Front Brake Pads - Experiences and Recommendations

[smallspeed]

Im currently in discussions with a major pad manufacturer, having purchased a set of their pads which didn't fit my calipers.. My previous pads were OEM and seemed to have been fitted without any modifications to the backplates, however the new "upgrade" pads I purchased are too wide across the backplate to fit. I checked the spring clips when I took the old pads out and they are well seated, and made sure the whole caliper was clear of pad dust and fully cleaned up.

While I managed to fit the new pads (they were a bit tight going in but not much worse than the old ones coming out) as soon as I applied the brake they bound on and wouldnt let go. This resulted in me spending about 4hrs releasing the calipers and removing the pads (which were masacred in the process). I've since replaced these with pads from a different source which fitted and work perfectly

Has anyone else had experience with pads not fitting in the front calipers? I spoke to my specialist who said he knew people filed down the back plates of some makes of pad to make them fit, however the pad manufacturer say there's no way people do that with theirs as there's no need. Having taken some measurements of pads and calipers they now say the pad back plates are wider than the caliper opening..

Any peoples experiences gratefully received; Im not looking for a mud slinging contest, hence no names mentioned, however I would like to find out if this is a general problem or a freak one off..

Thanks in advance

Ben

 

[kevin]

Can I take it, you do not have any of the normal corrosion issues these calipers suffer from? it maybe as simple as the caliper plates being pushed inwards due to the corrosion that builds up behind them, quite comon, and common for all garges to file the pads down to fit.....Although comon, not good practice.

kevin

 

[smallspeed]

no checked whether I needed to do this job before changing the pads and they are fine

 

[Steve Brookes]

I had to file down (dremel) my textar plates to put them in my rear 2 pots. The ones I took out had also been filed down. This is because of plate lift in my case. For some reason you can't buy replacement plates for the the 2 pots or just the special screws needed to fit them. So I guess I'll be filing pads until I get some 4 pots as a replacement.