I bought this car used from a dealer. It was owned by a forum member here who is a driving instructor and the car did a number of track days, although it seems well maintained. The previous owner installed Carbotec XP-8 pads front and rear and they are at about 80% currently. The car has sat at the dealership where I bought it for about 5 months and has only covered 500 miles in that time. When I first drove the car the brakes squealed badly when applying them. Now that I know they are race pads I understand this is "normal". Now that I've put a couple hundred daily driving miles on the car the squealing has greatly subsided when stopping, but when rolling along at less than freeway speeds I can hear what sounds like the driver's side rear squealing. It stops when you a) hit the brakes, b) hit a bump, or c) if you turn left or right suddenly.

Any of you gurus out there have any idea what may be causing this, before I make an appointment with my brake guy? The car is a 2005 with 22,000 miles on it.

Thanks in advance!

 

Race pad will do that. You need to swap them out for OEM pads. That will help with the dust, the rusty dust on the wheels and the noise.

I run XP8 on the track and I hate them on the street. They work great on the street, but I feel very bad when I pull up to the stop in traffic. Sounds like an old truck as it comes to a stop.

 

even the squealing when not on the brakes?

They do stop very well, but you're right, I feel like I have to tell people, "no, it isn't a piece of crap, its just race pads".

 

I am running the Carbotech pads you mention above and have the same squeal when rolling along slowly in stop and go traffic it sounds as though I have a bearing going bad. Well I am glad to hear this is normal though I do not understand why when the pad should not be contacting anything because I am not pushing on the brake pedal at all.

 

There is nothing to pushes the pads away from the rotor. So they can touch the rotor whenever they want to. A bump, a turn anything can psuh them into the rotor. Remember they slide in the calipers.

Really the OEM pads are perfect for the streets. Track pads are best on the track. I change them when I get to the track, and when I get home. Take me 30 mins to do all 4 wheels.

 

They just seem to stop so well, and I hate to remove almost $300 in pads to just go "stock"! But, the noise is irritating, although its been raining here in the Pacific Northwest for about a week straight now and will continue until July, so I guess I wont hear the squealing as much with the top up!

 

True..

I personally would save them for the track. If you will not be tracking the car, then sell them to someone who will. Better the taking a loss.

 

That sounds like it'd be a hand grenade in the middle of the engine symphony. I'd ditch the pads. Just imagining it gives me shivers.

 

True, just wasn't sure if there was a market for "used" brake pads, regardless of how expensive they were new. Maybe I'll get some OEM from the dealership and swap them out, then offer them for sale here used.

TW

 

So if someone were to buy the OEM pads, what would be the most affordable source?