kcd1184 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 I am also preparing to put new pads on the front of my Eldo.(Poobah's thread) I found some old info and from that I am leaning towards Wagner semi- metalic pads ($48) and Wagner rotors ($68)each. I just turned 120,000 miles. I have had the car for 30,000 miles and this is the first brake work on my end. The pads are thin but not squealing yet, and I am getting some pulsating and at some hard pressure stops, I hear almost a low rumble or grindy sound. Does anyone have an opinion about pursuing turning the old rotors instead? Also any comments about pad choice are welcome. I could buy cheaper Wagner rotors, but they are not made in USA. Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeal1892 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 semi is what most if not all cadillac products use to call for im not sure if they do on the current ones, but i can tell you the semi never have lasted for me. and the brake dust on the rims is aweful. thats why i do Cermics on the front atleast. of course im the type of person that will stay at home just to keep my car out of the weather too . Michael S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 While the manual states that turning the rotors is not necessary, I always have them resurfaced when I put new pads on to square up the surface, remove imperfections in the surface and to give the new pads a surface to break into. Have the shop ONLY take off enough material as necessary, they will MIC them and won't cut them if the cut take them beyond what is safe. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeal1892 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 yes, you should always have them turned because they have there own pattern left in them from the old pads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCat83 Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 Wagner Brand brake parts are good quality and will provide long service life. I use Bendix and like that brand, comparing one to the other is like 'six of this, half dozen of that". Replace your rotors. Brand name brake rotors can generally be resurfaced only once. The REAL secret to long rotor life is replacing your pads when they're 2/3 to 3/4 worn. Replacing brake pads at this time prevents scoring and gouging and glazing the rotors, which is what necessitates rotor resurfacing/replacement. New pads, scuff the surface of the rotors with a coarse grade of sand paper to renew the non-directional surface and you're ready to go. Your rotors will last far longer (75K - 80K + miles) and your brake jobs will be less time consuming, easier, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 11, 2006 Report Share Posted March 11, 2006 If the rotors are not gouged, I would just have them cleaned or trued like BBF said. I just had mine done under warranty to stop a brake pulsation and the mechanic pointed out that the pads where getting thin. I ordered OEM pads from gmpartsdirect (still haven't got them, God their shipping is slow). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 yes, you should always have them turned because they have there own pattern left in them from the old pads. Wrong - The only reason to turn a rotor is if there are grooves deeper than .060" or if there is pedal pulsation. That is verbatim from the service manuals. Anything else is personal preference but that should not be implied that it is required as part of normal brake service. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCat83 Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 "Wrong - The only reason to turn a rotor is if there are grooves deeper than .060" or if there is pedal pulsation. That is verbatim from the service manuals. Anything else is personal preference but that should not be implied that it is required as part of normal brake service. " True. I was taught the same in post secondary auto tech school, What I describe is what was taught and what I have done for years and it works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 12, 2006 Report Share Posted March 12, 2006 Like KHE said, its personal preference. Repair shops really don't mind if you come back with a pulsing pedal 30 days later, its YOUR time and it's just more money for them when they replace the rotors because they are 'warped', me?, since I am doing the job myself, I mind having to go back and pull the wheels just to have the rotors trued up because of pulsing brakes 30 days later. I don't want to scuff or even attempt to put a non-directional pattern on my rotors, I'd rather have it done. With the money I save doing it myself and for the cost of $10 a rotor, its not worth the aggravation and having it done is good insurance against a pulsing brake pedal in 30 days.. We have had this discussion before and it ends up the same, personally I don't care what the manual states or what 'shops' do. KHE and I (and I love him and highly respect his opinion) are on the opposite sides of the rotor resurfacing issue, and we have been here before. I do understand BOTH sides of the argument also and the number one reason NOT to resurface is that you are taking material off of the rotor and potentially causing it to get hotter, contributing to the 'warping' issue (which is not really warping in the sense of the word warping but that is a different story). For me, since the old pads have ridden on the rotor for at least 40K miles and since the surface is no longer smooth as a babies butt, and since they are glazed like glass, lightly cutting them squares them up, breaks the glaze and provides the non-directional surface that the new pads need to break in and mate nicely. However, I STRESS to the machine shop, I want a VERY LIGHT clean-up! AND, if they are getting close to the LIMIT, I replace them with anything NOT chinese. But its personal preference, its fine to go by the book, if you'd like... Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhinchley Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 If they have deep grooves or are warped replace or turn them. Warped being worse then groove because it will limit your stopping and contol of the vehicle as they get worse. You can easily check for warpage yourself with an indicator by spinning the rotor while on the car..........or off of the car if you had a flat surface like a machinists granite block accesible to you. Of course the shops can check them for you if you are going that route. Also there is a minimum thickness allowance, and I am not sure what that is on these rotors. I am sure you can find that online though. Don't go too thin with them or the heat will warp them...........and even worse..............sometimes they crack and break..........and then you have a major problem and probably a wreck on top of it. On "work" cars, I have just left grooved rotors on the car and let the brake pads seat themselves, but only because I did not want to put money into a work car............and was installing cheapo pads, that I did not mind replacing every couple years. On daily drivers or hot rods, I always turn them if they are bad or replace them depending on the thickness left on the rotors. I generally also use Ceramix Pads, or EBC Green Stuck pads............but that is because they create less dust and are quieter. It makes cleaning the rims much easier come wash time. But as stated many times already.....that kind of stuff is personal preference. Replacing or turning warped rotors, or replacing rotors that are too thin is a safety necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 I have Bendix pads on mine, paired with Powerstop drilled rotors. Been that-a-way for almost 65,000 miles now. Never touched 'em. That's the best set of brakes I've ever had, especially when comparing them against what Cadillac kept putting on the car (when my mother owned it). 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...
justgreat Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 semi is what most if not all cadillac products use to call for im not sure if they do on the current ones, but i can tell you the semi never have lasted for me. and the brake dust on the rims is aweful. thats why i do Cermics on the front atleast. of course im the type of person that will stay at home just to keep my car out of the weather too . Michael S the stock oem pads for my caddy calls for semi-metallic. the first set went 50k miles and that was a majority of around town driving!! there is a trade off though: you definitely need more pressure on the pedal to get them to stop when they're cold...nothing like the german cars, where you just tap the pedal and they work. the downside? you replace BOTH the rotors and pads every 30k miles. jackg 90 seville 100k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeal1892 Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 i just got new cermic front pads and new rotors myself and its so much better than the semi . the regualr pads the dust and the noise is not for me or my car. michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 17, 2006 Report Share Posted March 17, 2006 Actually the term warped rotors is a misnomer, they really don't warp, see this article, I love it http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml The grabbing, pulsating is actually caused by brake material transferred to the rotor and the really don't warp Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeal1892 Posted March 18, 2006 Report Share Posted March 18, 2006 very interesting mike ! thanks, michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.