Installed cobalt brake pads yesterday. Shims did not appear to fit pads so I did not install them. Is this a problem? I also put in ATE Blue and bled wheels in the following order passenger rear, drivers rear, front passenger, front driver wheel. This is different then order of service manual and the manual is clear about not using DOT 4. Brakes appear to be OK but I am concerned I might have done something wrong and will not find out until the wrong time. Any help would be sincerely appreciated.

 

i actuallly did the same exact thing this weekend however... i just used the oem shims and bent the little clip to make it fit. my order was LF RF RR LR

 

Do you know what the shims do and will I have a problem not using them. You followed the order of the manual. Is there anyway to tell if there are any problems using a different order as long as you know you did not get air in and bleed each brake completely.

 

DOT4 is fine. I assume the recommended order exists for a reason, but I can't tell you whether you will have trouble or not. Shims are not necessary, but not having them might make the brakes a little more noisy.

 

Mike,
Thanks for your feedback. Headed for
watkins Glen on Monday for 2 days of tracking, cant wait.
John

 

Having just bled my car this weekend, I had reason to ponder the prescribed order. I believe it exists so that, if you start farthest away from the brake master cylinder, and work in the prescribed order to closest to the master cylinder, and fully bleed each one so that you are sure you're getting new fluid, you will have bled the entire system with as little fluid as possible.

I would be very, very surprised if you were in any sort of danger from having done it in a slightly different order (especially if you bleed regularly, before your fluid starts to break down).

Shims are overrated; real brakes squeak. And work with DOT4 fluid.

 

Except that the Honda-specified bleed order starts CLOSEST to the master cylinder. LF, RF, RR, LR.

 

That is weird. I was bleeding the Miata this weekend; I haven't done my Honda in two years (scheduled for this winter). The Miata stipulates starting farthest away. Very strange....

 

noisy track pads FTW

 

I thought i'd update this post. I just got off the phone with Cobalt Technologies and given that I am using the XR2 racing pad they recommended not using the shim even if it fit. They explained that because the pad generates so much heat the shim will have a difficulty handling the temperature and could even interfer with the proper functioning of the breals.