim)

Also, you might want to look into the Ferodo DS-2500. they are AWESOME pads for the street and track. only problem is they dust pretty bad. my wheels are black with a week of daily use. the good news is the stuff comes off with water and a washrag. very easy to clean off.


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## SubaruBlue200sx (Mar 21, 2004)

im pretty sure the pads i got were called cobalt friction.. they are on the fastbrakes website. as stated before.. i had the kit installed for maybe 2 weeks.. with no noise at all.. only until after the leak did this happen.. on sunday i plan on removing the calipers and pads and give it a good cleaning and see how that turns out


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

SubaruBlue200sx said:


> im pretty sure the pads i got were called cobalt friction.. they are on the fastbrakes website. as stated before.. i had the kit installed for maybe 2 weeks.. with no noise at all.. only until after the leak did this happen.. on sunday i plan on removing the calipers and pads and give it a good cleaning and see how that turns out


How else do we say this, it is NOT CAUSED BY THE LEAK!!!! 2 weeks without noise is NOTHING. The pads had only began to wear over time and NOW they WILl squeak. Do you think that ANYTHING will stay on the pads rotors when you smash the brakes and the instantly heat up? Cleaning will cure it and then they will squeal. You need to use different more street oriented pads and save the Cobalt's for track/autocross days.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

you mean these?


> Cobalt Friction Dynalite pads, GT Sport compound $49.00
> 
> Replacement pads for the 4 piston calipers used in the Civic, Sentra, 240 SX, Saturn, and Toyota 4 piston kits. High Performance street compound/mild track day/driving school activities. *NOTE: These pads are somewhat noisy if driven at low speeds... *


Yeah, "somewhat noisy" is brake pad manufacturer term for "deafening squeal"
This is a short vid of my car on Carbotech Panther XP8..
http://www.vq30de.net/images/p1000098.mov
(it's only about 30 sec long. but it's 33MB. stupid quicktime... and ignore the dorks talking. They're from SoCal....)

the video doesn't do it justice though... they are so loud they hurt my ears, even with the windows up! while we were sitting in traffic, people were literally giving us freaky stares and pointing at my wheels.


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

Matt93SE said:


> you mean these?
> 
> Yeah, "somewhat noisy" is brake pad manufacturer term for "deafening squeal"
> This is a short vid of my car on Carbotech Panther XP8..
> ...


Same thing happens on my Carbotech's, but I KNOW they are race pads. 

Cobalt pads are noisy, they can be VERY noisy if you have a more agressive compound. I had the GT series on my S2000 and they were definately TRACK ONLY pads... 

Another thing that should tell you that it has nothing to do with the bleeder issue is that it ONLY happens under light braking, when you stomp on them they are quiet. This is because the dust contains metallic particles that scrape against the rotors.


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

ding ding ding.
I was between track days and didn't feel like pulling these off. I called Carbotech and they said "sure. you can drive them on the street. they may be a _little_ noisy, but we have never heard complaints about them being too loud"
HA!!

Thus my recommendation of the Ferodo DS2500. they're quiet on the street, last a loooong time, and yet still perform just as well as the Carbotech or Cobalt pads.
And for the dynalites, they're only about $50 a set- just like everything else out there.


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## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

Matt93SE said:


> Typically, we call that pad overhang. that's usually caused from running calipers on large rotors that are designed for smaller ones. the Wilwood dynalite works GREAT on rotors up to about 12", but anything larger than that and the pads hang over the top of the rotor.
> 
> http://blehmco.com/pics/car/brakes/rear5.jpg
> It's hard to see in that pic, but you can see it. the top of the pad hangs over the edge of the rotor just a bit. (those are Z31 rear rotors mounted on a Maxima using stock calipers. The Z31 rotors are about 1.5" larger than the stockers).
> ...


Thanks. Now I know the proper termonology.




Matt93SE said:


> ding ding ding.
> I was between track days and didn't feel like pulling these off. I called Carbotech and they said "sure. you can drive them on the street. they may be a _little_ noisy, but we have never heard complaints about them being too loud"
> HA!!
> 
> ...


I put Panthers on and they are not nearly as loud as your car although I do not call them quiet either. Considering that I rarely drive the car for city driving, I'm not really bothered by it.


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## SubaruBlue200sx (Mar 21, 2004)

Matt93SE said:


> ding ding ding.
> I was between track days and didn't feel like pulling these off. I called Carbotech and they said "sure. you can drive them on the street. they may be a _little_ noisy, but we have never heard complaints about them being too loud"
> HA!!
> 
> ...



i understand now.. sorry for dragging this on.. where can i order a set of these pads so i can get rid of this annoying sound


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

depends on what pads you want.

for the Ferodos, I recommend Kuah at www.SPLparts.com He's got BY FAR the best prices on Ferodo that I've seen. my previous brake dealer wanted $150+ a set for them on my Wilwood superlites.. Kuah was under $100 shipped. He can also get Hawk and some other brands as well, so your best bet is to contact him and see what he can get.

the dynalites will be around $50 a set, IIRC. been a while since I've bought any pads for them, but that's what I'm using on my 240 now.


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