Changing Braking Pads

No matter how great your car is, driving it will be dangerous if you cannot stop it when needed. This is something that race car drivers are well aware of, and they concur that a car’s braking ability is more important than its ability to accelerate. No one enjoys veering off course, falling into a ditch, or hitting a wall.

Unfortunately, the braking system usually fails, more often than not, as a result of neglect. The problem is largely with the equipment rather than the driver. The culprit is usually worn braking pads.

Good friction pad depth is important for good performance, which means that you should regularly change the pads. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves and go to work on relining your car’s brakes. Of course, this means that you need a plastic tool kit.

In order for you to change the braking pads when it is necessary, you need to learn more about the braking system. This article focuses primarily on the front braking pads, which account for 90% of changes required in this area.

A simple way of determining the wear on the brake pads is to look at them from outside of the front tire. Many cars allow you to see the brake pads via the openings on the outer parts of the rims or wheels. Seldom will you need to remove the wheels so as to see the pads.

Look at the outside pad from above. You will see it pressing against the metal rotor, which is shiny.

Once you have seen it, you have two ways of determining whether they need to be replaced.

Any pad that is less than a quarter of an inch thick needs to be replaced. Change them without delay if the depth is less than an eighth of an inch to prevent impending damage of the rotor. Of course, there are some slight differences depending on specific cars but this is a good rule of thumb.

Listening will also warn you when it is necessary to change the pads. A screeching sound is a clear warning that you should have changed the pads already.

Now, here are steps on changing the pads.

1. Park the car under a shade where you will work in comfort.
2. Ensure that the parking brake is set firmly and block the rear wheels.
3. Take the tire iron to loosen the lug nuts enough to remove resistance
4. Find a flat area on the frame just at the rear of the front wheels and jack the car. Let the car rest on jack stands.
5. Loosen the lug nuts completely and remove the wheel.
6. You will see the disk brake assembly, which is composed of caliper, brake pads, and rotor.
7. Loosen the bolts holding the caliper to remove it gently. You will see the pads inside the caliper held in place by clips or a bolt.
8. Remove the pads and inspect them then inspect the rotor, which should be shiny enough to show your reflection
9. Use your fingernails to determine whether there are any grooves, in which case you will need to remove it.
10. Apply grease before putting in new brake pads.
11. Then work everything in reverse in order to put things back in place.