joeb Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 I finally put new pads on the rear of my STS. they were very thin. the car seems to stop the same. of course rear brakes have little effect on stopping but they do help some. and I knocked off the wheel speed sensor in the process and got a traction control light/ABS when I started the car. duh. I hate it when that happens. so anyway, do 1/2 worn pads on the front stop the same as new pads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 I finally put new pads on the rear of my STS. they were very thin. the car seems to stop the same. of course rear brakes have little effect on stopping but they do help some. and I knocked off the wheel speed sensor in the process and got a traction control light/ABS when I started the car. duh. I hate it when that happens. so anyway, do 1/2 worn pads on the front stop the same as new pads? 1/2 worn means that you still have plenty of stopping power and wear left It may be more important to have the same type of pad on the front and rear; different brake materials stop more or less effectively. Some brakes use friction to stop, some use "material transfer" to stop. Matching brake pad materials should help you stop better, longer. See link below for more general brake information. (While the link says that drilled rotors can crack, after several cars and 10's of thousands of miles, I have never had a cracked rotor on one of my cars.) The Brake Bible Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 do 1/2 worn pads on the front stop the same as new pads? I would say yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted October 1, 2006 Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 My guess would be the only differance you might notice is the amount of pedal travel, other than that as long as their is pad you should stop just fine. The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted October 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 1, 2006 thats probably the main difference. are the new pads the same material as the old pads? same brand or something different. the caddy has a much harder pedal feel than my other car so that takes a little getting used too, jumping from car to car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 My guess would be the only differance you might notice is the amount of pedal travel, other than that as long as their is pad you should stop just fine. You will not notice any increased pedal travel with worn pads ad disc brakes are self adjusting. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 As others have said, the DEPTH of the pad doesn't really affect the braking "power". It's the COMPOUND of the pad (the material) that really affects that. A long-wearing compound will typically not stop as well as a pad that may grip well but only lasts 50,000 miles. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted October 2, 2006 Report Share Posted October 2, 2006 (While the link says that drilled rotors can crack, after several cars and 10's of thousands of miles, I have never had a cracked rotor on one of my cars.) And the repercussion of that is . . . . . what? I'm assuming it's not catastrophic. Yes? Regards, Warren EDIT: BTW growe3, superb link to The Brake Bible There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fretbuzz470 Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Your 1/2 worn brake pads will actually stop better than brand new pads will. They have had time to wear into the different patterns on the rotors (no matter how small they may be) and the way the slides flex while braking on your car after being driven for a while. New pads are out of a mold and need about 500 to 1000 miles (depending on hwy vs. city miles put on) to actually seat correctly and give you your best performance. In most cases if you have 1/2 left on your pads I wouldn't even worry about them for the next 10k (20k if you drive nice hehe). Hope this helps some. Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fred Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 I had Jumbo come install new pads on my Cadillac the other day, The old ones had less than 1/16th left on them... Just in time I tell ya! MerryChristmas Be a Capitalist or work for one. Work for a Capitalist or be one. MerryChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fretbuzz470 Posted October 3, 2006 Report Share Posted October 3, 2006 Ohhhh PS on my reply before....At 1/2 brake left it wouldnt hurt if you are inclined to be able to do so yourself (don't waste the $$ having it done at a shop if you are not having a problem) to pull the front caliper slides and lube them up along with sanding down any metal contact points the caliper/pads/or slides may come in contact with and lubing them as well . All that will do is make the ease of braking smother for the vehicle and prevent future problems. You may or may not notice a difference once done but your car will thank you as will your pocket book down the line! Jay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted October 4, 2006 Report Share Posted October 4, 2006 (While the link says that drilled rotors can crack, after several cars and 10's of thousands of miles, I have never had a cracked rotor on one of my cars.) And the repercussion of that is . . . . . what? I'm assuming it's not catastrophic. Yes? Regards, Warren EDIT: BTW growe3, superb link to The Brake Bible I have replaced drilled rotors that had very small cracks, back in the 60's, but the major brands put out a very good product these days. I have been using Raybestos slotted and drilled rotors, with Quiet Stop (ceramic) brake pads, on both of my 93 STS's, and my 75 Chevy C20 Suburban. Excellent stopping and wear, absolutely no evidence of any rotor problems. I do all of my own work, so I know exactly what goes on, and how well the products preform. As for cracking rotors you will have plenty of notice that you have rotor problems long before any rotor failure, i.e., grabbing, squeaking. It is very unlikely someone would have a catastrophic failure from a modern rotor. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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