Just replaced the rotors and new pads. The pads are semi metallic. I’ve noticed a brief rubbing sound when coming to a complete stop and when lifting my foot off the brake pedal from a stop. Is this normal for metallic pads?
Have you driven enough to bed them in?
How were the calipers when you pushed them back to install the new pads?
Does it pull one way or the other when braking?
Did you remember to grease where the pads move in the caliper?
Yeah def worn them in enough. Hundreds of miles. Even did the 30/50 braking in the beginning.
Calipers are fine. One is new. I pushed them in to fit the new pads over the rotors and they were smooth.
Doesn’t pull when braking.
Yup, greased all the shims and pads where they make contact but I re-used the old shims. You think that would cause it? Never had the problem with the old pads.
What ways are metallic pads noisier than ceramic or organic?
Usually the noisier is just the squeaking when you brake. Reusing the shims might cause the rubbing sound, but it’s hard to say for sure. The rubbing sound is most likely vibration in the brake pad as you come to a complete stop and the pads kicking off of the rotor as you start moving again.
What brand did you get?
It could be normal for those pads to make that noise. If it’s stopping good, the pedal doesn’t feel spongy, and the wear on the rotor and pads look uniform I think you’ll be okay. As long as it doesn’t make a rubbing sound while you’re moving! I’d keep an eye on it just in case. Worst case you spend too much time looking at perfectly good brakes!
Thanks. Yeah all working well. I think it’s the pads. If I barely come off the brakes from a stop I can get it to happen, but then it goes away.
They’re Centric pads and rotors.
were the rotors trued before installation?
They were brand new. I wasn’t aware that that was something I had to do. Is that always the case? It doesn’t feel like they are warped.
no you shouldn’t need to, especially on new rotors, but it’s a possibility: warping of the rotor face. if this is the problem you could take off the offending rotor (should probably check all 4 though if you’re paying careful attention you may notice the vibration comes from one corner) and examine both inner and outer faces with a good quality straightedge against a light all the way around for a definitive diagnosis. correction would involve “truing” on a brake lathe. otoh, I would expect the vibration pattern to be basically inverse of what you describe- less vibration at lower brake force and more at high.
Another thing I would check is to make double sure you A. didn’t counterthread any of your lugnuts and B. tightened them all to within the specified torque range. A loose wheel could be caused by counterthreading, under-, or over-torquing your lugnuts. Loose wheel would definitely cause worrying vibrations, but would be more likely noticeable at higher vehicle speeds or tire rpms, more-or-less independent of brakes. You probably already know all this but it bears repeating, you should always start a thread by hand and get several good turns on it before moving to power tools, and finish with a torque wrench if specified.
Looking more closely at the op, I see you say the problem is a noise however. Are you feeling the vehicle shake? Can you feel it through the pedal, or a side-to-side motion in your seat? Or is it more of a squeaking, grating, metal-on-metal noise? If this is the case, some of your brake hardware may be scraping against the rotor at light brake forces. I would carefully listen for which corner was making the noise and do a careful reinstall there.
Another possibility I saw once was a dust cover that had been stepped on (by me- oops) while I was reinstalling it. It came back with a noise complaint from that corner and the cover piece had to be bent back into shape so it was out of the way of the rotor while the front wheels were pointed.
Lug nuts are always torqued.
It’s just a sound. Don’t feel anything or notice pulling.
I’ll check the hardware again. I did re-use the shims but greased them up.
To the original question, metallic brakes aren’t just noisy? I know they’re louder than ceramic and organic.
If it’s just a sound, and the brakes are performing otherwise as expected, I’d chalk it up to metallic brakes, especially if the sound were roughly uniform from all corners. I’m not there to hear it, though.
For sure. I only have discs in fro t and it sound like front and back. I’ll see if I can get a recording.
