MustangFirstCar

Hi forum,
So about 2 years ago I bought some slotted and drilled rotors and some hack HPS pads. My braking has greatly improved, especially from speeds 100+ (I felt like my brakes could hardly slow me down before), but it has come with 1 very annoying problem. The passenger side front brake squeals like **** whenever I stop slowly, like at a light or stop sign. I have taken it to 4 mechanics I relatively trust and 3 of them said there was nothing wrong with it and 1 said it was just some dirt which he cleared out, and the squealing actually went away for a few hours. Came right back though. Every one of them and a lot of the other people I've asked say that it is because my brakes are just noisier, slotted and drilled plus better pads. But I've never heard any noise coming from any of the other brakes, so I can only assume it's a problem with that 1. I am so sick and tired of hearing that noise and seeing the look on my passenger's faces when they hear it. So my question, forum, is what should I do? No one seems to be willing to find the problem, just blame it on aftermarket brakes and call it a day. I really can't stand this sound anymore either.

I've also got another problem, figured I'd throw it in here too. Whenever I put the car in reverse I get a loud scraping sound that comes from everywhere, but mostly in the rear. It sounds like it's to do with my brakes, and if I reverse a few feet it goes away and the brakes become smoother feeling. It's mixed with kind of a shuddering sound and feeling. I have also been told by my mechanics that it is due to my aftermarket brakes just being noisier, but I had the exact same problem when I still had 100% stock brakes. The sound was noticeably better for the first month I had the new brakes but it came back just the same. I don't know what I can do, my mechanics have no clue and I've already swapped pads and rotors. The only thing I can change out now is the calipers and at that point I would just get a whole new brake system, but I really can't afford that right now. Any ideas?


Thanks forum

vixr

The first thing I would try is moving the squeaky pads to another spot on the car and see if the noise follows... and on the reverse noise, my 07 GT did the same thing, so its not just you...I know that's not much solace, but one thing that appeared to help was only setting the E brake a few clicks instead of jerking the crap out of the handle...

I just thought of something...when my buddy who owns an 07 GT bought new drilled and slotted + pads, he did a "bedding" procedure...not sure what that means but he had zero noise.

aaquib1992

What kind of hawk pads did you get? If they're the ceramic kind, then yeah I could see the noise being normal. I've heard some god awful sounds from DD cars with ceramic pads. Parents had an acura with ceramics and that thing squealed like a dying animal until you got them warmed up.

So the mechanic cleaned the area out and the sound went away? Have you checked your brake dust shield to make sure there's no contact or any crap lodged in there contacting the rotor?

If none of the above sounds likely, then I would bet it's just a prematurely worn or damaged pad. Take a look at the rotor too, drilled rotors are not the best idea for a street driven car IMO and they can cause premature wear if they are not cross drilled and of high quality.

MustangFirstCar

They are Hawk HPS pads and they have been checked for any odd wear or problems along with my rotors at least 8 times between 4 different mechanics in 3 different parts of the country.... I don't know what the guy who said it was dirty did but the sound came right back later that day so it didn't work... I honestly don't know a ton about brakes but I figured maybe he put some grease on something and it just wore off quickly. I don't think it's wear, I don't think it's the rotors or pads just being noisy, and I don't think it's dirt. That's why I'm so confused, there just doesn't seem to be a solution.

Ricardo

Are the pads lubricated? Parts store will sell it in a little $1 or so pack. A dab where the pads slide on the caliper goes a long way for quieting squeal. People change pads without doing this and dump money on brake jobs when it's simply a $1 solution.

157dB

I would suspect the pads were not ever properly bedded
into the new rotors.

This will cause squeeling because the new pads will glaze
over pretty quick.

The solution.
Remove the glazed pads.
Throw them away.
Put a nice crosshatch pattern on the rotors
with some 100 grit sandpaper in a right
angle to the rotation.
Reinstall new hawks and follow their directions
for properly bedding the new pads into the rotor surface.

Correct brake pad break-in (bedding) is important to assure quality braking performance over the life of the pad. This procedure allows the rubbing surface of the brake pad to be brought to temperatures, creating a transfer-film layer of friction material to be applied to the rotor surface. This allows the brake pad material to rub against itself rather than the bare rotor. This increases the stopping performance of the brake pad and can reduce pad and rotor wear.



There are a number of reasons why a person can experience brake noise. Sometimes brake squeal can be an indicator that there is a problem. Maintenance is required if you experience brake squeal for any of the following reasons:

Lack of friction material (brakes need to be replaced)
Loose fitting brake in the caliper
Loose fitting or missing brake hardware (i.e. shims, anti-rattle clips)
Loose lug nuts or caliper hardware
Debris caught between the rotor and the surface of the brake pad
Heat cracked or worn rotors
Uneven finish on resurfaced rotors

Sometimes a user may experience brake noise when no maintenance is required. We call these NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) issues. Brake squeal is typically caused by vibration between the brake pads, rotors, and brake calipers. Some brands of semi-metallic brakes are more likely to experience brake squeal due to the metallic ingredients in the brake pads. Hawk Performance has a great reputation for being a low noise, high performance pad.

What can I do during installation to ensure my brakes won't squeal?


First, choose Hawk Performance high performance disc brake pads as your upgrade over other aftermarket brake suppliers. The next best steps you can take to avoid having noisy brakes are:

Turn / machine the rotors (machining off a small layer of the brake rotor to make it smooth again)
Wash and dry the rotor to rid of debris
Install the pads securely and according to instruction
Properly bed-in the pads according to instruction
Apply a thin layer of a silicone compound called anti-squeal
brake lube on the back of the brake pads

808muscle

If you want an even better braking experience, get SS lines. Best mod I did for my brakes. Did more good than new rotors and pads.

akdoggie

I have to ask, just what did the SS lines do to improve your braking? You said that was the best mod you did for the brakes? Just wondering?

akdoggie

BG (brand) makes a product called Disc Brake Quiet (so does CRC but different items). It is a black liquid you put on brake pads to eliminate squeaking from brakes. It is especially good on new pads, but used can be quieted also. Most is due to overheating and such. Your Hawks have most likely glazed, and will continue to squeal or squeak when then are applied. A lot of hard stopping from high speeds, will cause of lot of this type squeak.

Cross drilled rotors also carry this sound, due to having openings to let the sound out, where as stock solids don't. Heat does dissipate with drilled much quicker, but sound doesn't. I'd certainly start with the pads, and like 157 said, get those rotors deglazed so that the new pads don't fill up with the coatings from the old rotors. It doesn't take a lot to ruin a new set of pads. Heat is the worst enemy. Good luck.

pinn

I installed hawk pads w/ my drilled & slotted rotors and had all the problems you are describing. Hawk pads grab like crazy. I swapped them out for Autozone pads and haven't had a single problem since.