Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Brakes bendix pad shim question

do i use the shims that come with the titaniums? i didnt notice shims on the stock pads. do i put the the shims on then some caliper grease on the back to keep them quiet.

Don't use any grease. Install the shim on the back of the pad and install the pads. These shims are not made to use with grease.

I put disk brake quiet on my bendix with the shims.

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put the the shims on then some caliper grease on the back to keep them quiet.

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That's what I did. That's what I was told to do by Big Jim, I trust in his knowlegde.

I trust Big Jim's advice also. That is why I am sure you must have misinterpreted what he said.

Don't grease the back of your brake pads.

There is a product called something like "Disc Brake Quiet" you can apply - it is not greasy, more like a strong caulk. I have used it in the past - but now I just use the adhesive shims that come with the pads.

Caliper grease is for slide pins and sliding metal to metal contact points on the calipers. NOT for pads. A very small amount on the pad tangs where they contact the calipers is OK.

I trust Big Jim too, but WHY are the shims needed when they aren't there from the factory?

I don't understand how making the backing plate slightly thicker makes the pad quieter. Since the piston is self-adjusting I don't think that the pad to rotor clearance is any different with or without shims.

Seems to me like having a metallic "sticker" wedged in there is asking for trouble later on, since, again, they aren't there from the factory.

There must be a good explanation.

Brian

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When you reassemble the brakes, make sure that you lubricate every part of the brake pad backing plate that touches the caliper. This includes the area on the back where the shims go. Both sides of the shim should be lubricated, the surface that touches the pad backing plate and the surface that touches the caliper. This also includes the edge of the pad backing plate where it needs to slide as the pad applies and the pad wears. Any good quality disc brake lubricant should be fine.

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I did not misinterpret Big Jim's advice. I even went back in the archives and found it.

This is not entirely true. It all depends on what type of shim is being used or if the pads are being used without a shim. I run a tech dept for a brake manufacturer and own my own brake business as well, this question comes up quite a bit.
There are two basic ways to prevent squeels caused by pad vibration independent of the caliper. One way, which is used by VW, AUDI, and a few other manufacturers is to glue the pad to the caliper. These pads come from the dealer with shims installed on the pad and a paper backing that is peeled off revieling an adhesive during installation. Since the pad is now glued to the caliper, it cannot move independently and therefor will not squeek. Of course this adhesive looses its stick about halfway through the life of the pad and the noise begins. Another way is simply to allow the pad to vibrate slightly independently of the caliper and isolate those vibrations to the pad so they don't reach the caliper. This is done through the use of shims. Grease should only be used on shims that clip onto the pad like those that the japanese manufacturers use. These are generally a two piece shim, one constructed of an antifriction coated mild steel shim and one constructed of stainless steel. Grease should be used between the pad surface and the mild steel shim, and then the stainless shim installed over the top of the mild steel shim, with no grease in between, and then the pads installed into the caliper with no grease between the caliper and stainless shim. But these are fords, not toyotas. The shims found on contour pads are single layer shims that generally have an adhesive to aid in attachment to the pad. The shims that we install on these pads have small taps to prevent the shim from rotating off the pad or dimples punched in them which lock in respective dimples on the plate of the pad so they cannot rotate off the pad. These shims are glued onto the pad and no grease should be used between the pad and shim...cuz then the glue wouldn't stick. Some companies provide a rubberized shim and some provide a steel shim which appears to be painted black. This is an antifriction coating on the shim designed to absorb minor vibrations. The rubberized version works much better which is why more and more OE suppliers are switching to this design. No grease should be used with these style of shims. It is unneccessary and will do little aside from making a mess. Non-adhesive shim (no adhesive between the shim and caliper) allow a slight bit of movement between the pad and shim, and between the shim and caliper. This is sufficient to prevent noise and no grease is necessary. Most brake noise occurs because of poorly machined rotors or rotors that have not been machined, or pads of inferior quality.